A profile of a centrist in the abortion battle...

From Today's Washington Post:

Centrist Courage On Abortion

By E. J. Dionne Jr.
Post
Tuesday, May 17, 2005; A21

Nothing is more hopeless or courageous in politics than seeking an authentic middle ground on the abortion issue. That makes Thomas R. Suozzi a hopeless case or, as I would insist, one brave politician -- and especially so as the United States Senate tears itself apart over judicial nomination battles in which discord about abortion has played such a central role.

The 42-year-old Nassau County executive is a churchgoing Catholic who believes that abortion should remain legal. He is also a Democrat who thinks that government should take concrete steps to make it easier for women to choose against abortion. He's proposing that his suburban jurisdiction on Long Island spend some serious money to make that happen.

A politician who takes both these positions risks putting himself in the political crossfire, which is exactly what Suozzi did last week in a remarkable speech at Adelphi University. By gambling on offending everyone, this New Yorker just might move the national abortion debate to more constructive ground.

"As a Democrat, I do not often find it easy to talk with other Democrats about our need to affirm our commitment to the respect for life and how we need to emphasize our party's firm belief in the worth of every human being," he said. "As a Catholic, I do not often find it easy to talk with other Catholics about my feeling that abortion should and will remain safe and legal, and that we should instead focus our efforts on creating a better world where there are fewer unplanned pregnancies and where women who face unplanned pregnancies receive greater support and where men take more responsibility for their actions."

Read the rest here.

This is almost exactly where I fall on this debate. If asked by someone who was seeking counsel on whether to have an abortion or not, I would uniformly advise against it.

That being said, once someone has made up their mind, all of their options need to be both safe and legal.

-The Oklahoma Hippy