Contact: Natalie Bell, Concerned Women for America, 202-488-7000, ext. 126
WASHINGTON, April 1 /Christian Newswire/ -- In recent remarks, Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois) opined that if one of his daughters should become pregnant as a teen, having the baby would be a punishment. Senator Obama said "I've got two daughters, 9 years old and 6 years old. I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby."
Concerned Women for America (CWA) President Wendy Wright responded, "Stigmatizing the babies conceived by teenagers is not the way to reduce teen pregnancies. Instead, it provides an excuse for aborting them. Regardless of their parentage, all human beings should be treated with respect and dignity. Our society would take a dangerous step backward from the Judeo-Christian belief that we are all created equal if we were to treat one class of humans — those born to teenagers — as a curse. Sen. Obama should clearly recant and not sidestep this issue — no baby is a 'punishment."
Dr. Janice Shaw Crouse, Director and Senior Fellow of CWA's Beverly LaHaye Institute, concurred: "Unfortunately it appears that Senator Obama heard a lot more politics than theology as he listened to the sermons in his church. Scripture unequivocally informs us that children are a gift from God, and while there are serious consequences to having sexual intercourse outside of marriage, a baby is not a punishment meted out for sin. Many a woman has come to understand that despite the circumstances of a baby's conception and birth, her little one is a precious miracle that she loves and cherishes unconditionally."
Crouse added, "One of the attitudinal distortions that results from abortion-on-demand is callousness toward pregnancy, motherhood and babies. We are diminished as a nation when we view babies as anything less than God's gift. Who can doubt that hardened hearts and darkened souls are the fate of those who lose the ability to stand in awe at the miracle of life?"
Concerned Women for America is the nation's largest public policy women's organization.
