We have not lived up to the moral mandate given to us by our founding fathers. We have to do better if we are going to survive as a country. John McCain may oppose abortion, yet his voting record as a senator would indicate that his vision for the already born is not so far-sighted or compassionate. The right to life does not end at birth.

Of course, I would prefer that Barack Obama agree with me completely about abortion and the rights of the unborn. Yet I am impressed that the Democratic party has a plank in it's platform this year that addresses unwanted pregnancies and the conditions that have contributed to the epidemic of abortion in this country. It goes without saying that the root of the problem is really unwanted pregnancies. Without unwanted pregnancies, abortion would be an unheard of phenomenon. It would be naive, considering the human condition, to think that we will soon reach that state, but we can strive for it. Senator Obama, in the last debate, called for education, responsibility, and the practice of abstinence to cut down on unwanted pregnancies. I would add that a better economy and more available jobs would also help. It also goes without saying, that overturning Roe v. Wade will not end all abortion. In fact, making abortion illegal without changing the climate that produces so many unwanted pregnancies would be horrifyingly irresponsible.

I would like to add that electing pro-life/Republican candidates certainly does not guarantee that measures will be taken to make abortion illegal. For the last twenty-eight years, many pro-life candidates all the way up to and including the White House have been elected, but precious little has been done to make abortion illegal or stop unwanted pregnancies that end in abortion in this country. Republicans often have had the majority. Senator McCain himself stated loftily that he had voted for Supreme Court justice Bader-Ginsberg because he didn't use a litmus test of ideologies to choose a justice, but looked for the person with the best qualifications and experience. A cynical person might conclude that too many "right-to-life" candidates don't really mean it. After all, why would you kill the goose that keeps laying the golden voter egg?

So this year, please consider what it really means to vote for life. Consider a man who has vowed to improve our economy and to help the poor, to do something about our education system, a man who is not a war monger but is waging instead a war on hate, violence, and ignorance, a man who will send a message to the whole world that America cares and is going to change for the better. Please join me November 4 in voting for Barack Obama.