As readers may know, I’ve been very impressed by Barack Obama (despite also being repelled by some of the coverage Clinton has received). Among many necessary conditions for my being impressed by him is the fact that he has good positions on reproductive rights. Imagine my surprise, then, at being completely unable to find any mention of abortion or reproductive rights whatsoever in the issues section of his website. If this is right, it’s deeply strange, and surely counter-productive, especially since we’re still at the primary stage rather than the mandatory general election shift-to center. I very much hope someone will tell me I’m wrong about this!
11 thoughts on “Am I missing something?”
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You’re right in that he doesn’t mention reproductive rights in his “Issues” section. I learned from a post by Melissa at Shakesville, though, that it’s actually under the “People” section. You’ll find it if you click “People”, then “Women”, and then on “Learn Where Barack Stands” on the right-hand column.
It’s a little too well-hidden for me. I never, ever would have found that on my own. Plus, it ittitates me that if you click on “Additional Issues” under “Issues”, one of the categories is “Sportsmen”. Huh? As if that’s important enough to be more easily found that reproductive issues?
“ittitates” = iRRitates. Sorry about that.
Also, the Shakesville post where I learned this is here:
http://shakespearessister.blogspot.com/2008/02/obama-reproductive-rights-and-nafta.html
Wow, that is ridiculously buried. I find that really shocking, especially since Clinton has attacked him as insufficiently pro-choice. You’d think he’d want to have that stuff up there pretty prominently.
I may be wrong here but in my experience at a variety of events I have heard a variety of African American women complain about abortion and reproductive rights as stemming from racist policies and as ultimately going back to eugenics arguments in some of the earliest proponents of such rights. It was African American women in this country who faced compulsive sterilization in some cases. Margaret Sanger is one of the worst culprits here. Furthermore, many arguments about world overpopulation and the need for better birth control worldwide focus on non-white countries, implicitly arguing for a reduction in the non-white birth rate, while at the same time First World white women avail themselves of all means possible to increase fertility if it is a problem.
My point is that the issue of reproductive choice is laden with a lot of racial baggage and this could well affect the siting of the issue where it is in Obama’s website.
Thanks for the info, Calypso, that’s interesting.
Calypso: Reproductive rights are absolutely a controversial issue when it comes to race for all of the reasons you pointed out. This is why it’s so important to acknowledge that reproductive rights/reproductive justice are about much more than the right to choose birth control and abortion, but also the right to have children.
Yes, that’s right. And it would have been such a good thing for him to do, either in the ‘family’ or ‘civil rights’ sections of the ‘issues’ portion of the blog. sigh.
Tracey wrote: “…it’s so important to acknowledge that reproductive rights/reproductive justice are about much more than the right to choose birth control and abortion, but also the right to have children.”
This remark is also so pertinent to disabled women (and men), especially those labelled as “cognitively impaired”. Most jurisdictions have had laws enshrining the forced sterilization of disabled women, especially. In addition, disabled women and men have been forced to live in segregated institutional settings in order that they do not ‘have physical relations’. Reproductive rights/justice for disabled women has seldom been a concern for non-disabled feminists. Indeed, some well-known feminist bioethicists argue that there is a moral imperative for disabled women NOT to reproduce. I hope that someday soon claims of this sort will become a source of embarrassment for feminist philosophers and recognized as the discriminatory mechanisms that they are.
How does this relate to Barack Obama? Under the “Issues” section of his blog one will find a heading “Disabilities” and the following statement about justice for disabled people, a statement which I would like to interpret as one that incorporates reproductive justice:
“We must build a world free of unnecessary barriers, stereotypes, and discrimination …. policies must be developed, attitudes must be shaped, and buildings and organizations must be designed to ensure that everyone has a chance to get the education they need and live independently as full citizens in their communities.”
Barack Obama
I was disappointed about that too. I worry that he will worry about abortion being a “controversial” issue and leave it dead by the roadside. For someone who constantly talks about the obstacles he has faced on the matter of race, certainly he ought to understand the obstacles women face by not having control of their reproductive systems.
One reason that I support Clinton over Obama is because she is not afraid to state her position on abortion.
I don’t think it’s “strange” that this is buried on Obama’s website.
Clinton is a proven strong supporter of women’s reproductive rights. She is one of only a few prominent politicians to speak out fairly early on in support of late term abortion being legal, a courageous act.
Clinton is much more of a “known quantity” on the issue of abortion.
[…] April 12, 2008 Filed under: politics — jj @ 2:26 pm Recently Jender raised the worry that there didn’t seem to be any mention of abortion or reproductive rights on Obama’s […]