NEA Family Feud

It’s that time again. The National Education Association teacher’s union met in Washington, D.C. over July 4th week for its annual convention and to endorse Barack Obama for president. Obama has drawn criticism from pro-life groups for his strongly pro-choice stance, having declared in 2007 that “the first thing I’d do as President is sign the Freedom of Choice Act,” which would overturn state restrictions on abortion.

Following in this pro-choice vein, the NEA convention also once again upheld the original language of Resolution I-15, which “supports family planning, including the right to reproductive freedom.” The resolution continues,

“The Association urges the government to give high priority to making available all methods of family planning to women and men unable to take advantage of private facilities…also urges the implementation of community-operated, school-based family planning clinics that will provide intensive counseling by trained personnel.”

An amendment which would have added the words “with no position on abortion” to the statement underwent a 15-minute debate on the floor last year, according to Sissy Jochmann, Chair of the NEA Conservative Educators’ Caucus. “That’s progress,” she said at a Family Research Council press conference. The amendment failed again this year.

Other speakers roundly criticized the 3.2 million teacher’s union for having a stance on the issue at all.

“Not only is it inappropriate for a union to have a position on abortion, but it is especially inappropriate for a teaching union, a group designed to protect the interest of teachers in collective bargaining and professional development,” said FRC Executive Vice President Chuck Donovan. “Nonetheless all we are asking, and all the members of the NEA who are asking here today, is that the union represent teachers [who] have a variety of opinions,” he said.

(The FRC condemns Roe v. Wade as a “grave error” and would favor its repeal).

As Accuracy in Academia has documented, the NEA has a history of promoting socially liberal agendas, be it gay rights, abortion, or amnesty for illegal immigrants.

However, NEA President Reg Weaver believes that the union’s decision not to accept the amended wording reflects the will of his “democratic” 9,000 to 10,000 union representive assembly.

“Whether I like it or not, it’s there,” President Weaver told this correspondent. Weaver said that the key is for NEA delegates to have the votes to add or remove such wording.

But some conservatives argue that the NEA does not give enough voice to pro-life members. “When I attended my first NEA assembly in 2001 a delegate rose to speak for the unborn. Another delegate, an angry woman, stood up after that and made a motion of ‘object to consider,’” said Jochmann. She continued, “This basically meant this topic wasn’t worth the time to debate. That ‘object to consider’ motion overwhelming passed, which prohibited the assembly members from even having a debate.”

But President Weaver claims, “I bend over backwards to make sure they have their chance to be heard.” Weaver says that he “demands” that everyone be treated with respect and that he provides an opportunity for members with diverse views to speak.

In 2003 Jochmann claimed her 2 minute speech on homosexuality was shouted down by the entire 9, 400 person assembly. Weaver hinted that he thought some past assembly meetings may have been incorrectly reported, but did not point to a specific incident.

Bethany Stotts is a staff writer at Accuracy in Academia.