Beliefnet Editor Waldman Chides Far-Right on Contraception

Beliefnet's Editor Steve Waldman makes a clear common sense argument for contraception on his blog, speaking to values that overwhelming numbers of Americans embrace. He writes,

This to me points up what ought to be a real dilemma for religious conservatives. Ideally, they'd like to have less premarital sex, less use of contraception, less teen pregnancy, less out-of-wedlock birth, and fewer abortions. But what if they could win on a few of those by giving in on a few others? Specifically, isn't it likely that if contraception use were higher that teen pregnancy, out of wedlock birth and, most important, abortion would be lower?

If that were the case, wouldn't it be morally incumbent on conservatives to lead the way for greater contraception use? To use the moral language of the pro-life movement, aren't those who oppose contraception responsible for the deaths of thousands of babies?

I know that the standard response is that through abstinence you can have it all: less sex, out-of-wedlock births, fewer abortions. But if it could be proven that contraception led to even fewer abortions, wouldn't you have to become aggressive advocates of contraception use?

Ninety-eight percent of Americans use contraception at some point in their lives. But in its waning days, the Bush Adminstration is attempting to redefine many contraceptive devices as abortion, and is attempting to bolster the failed abstinence-only programs by doing an end run on Congressional authorization of funds.

These ideological motivated moves, by an Administration beholden to a shrinking fringe element of the far-right, fly in the face of the common sense Waldman expresses, and the vast majority of Americans embrace.

Voters should ask every candidate, regardless of party or office they seek, what their beliefs are about contraception, and failed abstinence-only policies. It's time we have a government that reflects the reality-based values of Americans' daily lives.