On Monday, President Obama signed an executive order reversing the ban enacted by former President George W. Bush on federal funding for scientists conducting embryonic stem cell research. The president justified his decision by stating that the restrictions enacted under Bush created a “false choice” between science and morality. While what constitutes a “moral” choice will always be debated, the president’s assertion that in this case there need be no division between the two points to why social conservatives have a great deal to fear from the Obama administration.
Social conservatives have already begun to attack the decision to revoke restrictions on embryonic stem cell research. The idea that embryos can be created exclusively for the purpose of medical research is highly repugnant to those who believe that human life ought to be protected from the instant of conception. The premise that the life of the embryos is less valuable than those which the ensuing research might benefit is inherently flawed and stands in contradiction of the idea that all men are created equal. Embryos, however created, represent the same spark of human life we all possess and deserve the same protection as all other humans. The willingness of our president to sign a law allowing research to be performed on embryos indicates dangerous times for many hard fought victories for social conservatives. Coming from a candidate that promised to transcend politics as usual, policy moves like the reversal of the stem cell ban explicitly uphold the agenda of one side over the other and reveal the convergence of the Obama administration with the goals of social leftists.
A similar measure is the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), a piece of legislation designed to protect the “right” of women to get abortions from any limitations within approximately the first six months of a pregnancy. Its advocates state that it will “guarantee reproductive freedom” for women; its opponents, that it will lead to more abortions. FOCA is designed to simultaneously attack all the restrictions which social conservatives have fought to put in place over the last 35 years. Obama has promised to sign it. This decision reinforces something social conservatives knew during the election season — that Obama held a perfect approval rating from NARAL Pro-choice America, a pro-choice advocacy group, which also endorsed his candidacy. Thus it’s not as if the President’s support for measures that fly in the face of many conservatives comes as a total surprise. It does, however, mean that social conservatives need to be prepared for a long struggle to hold onto their gains of the last years, particularly in the pro-life arena.
There have been other indications of the direction in which the Obama administration is moving. Recently the president nominated Kathleen Sebelius, governor of Kansas, to be his Secretary of Health and Human Services. This move also inflamed social conservatives, as Sebelius has associated publicly with and has had the support of Dr. George Tiller, a doctor noted for allegedly providing late-term abortions.
If you find this list depressing, imagine that things may get worse, and in a more permanent way. Obama has yet to have the opportunity to nominate a Supreme Court justice. But he almost certainly will be able to nominate at least two in his four year term, and perhaps more should he be re-elected. Justice John Paul Stevens is 88 years old, and his colleague Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is also aging and has had health issues. These two are among the most liberal justices on the Supreme Court, and thus any Obama nominees would not represent a major ideological shift. But his nominees could give a shot of (relative) youth and vigor to the court in much the same way (though with the opposite effects) Bush’s apointees Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito did. Thus, Obama could have a lasting impact on the judicial direction of the country, which exerts a great deal of influence on the efforts of social conservatives.
Why does this matter so much? Even if one disregards the moral implications of measures and leaders permitting and tacitly condoning the destruction of human life, it speaks to a reality with which social conservatives must come to grips. For all the emphasis Obama placed on unity and hope during the election season, his actions demonstrate that such sentiments do not extend to the policy goals of social conservatives. On these there will be no compromise, merely the resurgence of the left against the policies of the Bush administration and the victories social conservatives found in those eight years. On social issues, the new sort of politics promised by Obama has deteriorated into the advancement of the agenda of social liberals. Given Obama’s current popularity and the distinct possibility he will gain a second term, he has the opportunity to pursue the policies he inaugurates for quite some time. Add to this the Democratic majorities in Congress and the possibility he will nominate multiple Supreme Court judges, and the policies of the left could go significantly unhindered. Obama’s administration thus has the ability to uphold liberal views on issues like abortion without consensus from Republicans and to make these policies lasting.
Robby Colby’s column appears Thursdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at r.colby@cavalierdaily.com.
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