ELECTION 2008-BARACK OBAMA

Barack Obama
Senator from Illinois

Party: Democrat

Religion: United Church of Christ

Website: www.barackobama.com

Position on Sex Education: Senator Obama supports "replacing funding for abstinence-only programs at home and abroad with scientifically based HIV prevention programs that would include age-appropriate sex education." (1)

He is a co-sponsor of the REAL Act and the Prevention First Act, and introduced the Communities of Color Teen Pregnancy Prevention Act of 2007, which would provide grants for projects to prevent teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases in racial, ethnic minority, or immigrant communities. (2)

Position on Abortion: Senator Obama supports abortion rights. In the Illinois State Senate, he voted against a bill to ban late-term abortions. Obama said that he did not support the ban because it did not contain a clause to protect the life of the woman. During the April 2007 Democratic debate, Obama said that he trusts women to make their own decisions about whether or not to have an abortion "in conjunction with their doctors and their families and their clergy." (3)

In a January 24, 2008, interview with Christianity Today, Obama had this to say about abortion: "I don't know anybody who is pro-abortion. I think it's very important to start with that premise. ... Our goal should be to make abortion less common, that we should discourage unwanted pregnancies and encourage adoption wherever possible. ... I think the state can legitimately say that we are prohibiting late-term abortions as long as there's an exception for the mother's health." (4)

1. AP/Sioux City Journal reports. The survey was conducted by Planned Parenthood of Greater Iowa, AIDS Project of Central Iowa and several other groups in the state. It included three questions and was sent to Democratic and Republican presidential candidates (AP/Sioux City Journal, 11/29/07).
(2) Thomas.loc.gov
(3) Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, Religion and Politics '08: The Candidates on Abortion
(4) Christianity Today

http://www.rcrc.org/issues/election08_obama.cfm