I have not updated this blog in 2 years. There’s been a reason for that. It goes beyond busyness or writer’s block. Apathy or frustration towards the political process is not the reason either. The reason is simple: abortion. I realized being a blogger who criticizes the Political Right and the Church’s current devotion to them but has nothing to say about abortion may be equivalent to a weather vane without an arrow: pointless. I have tried to write about abortion before, but found my views conflicting with one another. It’s not that I’ve had nothing to say. It’s just that I haven’t known what to say. But today, I’ve decided to power through it and get ‘er done.
I have many conversations with Christian friends who all agree: abortion is wrong. I can debate with most of these friends and they can agree with me on some problems with Republican policies. Yet, they are still loyal to the party for one reason: Abortion. They feel abortion is a moral wrong. They feel any vote cast for a pro choice candidate, is a vote cast to murder babies. They feel terminating a fetus for convenience sake is wrong. The fetus has no decision in the process. The mother and the father chose to engage in a certain behavior, so they should be responsible.. so goes the argument. For those reasons, they are loyal Republicans.
I don't feel they are necessarily wrong in how they feel... abortion is an awful thing. Abortion is taking a human life who has no opinion in the process. But I can see the other side...
My main argument against litmus test voting on the abortion issue is simple: If you are concerned about preserving human life, then the GOP is not your party.
Think about it... Which party is more likely to support capital punishment? Which party is less likely to support gun control? Which party fights against every environmental protection mandate? Which party is more likely to get us involved in a pointless war?
The Republicans also want to cut social safety nets to the bone. Food stamps. Medicaid. Welfare. Pell grants. You name it.. if it's a program designed as a "hand out" to those who are less fortunate, the GOP wants to cut it. Why is this relevant when it comes the abortion issue? Well, two reasons. First, the number one reason women cite when having abortion is money. They can't afford the baby. So, you can argue that pro-safety net policies (entitlement programs) actually reduce the number of abortions. The more you help women afford their babies, the less abortions will occur. The second reason is even more absurd... Consider this: If the GOP gets its way, abortions would cease, or at least be greatly reduced. That means as many as 30 million more babies born each year. However, Republicans don't seem to care about the child after it exits the womb. Their viewpoint may as well be: you better have that child, and when you do, you can either get a good job or live in a cardboard box. That doesn't seem to be a very pro-human life position.
I have more to say on the issue, but to sum up.. I believe that the GOP's current stance on abortion is less of a grave concern for the preservation human life than it is a calculated tactic to hold their evangelical Christian base
