Obama Appoints Anti-Choice Activist to Health Services Post

Gay marriage proponents may not have a friend in the White House but religious conservatives hell bent on controlling women's reproductive rights certainly do. 

Barack Obama has just selected anti-choice activist Alexia Kelley to oversee the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the Department of Health and Human Services.  The President's timing couldn't be worse, announcing this unwelcome appointment less than a week after the cold-blooded murder of a Kansas abortion provider.  Alexia Kelley is executive director of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, a group that adheres strictly to church doctrine in matters of abortion and birth control. 

Sarah Posner on  American Prospect:  Kelley is a leading proponent of "common ground" abortion reduction -- only CACG's common ground is at odds with that of Obama.  While the administration favors reducing the need for abortion by reducing unintended pregnancies, Kelley has made clear that she seeks instead to reduce access to abortion...  Under George W. Bush, the faith-based centers didn't play a policy role. But Obama has expanded the faith-based project to include a policy side, and one of its chief goals is to reduce the need for abortion...  Obama finds himself now in the difficult position of having elevated the importance of religion to making policy, and having appointed a religious figure whose opinions on policy conflict with his.

Jacqueline L. Salmon at Newsweek writes:  Her appointment sparked a war of words among other Catholic activist groups.  Catholics for Choice, which opposes the church's teachings banning birth control, abortion and embryonic stem cell research, called Kelley an "anti-abortion advocate" and said in a statement that the choice "calls into question whether President Obama's administration is serious about reducing the need for abortion."

Jon O'Brien at Catholics for Choice:  If Ms. Kelley had been appointed to another position in the administration, there might be less reason for concern.  However, the Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for providing and expanding access to key sexual and reproductive health services.  As such, we need those working in HHS to rely on evidence-based methods to reduce the need for abortion. We need them to believe in men's and women’s capacity to make moral decisions about their own lives.  Unfortunately, as seen from her work at CACG, Ms. Kelley does not fit the bill.  A look into Alexia Kelley’s leadership of CACG reveals a vehement anti-choice stance that is focused on reducing the number of, not the need for, abortions...  As Ms. Kelley’s group opposed evidence-based prevention methods such as contraception and comprehensive sexuality education, its “abortion reduction” rhetoric is simply a newly packaged anti-abortion message.

I was hoping that Obama's "outreach" to religious conservatives peaked when he brought into the White House his  Circle of Five "spiritual advisors" with their anti-choice/anti-LGBT agendas.  But appartently our President can't function without right-wing ideologues at his side.  Last year Alexia Kelley wrote:  "A narrow interpretation of faith in the public square is at odds with our nation’s great religious movements." 

Welcome to the administration, Ms. Kelley.  As you're no doubt aware, church-state separation is a principle Obama fails to appreciate.  You should feel right at home.

Comments

[Gaina]

What is Obama playing at? The main sticking point for voters (from where we sat in England) seemed to be his stance on late-term abortion. And now he goes on to make this appointment?

I'm begining to think he's incredibly naive and doesn't understand that sometimes people simply will not sit down and discuss things like adults. Some situations are just messy and complicated and don't have 'happy medium' solutions because that's not what either faction wants.

To me there is only one agreement that can be reached on abortion and that is if the people who don't want one don't *have* one, and agree stop harassing the women and doctors who feel differently on the subject.

If they can't agree to that, then Obama needs to be strong and put them in their place in order to protect the vulnerable people who need a range of sexual health services.

[Bee Girl]

They won't be happy till every zygote gets a birth cirtificate.

[D]

If you think Alexia Kelley is "hell bent on controlling women's reproductive rights" you don't know a thing about what you are talking.

Catholics for Choice started this controversy because they are jealous and bitter of the new kids on the block getting all the props and funding in the Catholic left community. CACG has done more to move forward progressive issues, especially in the areas of poverty, war, torture, and on the environment. And when Catholics for Choice was useless to assist Kathleen Sebelius from the far right attacks, it was CACG that stepped up.

[Jenna]

You should re-read the post. It said "religious conservatives" are hell-bent on controlling women's reproductive rights. Alexia Kelley is a bad choice that'll help them achieve thier goal.

Work for CACG, do ya? I vistied the website and saw what they had to say about contraception.

[Trent]

I disagree with "D" - they tout the pope's message, ergo...

[Sis]

Keep in mind, Obama did this. "They" can't get anywhere without what he just did. Obama.

[ugg store]

Keep in mind, Obama did this. "They" can't get anywhere without what he just did. Obama.