Obama on life

There's an old question that's asked: Can Democrats be Christians? No one personifies this quandary better than Barack Obama. He has gone out of his way to proclaim his "Christian" faith (probably to counter the rumors that he's a closet Muslim). Anyway, I couldn't take it anymore. So in one of those bursts of indignation, I fired off this letter to his campaign:

Re.: Pro-choice stance

As way of introduction, I am a 34-year old engineer born in India, and in the US since '93. I am an evangelical Christian, and recently became a naturalized citizen. I have been living in the Chicago area all these years.

To me, the issue is very simple - Barack Obama would be the perfect candidate for me, but for his stance on the reproductive rights issue (the ABORTION issue). In reading through the issues page, I see that Sen Obama very clearly states that he is pro-choice and intends to stay that way. This stance does not dovetail into the other claim that Sen Obama makes - that of being a Christian. I find it pretty disingenuous that both these claims are made by the same person, without any attempt to reconcile the two. I have yet to hear an argument from any person who professes faith in the traditional form of Christianity to have a cogent reason to believe that abortion is also acceptable.

If Sen Obama does have such a reason, I would very much like to hear it. There is such a thing as personal faith, and public policy. I do not believe the US Constitution drives my faith life, regardless of how many times I say the Pledge. But in public life, I do have to follow current laws. So why can't Sen Obama say that while he personally believes that life is sacred, he will uphold current laws that protect choice? Unless Sen Obama doesn't believe in the sanctity of life, and has a disconnect with that part of his Christian faith.

I have been wrestling with this issue ever since Sen Obama announced his candidacy, and felt I had to express it, regardless on who reads it. Thanks for reading.

Regards,

Bipin Sen

I wasn't really expecting any responses, but in this time of micro-audiences, I guess there have been enough letters like this for the campaign to have a drafted form letter. Today I got this from the campaign:

Dear Friend,

Thank you for contacting Senator Obama to advise him of your opposition to abortion. We appreciate your strong feelings on this difficult matter.

Senator Obama believes that every abortion is a personal tragedy, and he has struggled deeply with this issue. He believes that government must do better at encouraging alternatives to abortion. And he supports proposals to decrease the costs of adoption and make the process easier. He cosponsored the Prevention First Act with pro-life Senator Harry Reid, a bill which seeks to expand access to preventive health care services that help reduce unintended pregnancies, reduce the number of abortions, and improve access to women's health care. Education and counseling services are also important and should be expanded.

In the final analysis, however, Senator Obama believes that only a woman, her family, her doctor and her conscience should make the deeply personal decision of whether or not to end a pregnancy. For women who choose it, he will work hard to keep abortion safe, legal and rare—in line with the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade.

This is a controversial issue, and we appreciate your deeply held beliefs. Thank you again for contacting us.

Sincerely,

Obama for America

You can read the self-contradiction even in their response. My original question still stands. What is Obama basing his pro-choice position on? Personal preference? It's certainly not grounded in scripture or Christian tradition - if it is, then that's exactly what I want to hear. And if Obama, while claiming to be a person of faith can make an arbitrary choice on this, what next will he make an arbitrary choice on? There is no integrity of belief here. Suppose Obama said that he is waiting for aliens to return, and that as President he will triple NASA's funding. Well, I can see a connection there, however disturbing. I see no connection between a profession of Christian faith, and not valuing the sanctity of life. If there is a disconnect between Obama and his faith in this matter, what else is there a disconnect on?