Abortion Becoming a Deciding Factor this Election
Abortion is one of the primary disputes unraveling while heading into this November’s presidential election against candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.
Abortion is one of the primary disputes unraveling while heading into this November’s presidential election against candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.
“I really didn’t plan on voting,” said junior communications major Julie Sarraco, “until I heard how Mitt Romney plans on cutting off birth control and abortion.”
Romney previously supported pro-choice, but in 2007 explained in an interview with USA Today that he no longer feels the same about abortion, and mentions his previous stance as wrong.
On the other hand, President Barack Obama is pro-choice. Obama supports the Roe v. Wade act, which legalized abortion, and was passed in 1973 by the United States Supreme Court.
“I’m definitely voting for Obama,” said Sarraco, “I like how he is pro-choice and more for women’s rights, unlike Romney.”
Another issue Bloomsburg University students have been having regarding abortion and the election is parental notification.
President Obama believes that parental notification is not needed. Responding to a questionnaire from RH Reality Check in Oct. 2007, Obama, as a parent, believes that young women should talk to their parents before considering an abortion. However, he does realize that not all young women can turn to their mother or father in times of trouble, and it’s for times like that, we should want these girls to seek the advice of trusted adults instead of their parents.
Rebublican candidate Romney, while explaining to the Boston Globe his decision to veto the Contraceptive Bill said, “Furthermore, this legislation would make the morning-after pill available to young girls without any restrictions on age. This bill undermines the state’s parental consent laws and represents a departure from the public consensus that minor children should not act without parental involvement in these matters.” Romney believes that parental consent is a must.
“I plan on voting for Mitt Romney because first of all, he is pro-life, and second of all, he believes in parental consent,” said sophomore mathematics major Samantha Hady, “Parental consent of an abortion is something that I feel strongly about because a minor doesn’t have the morals that a parent does, and if anyone at any age can get an abortion, there would be no consequence of having sex at a young age.”
One final argument that Bloomsburg University students are raving about, regarding the election and abortion, is the funding of Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood works with families and women all across the country who can’t afford birth control or certain and simple doctoral procedures.
President Obama likes the goal that Planned Parenthood has and likes the direction in which they are moving. He plans on continuing to provide them with a certain amount of funding.
Romney, if elected president, plans on cutting the funding for Planned Parenthood, causing the elimination of Planned Parenthood’s across the country. Romney supports the ‘Pence Amendment,’ which is aimed at eliminating all Title X grants for Planned Parenthood.
“Hearing about how Romney wants to eliminate Planned Parenthood really got to me, and that’s what pushed me over the edge,” said psychology major Lauren Moore. “I come from a low income family and my mother and I really rely on Planned Parenthood. I feel like Romney isn’t for the women, so it’s going to make this election very simple for me. I am 100 percent voting for Obama.”
According to the New York Times, as of Sept. 16 2012, Barack Obama has a 74.7 percent chance of winning, while Mitt Romney only has a 25.3 percent chance of winning.
