Posted on 05/23/2007 12:35:44 PM PDT by Lesforlife
Leaders of anti-abortion groups criticize Dobson
By Associated Press May 23, 2007
COLORADO SPRINGS — Leaders of four anti-abortion groups criticized Focus on the Family founder James Dobson today, saying he misrepresented a Supreme Court decision that upheld a ban on a controversial abortion technique.
In a full-page ad in The Gazette newspaper in Colorado Springs, the group said Dobson wrongly characterized the court’s April ruling as a victory for abortion foes. The ad said the ruling will actually encourage medical professionals to find "less shocking" methods than late-term abortions, which abortion opponents often call "partial-birth abortion."
(Excerpt) Read more at rockymountainnews.com ...
A spokesman for Dobson did not immediately return a call.
Dobson’s conservative Christian ministry is based in Colorado Springs.
The letter is signed by Brian Rohrbough, president of Colorado Right to Life; the Rev. Tom Euteneuer, president of Human Life International; Flip Benham, director of Operation Rescue/Operation Save America; Judie Brown, president of American Life League; and Bob Enyart, pastor of Denver Bible Church.
Rohrbough is the father of Daniel Rohrbough, a Columbine High School student who was killed in the April 20, 1999, massacre.
Copyright 2007, Rocky Mountain News. All Rights Reserved.
These guys sound like idiots to me.
The Court allowing any restriction on such an appalling abortion procedure to stand is a step in the right direction.
Would they have preferred it if the Court had discovered a “right” to PBA?
If you read the analysis on the Colorado Right to Life web
site, the court states if the baby is inadvertently pulled out
past the navel, the baby can be killed by pulling off the arms
or legs:
“The Justices build upon the late-term abortion procedure called dilation and evacuation, which this ruling repeatedly up-holds as remaining legal, stating (p. 21) that “D&E will often involve a physician pulling a ‘substantial portion’ of a still living fetus, say, an arm or leg, into the [birth canal] prior to the death of the fetus.” Then for the purpose of this current opinion, Kennedy, Roberts, Scalia, Thomas, and Alito, regarding a still living unborn child, ruled that (p. 22) “the removal of a small portion [‘say, an arm or leg’] of the fetus is not prohibited” and that’s after the baby is pulled outside the mother as far as to his bellybutton (p. 22).”
Focus on the Family wrongly, told callers that the Supreme Court ruling
put an end to 3rd trimester abortions, which is sadly, more than wishful
thinking!
One of those idiots,
Leslie
If so, they were wrong.
Where did Dr. Dobson do more than to say that the SCOTUS decision was correct and hope-providing? He never said the war was won, just one battle.
IMO, this pricey advertisement is a poor prioritization of scarce resources. Attack Dr. Dobson for MAYBE overstating how good the SCOTUS decision was ... or save the money to attack efforts to expand abortion? Seems like an easy call to me. Save the rebukes of Dr. Dobson for private (or, at least, free) correspondence.
Focus on the Family is a $150 million dollar a year
ministry. For the life of me, I can’t understand
why their legal department wasn’t nauseated by the
ruling, apart from not having read it.
The Gazette incorrectly stated “paid for by Colorado
Right to Life and should be running the correction
later this week.
The ad was paid for by private donations to raise awareness of
the wicked Supreme Court ruling which the pro-life industry
applauds.
bookmark
BTW, Dr. Dobson had the advance copy of the ad
with a request to meet so that we wouldn’t need to
run it. Sadly, he declined.
I agree with you and have long believed that the whole issue of "partial birth abortion" was nothing more than a fig leaf for politicians to appear somewhat moderate on abortion. As an example, even an abortion extremist like Rudy Giuliani flip flopped on the ban because he knows it accomplishes little or nothing.
However, while the ban has little practical effect it was a nice change to see the Court not expand the nonexistent right to abortion and impose a restriction no matter how modest.
I don't know exactly what Dobson said, but the decision was a public relations victory if nothing else.
You and I must have read different SCOTUS rulings. I read the one in which the Court held that Roe and its progeny did NOT bar the federal ban on PBA. You must have read some other decision, for you describe it as “wicked.”
Good day.
Amen!
I agree that PBA is a rare, if it happens at all, procedure. The reason I liked the ruling is not that it stops abortions, but it shows that this court could be receptive to rulings in favor of pro-lifers. I have always been bothered by the fact that PBA suddenly appeared on the political scene by the National Right to Life, just a few years ago, and it has given cover to pro-abortion politicians who want to portray themselves as “pro-life” because they are against this one procedure. Rudy Giuliani comes to mind. This ruling, sadly, actually doesn’t stop abortions, but by the panic on the left, it must mean something legally.
It's a point you make on a blog, not in a newspaper ad.
It stops infanticide.
You have to wonder if some of this crowd isn’t worried about having to look for real jobs.
The Supreme Court decision was a major victory for those who favor right to life (as opposed to those who have made a career of right to life.)
Vanity of vanity. Envy, Satan’s favorite sin. You folks have really advanced the cause (sic).
http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/05-380.ZO.html
Here’s the opinion for all who want to read it for themselves.
Agreed, although I have been surprised for years that more pro-aborts didn't go for this "cover" by agreeing to ban a patently grisly and barbaric procedure that is almost never performed, if at all. The fact so many steadfastly defended this indefensible procedure has spoken volumes to the average citizen, I think.
I do think it's really silly for pro-lifers to be fighting among themselves over what this ruling means. It means we finally won one, and the way the other side is acting they know it. Let's act like we know it too, and start planning the next one to win.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.