Dems & Abortion: The New Republican Light?

Check out the Philadelphia Inquirer’s piece, Democrats Sound A New Note On Abortion. The article focuses on the Democratic Party’s shift towards the center on the issue of choice, and the growing *inside* movement to dismantle reproductive rights from the party’s core platform.
William Galston, a former policy adviser to the Clinton administration explains that: “Those who won’t ever compromise on ‘choice’ should spend a bit more time with folks who aren’t 100-percenters. Because if the 100-percenters keep insisting on total obedience, they will end up dominating a party that will never again win another national election.” I don’t believe it. I think that Emily’s List is much more on point in noting that, “Support for a woman’s right to choose has, in many ways, become the scapegoat for Democrats’ losses.” No joke–with the Dems busy running defense choice becomes an easy target.
Well anti-choice democrats are certainly *thrilled* with the recent developments. Kristen Day, director of Democrats for Life of America, explained that: “Three years ago, when we founded the group, we didn’t hear this kind of dialogue. Nobody in leadership returned our phone calls, and the party wouldn’t link us on its Web site. But now we’re finally getting a seat at the table.” Is this who we really want speaking for us?
I agree that abortion should be safe, legal and rare. BUT, I believe that you make abortion *rare* by providing comprehensive sex education, requiring insurance companies to provide contraception & assign it a reasonable co-pay, and making emergency contraception readily available (to name only a few). Maybe we do need a shift in the language of reproductive rights to garner support from a wider base, BUT if Dems try to expand by getting anti-choicers elected, what have we really accomplished?