Saga of a One-Issue Voter

I've admitted before that I'm a single-issue voter, since there is only one major distinguishable ideological difference between the two candidates: abortion. However, I also believe in having a consistent ethic of life, and I have read numerous articles--and heard people I respect--that make the argument that a Barack Obama administration would lead to fewer abortions. (Although one cannot help but see the ironic similarity to Thomas Jefferson's 1778 legislation that abolished the slave trade without emancipating the slaves.) Republican presidents have been unsuccessful in their attempts to limit abortions legislatively, and at the Saddleback Forum, Obama himself made the thought-provoking (if incorrect) argument that abortion rates did not go down during the Bush presidency. In order to be intellectually honest (and sleep soundly on November 4), I was compelled to follow this trail wherever it leads. All I had to go on was Obama's voting record and his speeches. Amid the encouraging statements predicting the reduction of abortions through more compassionate social programs, here's what I found:

• Obama supports the repeal of the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for abortions that are not necessary to save the life of the mother and that are not the result of rape or incest.
• Obama opposed parental-involvement laws which would require either the notification or consent of parents before their underage daughter crosses state lines to seek an abortion.
• Obama promised that the first thing he would do as President is sign the Freedom of Choice Act, which would create a federally guaranteed ''fundamental right'' to abortion through all nine months of pregnancy.
• Obama opposed (by virtue of voting "present") the ban on partial-birth abortions when he served in the Illinois senate, and he condemned the Supreme Court decision that upheld legislation banning the practice.
• Obama opposed key provisions of the Pregnant Women Support Act, the signature bill of Democrats for Life, which was designed to reduce abortions by providing assistance for women facing crisis pregnancies—specifically the inclusion of coverage of unborn children in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP), and informed consent for women about the effects of abortion and the gestational age of their child.
• Obama opposed legislation to protect children who are born alive, either as a result of an unsuccessful abortion, or by the deliberate delivery of the baby prior to viability.

So, my decision is final: I'll be voting for McCain--albeit unenthusiastically, and I'll be looking for a crisis pregnancy center to invest in to do my part toward reducing abortions.