darcy_burner.jpg
First District congressional candidate Darcy Burner is unapologetic for bringing abortion to the forefront of her campaign. (AP Photo/file)

Bad taste or smart campaign choice? Burner abortion move sparks strong debate

BY KIRO Radio Staff  on June 14, 2012 @ 5:26 am (Updated: 12:55 pm - 6/14/12 )

Is abortion something to be cheered? That's the question many are asking after three-time Eastside congressional candidate Darcy Burner raised plenty of eyebrows when she called on women at a conference in Rhode Island who've had an abortion to stand up.

"If you are a woman in this room who has had an abortion and is willing to come out about it, please stand up," she said. A few did.

"Now if you are willing to stand with every woman who is willing to come out about having had an abortion, please join them and stand up," she said. This statement was followed by applause.

Afterwards, Burner was unapologetic about bringing such a controversial and personal issue to the forefront.

"The right has made this a shameful thing we're not allowed to talk about," said the candidate who previously lost twice to Congressman Dave Reichert and is now running in the newly revamped 1st district.

"There are people who don't want them to be able to stand up, who don't want people to stand with them, are people who want to shame them into silence and it's long past time we stop giving in to them," Burner told KING 5.

It's a new political tactic critics say could backfire.

"The vast majority of the population does not think it's something to be proud of," said Joseph Backholm of the Family Policy Institute.

"I don't think you'll ever be successful at getting women, in general, to be celebrating these things," he said. "They obviously always come out of very sensitive and difficult circumstances," Backholm told KING 5.

KIRO Radio Staff, Staff report
Straight from the newsdesk.
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Comments (80)


  • Add A Comment

  • Bindi Blue wrote...
    Cheers?
    June 14, 2012 6:38 am
    Regardless of your position on abortion (I'm pro-life), the women I know who have had abortions (even those that are still pro-choice) don't look back at that time of their lives with happiness. Darcy Burner just may be kinda shallow, if not at least out of touch with actual human emotions. Yuk.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • pmSeattle wrote...
    Remember this next time...
    June 14, 2012 6:39 am
    ...some "pro-choice" spokesperson tries to tell you that "no one is really pro-abortion" or "abortion is a serious and unfortunate decision" or that it should be "safe, legal and rare". With extremist cheerleaders like this, it's no wonder the ranks of abortion zealots are decreasing year after year. Abortion can only be sold to the masses by using euphemisms and clouding the details. Once a light is shone on the medical and scientific realities involved (ultrasounds aren't voodoo, Darcy), the inconvenient truth becomes hard to ignore.
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  • Paul Kersey wrote...
    If her parents had known
    June 14, 2012 6:49 am
    she would grow up to become a brainless, liberal skank, they could have aborted her. Now if there were a test for that, I would stand up and cheer.
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  • ohyea53 wrote...
    Good God! I hope
    June 14, 2012 6:49 am
    the people of the 1st district makes this loon a 3 time loser!
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  • The Chuckster wrote...
    Cheering for abortion
    June 14, 2012 6:52 am
    Is progressive.
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  • Seattle Dad wrote...
    I have friends
    June 14, 2012 6:55 am
    who've had an abortion and live with the guilt to this day that they killed their child. It's not pressure from the public. It's knowing in their heart that what they did took the life of their child who would be living sharing loving them now. But they instead believed that child was a nuisance. That's tough to resolve.
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  • messiah101 wrote...
    Seattle Dad
    June 14, 2012 10:23 am
    Let me give you a personal viewpoint.About 42 years ago I got a woman pregnant we were not in love it was a summer fling. I was about 24 or 25 she had just graduated college and was starting a teaching job.At that time you needed to leave the country for an abortion and she flew to London and had it over a weekend.I have NEVER regretted our decision to have the abortion,the baby would have been unwanted and neither of us would have been acceptable parents as we still had a lot of growing to do.No regrets
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  • Marie61 wrote...
    Young and Pregnant
    June 14, 2012 2:23 pm
    Seattle Dad, Almost 30 years ago my husband and I were young unmarried college students who had not known each other for very long and we found that we too were in a situation where we were going to have a child, I was 19 and he 20. It never once entered our minds that we wanted to kill our child. I was young and living off very little money as a college student as was my husband. My husband and I continued on with our educations; graduated, got jobs had our daughter and when she was 8 months old we married. No it was not ideal, nor was it a fairy tale romance and I won't deny that it was a struggle, emotionally and financially. But what it also was, was being responsible for our actions. Our actions resulted in a child and taking care of her was our responsibility. Certainly we could have put her up for adoption but we choose to take care of her ourselves, sure their might have been someone out there who could have given her more than we could when she was young, but we gave her plenty.. We also were young and I am sure we were not ready to be parents but nothing prepares you for parenting more than a new baby can. Being a parent is an unselfish act aborting one is a selfish act. Killing someone is not in their best interest; just because you were young ( if you call 24-25 young) does not mean you can not or should not take responsibility for what you created. If we mean to keep abortion as a rare occurrence then we can not use it as a form of birth control. Forgetting to use your birth-control and being young are no reasons to kill a child, not wanting the child is not a reason to kill it. There were some people who told my husband and I we should kill our child, but that is not the kind of people we want to be. Our parents raised us to take responsibility for our actions and that is how I have raised my children as well. If you don't want a child when you are young then take responsibility and make sure it does not happen. We have now been married 28 years and we have 3 other children and our oldest has blessed us with 2 grandsons that are the love of our lives. My daughter whom I had when I was 19 was a wonderful child who grew into a wonderful woman. She graduated from high school with honors; from college with high honers and she is now a neo-natal nurse at a hospital; she is a great asset to this world and to her community and family. I don't know how someone can say that don't regret the killing of an innocent human being. All people are designed for a purpose and when a life is taken that purpose is not lived out. To me that is just sad. Perhaps you would not have made great parents but maybe that baby would have been a great person; you never know what kind of potential that person may have had. Adoption is/would have been a whole lot better than killing someone. Had you had a puppy or kitten that you found you could no longer taken care of you would have found that animal a home or a shelter ( adoption or orphanage) you would not have taken it to the humane society and had them kill it. That is the problem with society "' we have somehow moved from " don't kill an animal because it is inhumane and they are innocent" To " kill your babies if you don't want to be a parent. Kill your baby but don't eat that chicken. Seattle Dad I will NEVER REGRET TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR MY CHILD AND GIVING HER LIFE. She deserves it; she was innocent of my actions.. she did nothing wrong and therefore she would not have deserved the punishment of pain and death. And yes a child who is aborted does suffer pain and of course death..
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  • Whidbeyboy wrote...
    Seattle Dad
    June 14, 2012 11:12 am
    How can you ever think to undersdtand what they feel, ever. My ex and I had a baby aborted that had a condition which would have her die hours after birth and she was at 3 months. It was not an easy decision, but knowing what the end was, and not wanting to have her go 6 more months with that on her mind, and having a child that needed our focus was the deciding factor among others. I do not regret the decision, but hate when others tell us how we feel or what is right or wrong. I'm not pro abortion, but think it's up to the peoplke who have the fetus to make that decision. Christian beliefs are so hypocritical and primative to me as to not even play a role in my decisions. God has killed more people then any mass murder.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • John S Paul wrote...
    In VERY bad taste
    June 14, 2012 6:58 am
    Let's make one thing very clear - this is NOT about the anti/pro abortion debate. But it is also NOT something that is to be celebrated.

    I have a close friend who had an abortion years ago. She had her reasons, and I will not go into them here as it is not my place to do so. I put my personal viewpoints aside, and I was there for her in her time of need. I did not judge her, and I still don't. At the time, it really was her only choice. (Do not flood the comment box with "Of course she had a choice"; no, she really didn't, and like I said, I will not go into why because it is not my place.) She recently told me that the decision to do so has left her very deeply emotionally scarred. Not a day goes by that she doesn't think about it. In fact, I just got off the phone with her, and she agrees that this is NOT something to be celebrated.

    I disagree with Burner when she says that the Right has made it shameful to talk about. Women who have had an abortion need someone to talk to about it with to comfort and counsel them. This is a very deeply personal decision. But to say that it is something that needs to be celebrated show just how out of touch Burner is.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • ron prevost wrote...
    She has GOT to be on something
    June 14, 2012 6:58 am
    Or she has flipped out completely. I know there are some out and about who actually believe that 'choice' is abortion ONLY, but such people are usually not so audacious as to run for congress - or if they do, are smart enough to keep their mouths shut.

    While I fully expect DB to actually get plenty of support for her remarks - Bill Mahre probably will love her - but she should drop out of her race immediately.

    Much as I might support the republican in that congressional race, democrats deserve a candidate who is not a complete idiot.

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  • xplanes wrote...
    John Koster
    June 14, 2012 7:11 am
    Will make an outstanding congressman. That's all I got to say. The rest might sound like hate speech.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Fuego wrote...
    Out of touch...
    June 14, 2012 7:33 am
    with the obvious fact that this is an issue that is profoundly personal regardless of what you believe. Unfortunately for Darcy there's plenty of time before people make their choice as to who they want to represent them.
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