A winning strategy

First off, how bad do you think the Roe v. Wade protesters felt when Hillary Clinton mentioned to them that abortion rates have gone up since Bush has been elected? Some would say it's a sign that women simply don't want to raise a child in a world where something like that could happen.

Hillary, however, laid it out there in a politically adept manner that reminds us of the last Democrat to win the White House:

"The abortion rate fell by one-quarter between 1990 and 1995, the steepest decline since Roe was decided in 1973," Clinton told the 28th annual conference of the Family Planning Advocates of New York State, an event coming just two days after the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. "The rate fell another 11 percent between 1994 and 2000.

"But unfortunately in the last few years, while we are engaged in ideological debate instead of one that uses facts and evidence and common sense, the rate of abortion is on the rise in some states," she said. "In the (first) three years since President Bush took office, eight states have seen an increase in abortion rates and four saw a decrease."

(snip)

Asked after her appearance if she felt President Bush's policies were directly responsible for increased abortion rates in some states, Clinton said she did not know if that was the case.

"We should try to figure out what the cause of that is, but personally I worry that we are not providing good information, comprehensive education and access to services, so there may be some relationship," the former first lady said.

"I just think we ought to be asking ourselves some hard questions, particularly with an administration that has been very vocal in its opposition to abortion," she said. "Why would it have begun going up again under this administration? If I were in that administration, I'd be asking myself: `What are we doing wrong? This is one of our most publicly stated concerns. We must figure out what we're going to do to prevent this."'

For her part, Clinton said there should be more money for family planning services and contraception, and more emphasis on promoting teenage abstinence as a means of bringing about "a day when abortion is truly safe, legal and rare."

I think this is a very sane and winning strategy for Democrats to take on abortion issues. Arguing the best defense against abortions is prevention of unwanted pregnancy seems like a no brainer. I just wish John Kerry had thought to bring it up.