Win a Free Copy of Prince Caspian on DVD!
E-MAIL NEWSLETTERS







There was an error processing this request. We cannot subscribe you to newsletters at this time. Please contact technical support with details.
Featured Sponsors
Blogs Sponsorship

About Dr. Warren Throckmorton

Warren Throckmorton, PhD is Associate Professor of Psychology and Fellow for Psychology and Public Policy at Grove City College (PA). He is the producer of the critically acclaimed documentary, I Do Exist, regarding sexual orientation. His academic articles have been published by journals of the American Psychological Association and he is past president of the American Mental Health Counselors Association. Over 60 newspapers have published his columns and he is co-author, along with David Blakeslee of the monograph, Health Education as Social Advocacy. He can be reached at ewthrockmorton@gcc.edu.

Search The Bible   
Advanced Search
<< >>

Dr. Warren Throckmorton

Columnist, Speaker, Professor of Psychology and Fellow for Psychology and Public Policy at Grove City College

Monday, August 25, 2008

The potential sacred: Obama tries to find an abortion postion

Barack Obama is this election's pro-choice candidate. He supports the Freedom of Choice Act which would prohibit state and federal laws which restrict abortion. He said, "I believe in Roe versus Wade" to Rick Warren as a part of the Saddleback Civil Forum.  And he continues to be embroiled in a controversy over his opposition to the Born Alive Infant Protection Act in Illinois.

 

Last week, visiting Lynchburg, VA, Obama again tried to clarify his abortion views. As reported by the Family Research Council, Obama told Lynchburg ABC News affiliate reporter, Rebecca Cooper:

 

"I don't think this issue has to resolved in terms of when life begins. that is a theological question or scientific question. I as a Christian have a belief that the potential for life is sacred at the moment of conception. But I also believe that it is not decisive in determining who makes the decision that difficult in questions like abortion."

 

I am not sure what he meant. Having the potential for life is sacred at conception, but not sacred enough to trigger legal protection? He must have raised his pay grade because he made an assessment about the sacredness of the potential for life. This may morph into a view that says he is personally against abortion but cannot impose his views on others.

 

I continue to follow this topic because I believe it may be the pivotal social issue for Evangelicals considering an Obama-Biden vote.

 

 

  • Email
  • Print
  • Discuss
Most Recent User Comments
warrenthrockmorton
8/27/2008 11:06 PM
Diane - I appreciate your comments but I wonder if you can address something that I have not heard an Evangelical supporter of Obama address. Given his position (or several positions) on life and his commitment to the Freedom of Choice Act, how have you reconciled your support of his candidacy?

This is not about political party; I would ask this if the Republican candidate was stridently pro-choice.

Thanks for reading and commenting, Warren
DLHarris
8/26/2008 10:04 AM
First, I believe that abortion is murder at any stage of pregancy, because God created life and life is sacred. However, because a fetus lives inside a woman who presumably has a right to privacy and to exercise her will on her body, I struggled with whether or not government should obstruct those rights even when we believe abortion is evil.

I understand Barak Obama's point when he said "I as a Christian have a belief that the potential for life is sacred at the moment of conception. But I also believe that it is not decisive in determining who makes the decision that difficult in questions like abortion."

Although I support Mr. Obama's presidential candidacy, and maybe because I am not a politician, my conclusion differs from his. While God has given each of us free will, enabling a pregnant woman to defy His ownership of her body, she does not own her fetus and should not be allowed to destroy it.

Diane L. Harris
http://www.steppingintothelight.net