A recent op-ed I co-authored about the need for conservatives and liberals to find common ground on abortion reduction has attracted some interesting buzz. Mark Silk, an astute observer of religion and politics who runs the blog Spiritual Politics, wants us “commongroundknicks” (as he endearingly? calls us) to stop talking about this end-of-the culture wars business and show what consensus would look like on this polarizing issue.

Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, Faith in Public Life, and Sojourners have tried in different capacities to answer that question by making the case for a comprehensive abortion reduction agenda. This includes social/economic supports for vulnerable and pregnant women, preventing unintended pregnancies, strengthening adoption alternatives and addressing the root causes of why women choose abortion. We shouldn’t expect this to be easy. Seeking common ground does not mean abandoning core principles or expecting that decades of disagreement will simply melt away with happy talk about compromise.

But after years of being stuck in the same paradigm, it seems we are witnessing a unique moment when some pro-choice and pro-life public officials are finally doing more than exploiting abortion as a "wedge issue" to divide voters and win elections. As professor Stephen Schneck at The Catholic University of America observes, the “stars are starting to align.” There are a number of legislative vehicles in Congress that get at what this consensus might look like. Among them, Sen. Bob Casey Jr. and Sen. Lincoln Davis introduced the Pregnant Women Support Act, legislation that helps expectant mothers with prenatal health care, nutrition support and other critical programs. Pro-life Rep. Tim Ryan and pro-choice Rep. Rosa DeLauro are pushing the Reducing the Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act.

These legislative efforts are not a panacea, but they reflect a growing public consensus for comprehensive strategies that put solutions before political posturing. Silk references the argument made by conservative, pro-life legal scholar Douglas Kmiec that promoting the full spectrum of Catholic social teaching and the concomitant social policies this tradition endorses (universal health care as a human right, living wages for workers, etc.) is the most effective way to prevent the tragedy of abortion. As the AP reported recently, abortions have increased in several states directly because of the economic downturn. It’s time to finally end the false divide between social justice and pro-life advocacy. Policies that help put Americans back to work, ensure families have affordable health care and strengthen fraying social safety nets also lower the abortion rate, which is more than four times higher for women living in poverty than for women earning 300 percent above the poverty line.

Fred Clarkson over at Talk to Action describes the op-ed as a “screed.” I genuinely appreciate Mr. Clarkson’s sharp analysis on this important issue. Frank debate and rigorous intellectual engagement always help us think more critically about our assumptions. Despite having some challenging words for conservatives and liberals, the commentary called for those on both sides of this issue to “embrace a spirit of greater humility, compassion and critical introspection.” Hardly fightin’ words that amount to a gratuitous rant. Mr. Clarkson is right to point out that there are many religious pro-choicers who view reproductive choice as a moral position. I argued that it’s a mistake to caricature all pro-lifers as “reactionary fundamentalists aligned with conservative political orthodoxy.” I should have been clearer that it’s also a mistake to stereotype pro-choice advocates as godless heathens. It’s hopeful that the president of Planned Parenthood sees a “window of opportunity” where pro-choicers and pro-lifers (even those labels often seem inadequate for the complexities of this issue) can work together across often bitter divides. David Brody at CBN has the sit down here.

Others responded that “anti-poverty, social justice Catholics and evangelicals” wish the abortion issue would simply “go away” and that our real agenda is to help elect Democrats by co-opting the abortion issue from the Religious Right. If we wanted the abortion issue to go away, we wouldn’t be sticking our necks out to talk about it. We wouldn’t organize an abortion reduction forum on Capitol Hill as Catholics in Alliance helped to do in January, or sponsor research that analyzed what social and economic policies helped reduce abortion. We wouldn’t meet with the National Campaign to Prevent Teen & Unplanned Pregnancy as one of our staff members did recently.

Catholics, evangelicals and other people of faith will continue speaking out for comprehensive and compassionate abortion reduction strategies. It’s encouraging to see there is vigorous debate out there. The Alliance is always open to meeting with people of goodwill from across the ideological and political spectrum. Let’s keep the conversation going.