Groups Pushing Social Issues For Fall Elections
Poll after poll may say the economy is the top concern for most American voters, but social conservative organizations are determined to re-focus voters on marriage and reproductive rights. Social conservative leaders and groups, such as Chuck Colson, James Dobson, the Family Research Council (FRC) and the American Family Association are feverishly organizing their supporters around hot-button issues, primarily gay rights and reproductive freedom. The New York Times reports that constitutional amendments banning gay marriage in Arizona, California and Florida will be put to voters in November. Also, voters in California, Colorado and South Dakota will consider ballot initiatives limiting reproductive rights.
Even before the California Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage this spring, the Family Research Council, working with other social conservative groups, had been raising money and gathering names for a ballot initiative that would bar gay marriage in California. Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council told the Times that his group would continue to be active throughout the fall to propel the initiative, called Proposition 8, to victory. Focus on the Family Action, the political arm of James Dobson’s sprawling religious ministry in Colorado Springs, is also actively involved in pushing a South Dakota ballot initiative called “Measure 11” that would ban abortion except in cases of rape, incest or threats to a woman’s health. The Times reports, that if passed, it would give the state one of the strictest bans in the nation.
Written By:Chino Blanco On August 12, 2008 1:26 PM Written By:kay sieverding On August 16, 2008 9:43 AM
"WHO HAS ABORTIONS?
• Fifty percent of U.S. women obtaining abortions are younger than 25: Women aged 20–24 obtain 33% of all abortions, and teenagers obtain 17%.[7]
• Thirty-seven percent of abortions occur to black women, 34% to non-Hispanic white women, 22% to Hispanic women and 8% to women of other races.**
• Forty-three percent of women obtaining abortions identify themselves as Protestant, and 27% as Catholic.[3]
• Women who have never married obtain two-thirds of all abortions.[3]
• About 60% of abortions are obtained by women who have one or more children.[7]
• The abortion rate among women living below the federal poverty level ($9,570 for a single woman with no children) is more than four times that of women above 300% of the poverty level (44 vs. 10 abortions per 1,000 women). This is partly because the rate of unintended pregnancies among poor women (below 100% of poverty) is nearly four times that of women above 200% of poverty* (112 vs. 29 per 1,000 women[3,1]
• The reasons women give for having an abortion underscore their understanding of the responsibilities of parenthood and family life. Three-fourths of women cite concern for or responsibility to other individuals; three-fourths say they cannot afford a child; three-fourths say that having a baby would interfere with work, school or the ability to care for dependents; and half say they do not want to be a single parent or are having problems with their husband or partner.[8]"
http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html
Considering that ProtectMarriage.com has decided NOT to appeal the ballot language, what chance do you really see for Prop 8 to pass? I just don't see a majority of Californians voting YES on a proposition titled ELIMINATES RIGHT OF SAME-SEX COUPLES TO MARRY.
Once the churches realize that Prop 8 is an almost guaranteed loser, are they going to do the right thing and let their members know?
If not, what happens after Prop 8 loses 40-60 (or worse), and then the members find out that the churches were privy all along to internal polling that predicted a crushing defeat? Do the members get their money back?
Or do they get stuck paying for ads that were run by a campaign that knew it was going to lose but ran them anyway!