Grasping at Straws

Most Americans have tired of the public debate about abortion. The issue is complex, with good intentions on both sides of the question. We all respect life and believe that women have a right to decide about their bodies, lives and future-the autonomy principle. Abortion doesn't lend itself to sound bites, and most pro-choice elected officials wish they'd never have to answer another question about it. At the same time, they are constantly seeking, and hoping for, a new sound bite that will just shut both sides up.

In 2004, a Democratic strategy shop, The Third Way, developed a new tactic for Democrats running in conservative "pro-life" districts. In a message memo called "Winning the Abortion Grays," they suggested that candidates say "I will work to dramatically reduce the number of abortions in America while protecting personal liberties." The goal was tactical, not principled. It was not about preventing abortion; it was about getting Democrats elected.

Around the same time, pro-peace, anti-poverty, social justice Catholics and evangelicals wanted to challenge the religious right and elect progressives. They, too, wanted the abortion issue to go away. It is hard to enter progressive politics if you're not pro-choice, and they were uncomfortable acknowledging their own positions on the issue. Mostly, they wanted to talk about war, jobs, and the environment, not sex and reproduction. After much pressure from both camps to be either pro-choice or pro-life, they adopted the first part of the Third Way message (abortion reduction), then ignored the second part by calling it "common ground." For the most part, the two parties who have found "common ground" swim in the same pond-they are both opposed to legal abortion. The difference is narrow: one group has never made much of an issue of abortion, and the other has been actively opposed to legal abortion.

Other common-ground efforts on abortion have engaged in much more outreach, worked hard to understand those who were on the other side. Search for Common Ground, a prestigious DC conflict-resolution group that works extensively on peace issues, brought together people who truly disagreed to discuss the issue for several years and make some common policy proposals. The Public Conversation Project in Cambridge, Massachusetts facilitated many dialogues between pro-choice and pro-life advocates: PCP brought together prominent pro-choice leaders from Planned Parenthood and the Archdiocese of Boston (among others) for a two-year dialogue on abortion following the murder of a young receptionist at a clinic by an anti-abortion fanatic.

The current search for common ground seems far less serious about abortion. And so far it hasn't resulted in peace. What it has done is some aggressive media outreach aimed at promoting its idea of common ground. We caught a piece two religious leaders in the movement published recently in the Cleveland Plain Dealer that exhibited a fairly belligerent style for "common ground," especially given the fact that neither of these leaders has reached out to the pro-choice side of the debate. They claimed that since both liberals and conservatives "have sharpened their knives" against them, they are onto a good tactic. Sounds good at first blush, but when you look behind the words, it becomes apparent that we are dealing with classic smoke-and-mirrors politics...

For the complete essay "Grasping at Straws," visit Religion Dispatches.