You know, someone who "personally opposes" abortion might be someone who does her or his damnedest to alleviate the root causes of abortion--which is a lot more than the SBA List does, in just wanting to ban it, without massive and comprehensive rollouts of stepped up family planning and maternal and child health and welfare and male responsibility programs.

So when are you going to start doing *that*, SBA List?

Anon, have you been to SBA's website? If you go here:

http://www.sba-list.org/site/c.ddJBKJNsFqG/b.4904117/k.354/Current_Legislation_ProLife_Legislation.htm

on the site, you might notice that the first four items listed under "Pro-life Legislation" they are currently supporting are:
# Pregnant Women Support Act (S. 2407; H.R. 3192)
# Elizabeth Cady Stanton Pregnant and Parenting Student Services Act (S.915; H.R.1088)
# Abortion Non-Discrimination Act (S.350)
# Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (H.R.1063) / Child Custody Protection Act (S.2543)

The first two deal specifically with practical and economic aid for pregnant women, the fourth with protecting underage girls from being transported for an abortion --by an adult boyfriend, say-- without parental consent. (The third protects medical facilities and professionals from being compelled to perform abortions against their consciences--surely you don't object to that?) SBA advocates for such bills all the time and notifies those of us who are signed onto their legislative alerts list about them so that we can do the same. What did you think they did?

Incicentally, some of us would argue that there are far more effective ways to deal with the root causes of abortion than to throw enormous sums of other peoples' money at "family planning programs" that are basically shills for abortion profiteers.

The last two bills involve mere bans against abortion, without ample funds for alternative services written right into them. Does the Child Custody Act, for example, provide for enough safe houses for *all* abused pregnant teens in the country, for services during and ever after pregnancy?

As for the first two bills, they are good, but they are just a drop in the bucket compared to the need. When is the US going to catch up to the rest of the world and have, for example, paid maternity leave and universal free maternity care. Ecuador and Burundi have free universal maternity care, by law. Why don't we?

Prevention is a necessary part of reducing abortion. Freedom of speech, religion, and association constitutionally guarantee that we can use the prevention methods of our choice. A wide variety of prevention methods need to be made accessible to all, and as a society we have a collective responsibility to do this,.

Family planning choice is a human right in and of itself, as well as a vital means of reducing abortion. So is the encouragement of equity within intimate male-female relationships, something that way boosts the effectiveness of family planning.

When antiabortionists talk of "throwing money at family planning programs" and dismiss family planning as a mere cover for abortion, what does that mean, exactly?

I suspect this: said antiabortionists are being evasive about their phobia of nonprocreative sex and belief that contraceptives are somehow death-dealing.

Now abortion is a matter of life and death, therefore antiabortion has a place in the public sphere.

But opposing voluntary contraceptives and nonprocreative sex between consenting adults?

these are sectarian positions and should not be imposed upon others whose religious or ethical beliefs lie elsewhere. in other words, when it's just my body and not connected to another human's: keep your laws off my body.

I'm sorry. Where exactly in SBA's policies are opposition to nonabortive contraception or peoples' right to do as they please to the extent that others are not harmed by it?

My point was that they do support legislation that helps women and children. If they don't support every bill that comes down, perhaps it's because certain of our legislators need to stop adulterating legislation designed to help women and children with all sorts of side projects. I contacted my congressman in support of SCHIP: he responded that he could not support it because of the wasteful way in which it was put together. I can't say I blame him.

While it may be your body (where a living human embryo or fetus is not involved) it is also my money. I think that as a private citizen I have as much right not to be compelled to pay for the consequences of how you use your body as you have to use it as you please. Particularly if the money is to be used in ways that violate my freedom of conscience.