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Barack Obama
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Barack Hussein Obama II (b. August 4, 1961) is the 44th and current President of the United States of America and former junior senator from Illinois. He was the first African American to hold the office. Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to Barack Obama, Senior, and Stanley Ann Dunham.
He is known for his liberal views, his bill mandating government intervention in healthcare, his "stimulus" packages which include a large amount of spending to failed projects such as Solyndra, and his controversial policies such as forcing Americans to buy health insurance, fining those who fail to do so, and forcing religious organizations to provide employee health insurance plans which will pay for contraception.[1]
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Political views
Obama is a member of the Democratic Party. He generally holds liberal, left-wing political views.
Birth control and abortion
Obama supports expanded access to birth control, and presenting accurate information to rape victims about emergency contraception in order to reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies. He also believes in comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education that covers both abstinence and birth control.[2]
Obama has a pro-abortion record. He supports Roe v. Wade, and opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the decision.[2]
On November 5, 2008, he selected Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff, who has a 0% voting record on cases that oppose abortion according to National Right to Life. Obama picked former Senator Tom Daschle as his Health and Human Services Secretary on November 19, 2008, who also had a record of supporting abortion. Daschle subsequently asked that his nomination be withdrawn for unrelated issues.
Around that time, Obama also appointed Hillary Clinton, who has a record of supporting taxpayer-funded abortion, to be Secretary of State.
Obama released a statement on January 22, 2009 reaffirming his support of Roe v. Wade which allows for nearly unlimited abortions and has permitted over 50 million abortions since 1973.
Obama overturned anti-abortion conscience protections placed by President Bush that made sure that medical staff and centers would not have to perform abortions. The Obama administration shut out anti-abortion groups from attending a White House-sponsored health care summit on March 5, 2009.
On March 11, 2009, Obama supported the unlimited right to abortion at a United Nations meeting and denied that any negative effects are caused by abortions. On April 14, 2009, the Obama Administration released a statement saying that anti-abortion activists engage in violence and extremism.
Healthcare
Obama is a strong supporter of government-controlled health care. He proposes very strict governmental regulations on the insurance industry, and mandatory purchase of health insurance, with a taxpayer funded public option for those who cannot afford it.
Gay rights
Obama was a strong supporter of homosexual civil unions. Though he personally believes marriage is between a man and a woman, he supports repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and opposed Proposition 8 in California in 2008. He later became in favor of gay marriage, much to the thrill of the media.
On December 22, 2010, Obama signed The Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010, which had been passed by Congress earlier in the month. The repeal took effect on September 20, 2011.
Birth Controversy
Some conservatives have argued that there is doubt as to whether Obama was really born in the USA and therefore question his eligibility to be President, despite overwhelming evidence that he was born in Hawaii and is the legal President.
References
- ↑ "Obama Administration’s Obamacare-Birth Control Mandate Panned" Lifenews Accessed January 30, 2012
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Barack Obama on Abortion www.ontheissues.org, retrieved April 22, 2012
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