Information Alert: Common Ground on Abortion?

Victoria Cobb, President Monday, August 15, 2011 Information Alert: Common Ground on Abortion? Dear Robert: Last week, Gallop released some very encouraging polling numbers regarding abortion regulations.  Since the poll didn’t relate to homosexual activity and once again showed Americans are becoming less supportive of abortion, apparently the national news media decided you didn’t need to know. The poll, conducted in July and released last week, shows that even self-identified “pro-choice” Americans are more likely to support laws prohibiting abortion after the first trimester except for the most extreme circumstances. A majority polled also stated that abortion should be illegal in all or most circumstances. Support was overwhelming for laws such as parental consent, informed consent and bans on partial birth abortion, all of which we have successfully passed in Virginia. It seems that the extreme abortion industry, led by Planned Parenthood and NARAL, have seen that they are rapidly losing ground in the area of public opinion. Rants on NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia’s blog chastise the General Assembly for passing the most reasonable and widely supported abortion measures, such as parental consent and informed consent. In Arizona, Planned Parenthood argued against a requirement that abortions be performed by a licensed doctor, calling it an “undue burden.” Luckily, the state appeals court last week unanimously rejected their argument. Clearly outside the mainstream, these organizations continue to advocate abortion on demand throughout pregnancy with no restrictions and no oversight – and support forcing you to pay for it. Except for a very few, such thinking is clearly beyond the values most Virginians share and explains why pro-abortion candidates that take these extreme positions are fewer and fewer in number. We also understand that, as with polling on homosexual behavior and marriage, opinions on abortion are often confused and conflicting. One isolated media poll does not the truth make. For example, within a few days earlier this summer two separate polls came to opposite conclusions on the issue of same sex marriage. Regardless of the polling, all that really matters is that the thirty-one times the issue has been put to a vote, traditional marriage has won. And, Virginians continue to send pro-marriage legislators to Richmond. The same holds true for the issue of abortion. Virginians have been sending more and more pro-life legislators to Richmond in recent elections, indicating that the abortion polling numbers may be on to something. As we’ve been saying for years, more and more Americans – and Virginians – are becoming pro-life every day. The results are the passage of reasonable, common sense measures like abortion center safety regulations. Consequently, we look forward to having more pro-life advocates in the General Assembly coming in January.   ** Please forward this e-mail to friends and family who you think are interested in issues affecting traditional values and encourage them to sign up for alerts at www.votervoice.net/core.aspx?APP=Registration&AID=334&SiteID=-1 **     You have received this message because you have subscribed to a mailing list of The Family Foundation of Virginia.