I was standing in line at an office supply store just before the Virginia Gubernatorial election last year, and the man behind me and I got to talking about the election. I noted how Mark Warner and Tim Kaine had done such a good job over the last 4 years, and how I was enthusiastic about the good that Tim Kaine could do for Virginia in the next 4 years. He replied, ?Democrats?eh,Apparently, I had met a one-issue voter, who for the reason of abortion, seemed resigned not to vote Democratic ? EVER! No matter how poorly Republicans fared on the economy, health care, foreign policy, or any other issue that affected his life more than the topic of reproductive rights, it didn?t matter. This guy associated Democrats with something negative, and he shut them out of his mind. Maybe it was easier for him, because it relieved him of thinking about any other issues, by just assuming that Republicans were always morally superior because of their stance on abortion.
But is this the case? Have Republicans been the party that has worked to stop abortions in this country? Well, let?s see, Richard Nixon was in the White House when the Roe v. Wade decision was handed down, 33 years ago yesterday. And from 1974 through 1992, every President, including Jimmy Carter, was opposed to abortion rights. Yet nothing ever got done. Even with the extreme conservatism of George W. Bush, women still have the right to choice. One wonders if Samuel Alito, once confirmed, will actually be able to overturn Roe v. Wade, or whether this is even a priority for him. After all, the topic of reproductive rights has little to do with Presidential power or corporate
profits, two areas Alito was likely chosen to protect. For Republicans, then, it would appear that abortion is simply a convenient political issue; one to talk about only to keep their base happy, without actually getting any results.
Now, when someone says that Democrats are unelectable because they are ?baby killers,? frankly you just have to laugh. After all, it has been Republicans who have opposed regulations on chemical pollutants that create significant health risks to infants and fetuses. And it has been Republicans who have opposed regulation of tobacco, which as we all know can adversely affect pregnant woman.
Finally, the whole concept of ?pro-life? is a misnomer, as is ?culture of life.? The ?culture of life? was a phrase coined by Pope John Paul II, who also meant no death penalty and no war (two things Republicans cannot do without). The term ?pro-life,? as used by Republicans, would seem to imply protection of all life. In reality, however, ?pro-life? only refers to fetuses - not babies, children, or adults. Isn?t it a little ridiculous to care about the unborn, but not those who have been born? Apparently for the ?pro-life? community, once you are more than one second old, you are off their love list. Meanwhile, the supposedly ?pro-life? community does little to promote global efforts to stop infant mortality, even though there are places in this world where a significant percentage of the population does not live to see their second birthday.
Frankly, if you vote for Republicans simply because they say they are ?pro-life,? you are buying into a tag line that is based on no results and no promises kept. The thing is, if you truly want abortions to go away, you have to deal with the reasons that women have them in the first place. In other words, abortion must be viewed like other policy issues. But Republicans don?t do that, and they don?t get results either.
Interestingly, when Bill Clinton was in office, abortion rates actually declined almost 15%. Since George W. Bush has been in office, abortion rates appear to have remained flat or even increased. The bottom line is that Republicans are not superior, practically or morally, on abortion. If you REALLY are ?pro-life,? you might even think about voting Democratic for a change!
NOTE: Sources on abortion statistics can be found here and here