Abortion

Focus On The Family Says It’s Reaching Out To Abortion Rights Groups…You Know, The Other Ones

According to the FOF spokesman, it's too "delicate" to say who, exactly.

Focus on the Family decided over six months ago to try and find common ground on working with reproductive rights groups to find ways to help prevent abortions.  Now, they say it’s going great.  What they won’t say is who exactly they’ve been talking to.

Via Colorado Public News:

[Vice president for communications Gary] Schneeberger did not make [FOF President Jim] Daly available to talk about the discussions. Nor would he say with whom Focus officials have met, or whether they have agreed on anything.

Colorado Public News contacted 10 well-known groups that either support abortion rights or are religious groups with more flexible positions, and was told that not one had heard from Focus in the Family in the six months since Daly made his offer to talk.

“We are aware that they were interested,” says Emilie Ailts, executive director of the National Abortion Rights Action League Pro-Choice Colorado. “But there’s been no progress on that.”
There’s been no progress at Planned Parenthood in Denver either. Spokeswoman Monica McCafferty says that Planned Parenthood is “… open to conversations.”

Other groups that denied having discussions with Focus on the Family were the National Organization for Women, United Church of Christ, Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, American Baptist Church USA, Central Conference of American Rabbis and the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado.

When Colorado Public News reported this result to Focus on the Family, spokesperson Devon Williams e-mailed: “…this is a delicate situation and one we want to protect with the highest level of confidence and respect.”

So, is Focus on the Family really reaching out?  Or is this just a play to get some media attention?