Candidates Seek Centrists On Abortion
When Republican John McCain suggested his running mate could support abortion rights and Democrat Barack Obama gave an anti-abortion senator a prime convention role, both were sending a subtle message to centrist voters.
Neither presidential candidate was signaling a seismic shift in the nation's long-running if largely static debate over abortion rights. Still, their actions suggest that both political parties sense that a large, if vaguely defined, middle group of Americans would like to see abortion vanish, but not by legal decree.
Polls consistently show that most Americans strongly dislike abortion yet do not want it outlawed in the early stages of pregnancy.
Democrats had it both ways in revising their party platform ahead of this month's nominating convention in Denver. Platform-writers said the party "unequivocally" supports legalized abortion, a stronger phrase than the 2004 platform contained.
But they also bolstered the section on reducing the need for abortions. The version awaiting approval in Denver says the party "strongly supports access to comprehensive affordable family planning services and age-appropriate sex education." It says the party "strongly supports a woman's decision to have a child by ensuring access to and availability of programs for pre- and postnatal health care, parenting skills, income support and caring adoption programs."
Democratic officials also gave a convention speaking slot to Sen. Bob Casey Jr., D-Pa., who opposes abortion rights. His father, the late Pennsylvania Gov. Robert P. Casey, was denied a coveted slot at the 1992 convention because of his opposition to abortion rights.
Meanwhile, McCain startled conservatives this week, and pleased some moderates, by suggesting he might pick a running mate who supports abortion rights, such as former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge.
Many Republicans were unsure what to make of McCain's remarks to the conservative magazine The Weekly Standard, in which he said Ridge's pro-choice position would not rule him out as a running mate. While McCain said in 1999 that Roe v. Wade - the landmark Supreme Court ruling legalizing abortion - should not be overturned, he otherwise has consistently opposed such rights.
He repeatedly has voted against federal funding for abortion and has opposed federal Medicaid funds for abortion even in cases of rape or incest.
Some conservative groups howled about McCain's comments this week. The American Family Association asked readers of its Web site what they would do if he had a pro-abortion-rights running mate. More than 5,000 people responded, with 37 percent saying they would vote for McCain as "the lesser of two evils." One percent backed Obama, 16 percent said they would not vote and 46 percent said they would seriously consider a third-party candidate.
When McCain stopped by Saturday to greet cheering campaign volunteers who were phoning voters in Irvine, Calif., one woman held a sign saying: "Pro-choice is No-choice for V.P."
Some less dogmatic conservatives are open to the idea, however. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a frequent guest on McCain's campaign plane, said he opposes legalized abortion but thinks McCain is wise to consider running mates who differ.
"Our party needs to be open-minded" about such a choice, Graham said in an interview this week on the plane. Parties that rigidly support or oppose abortion rights, he said, "are out of sync with where most Americans are."
On the Democratic front, the revised convention platform language was hailed this week by some Republicans who are backing Obama.
Douglas Kmiec, a former Reagan administration official and Roman Catholic, said the new language moves the debate beyond the "legal dead end and a moral dead end" of being for or against Roe v. Wade.
"What this does, most importantly, is to commit the Democratic Party to supply real support for the child, for the woman facing this question," said Kmiec, a constitutional law professor at Pepperdine University.
Kmiec, who opposes abortion, said no political party platform fits exactly with Catholic teaching. "We pursue the art of the possible, and if we move to protect even a single life, we've done a good thing," he said.
© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Neither presidential candidate was signaling a seismic shift in the nation's long-running if largely static debate over abortion rights. Still, their actions suggest that both political parties sense that a large, if vaguely defined, middle group of Americans would like to see abortion vanish, but not by legal decree.
Polls consistently show that most Americans strongly dislike abortion yet do not want it outlawed in the early stages of pregnancy.
Democrats had it both ways in revising their party platform ahead of this month's nominating convention in Denver. Platform-writers said the party "unequivocally" supports legalized abortion, a stronger phrase than the 2004 platform contained.
But they also bolstered the section on reducing the need for abortions. The version awaiting approval in Denver says the party "strongly supports access to comprehensive affordable family planning services and age-appropriate sex education." It says the party "strongly supports a woman's decision to have a child by ensuring access to and availability of programs for pre- and postnatal health care, parenting skills, income support and caring adoption programs."
Democratic officials also gave a convention speaking slot to Sen. Bob Casey Jr., D-Pa., who opposes abortion rights. His father, the late Pennsylvania Gov. Robert P. Casey, was denied a coveted slot at the 1992 convention because of his opposition to abortion rights.
Meanwhile, McCain startled conservatives this week, and pleased some moderates, by suggesting he might pick a running mate who supports abortion rights, such as former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge.
Many Republicans were unsure what to make of McCain's remarks to the conservative magazine The Weekly Standard, in which he said Ridge's pro-choice position would not rule him out as a running mate. While McCain said in 1999 that Roe v. Wade - the landmark Supreme Court ruling legalizing abortion - should not be overturned, he otherwise has consistently opposed such rights.
He repeatedly has voted against federal funding for abortion and has opposed federal Medicaid funds for abortion even in cases of rape or incest.
Some conservative groups howled about McCain's comments this week. The American Family Association asked readers of its Web site what they would do if he had a pro-abortion-rights running mate. More than 5,000 people responded, with 37 percent saying they would vote for McCain as "the lesser of two evils." One percent backed Obama, 16 percent said they would not vote and 46 percent said they would seriously consider a third-party candidate.
When McCain stopped by Saturday to greet cheering campaign volunteers who were phoning voters in Irvine, Calif., one woman held a sign saying: "Pro-choice is No-choice for V.P."
Some less dogmatic conservatives are open to the idea, however. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a frequent guest on McCain's campaign plane, said he opposes legalized abortion but thinks McCain is wise to consider running mates who differ.
"Our party needs to be open-minded" about such a choice, Graham said in an interview this week on the plane. Parties that rigidly support or oppose abortion rights, he said, "are out of sync with where most Americans are."
On the Democratic front, the revised convention platform language was hailed this week by some Republicans who are backing Obama.
Douglas Kmiec, a former Reagan administration official and Roman Catholic, said the new language moves the debate beyond the "legal dead end and a moral dead end" of being for or against Roe v. Wade.
"What this does, most importantly, is to commit the Democratic Party to supply real support for the child, for the woman facing this question," said Kmiec, a constitutional law professor at Pepperdine University.
Kmiec, who opposes abortion, said no political party platform fits exactly with Catholic teaching. "We pursue the art of the possible, and if we move to protect even a single life, we've done a good thing," he said.
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Posted by Voltaire777 at 06:38 PM : Aug 18, 2008
I do believe that you are a sick person...
Notice I use pure logic here, as in anyone familiar with the basic natural laws of biology.
Of course there is a higher ethical argument to be made on a moral plane for those who are in deed and word moral human beings themselves.
The really irksome observation here is that compromising to such a clear cut heinous practice asabortion speaks volumes about the true character of those politicians too willing to oblige.
A gentleman, even by the oldest Knightly chivalrous definition must become a defender of the innocent. Is there anyone more innocent than one who is unable to speak for himself, yet to be BORN???
This issue alone points to why POLITICS is a very amoral business. SICK of it All!
No, he doesn''t want to punish his daughters. He wants to punish the innocent and helpless baby by cold-bloodedly murdering it.
This man cannot be a Christian. He is the anti-Christ.
Posted by deacon20081
I agree with you 100%. I just wish we could get people to listen to reason. If people would conduct themselves right there would be not need for any of this to take place.
Reality, is what happens in the day to day lives of myriad of different people, with differing views, upbringings and circumstances. There are times when an abortion is the only option, there are times when abortion was the easy choice.
McCain and Obama have a choice that will be interesting to see, either they Support Abortion Rights or They Do Not. Partial Birth abortion to me is absolutely 1st Degree Murder, an emergency D&C is not.
Thanks to secularist libs and abortion (murder) the DOI doesn''''t apply to the unborn.
Heaven sure has been overpopulated since Roe v Wade
ABORTION = MURDER
Posted by BeBoldin09 at 01:07 AM : Aug 17, 2008
Now HERE is the reason we have so many problems in this nation today. Some people who have a 6th grade education and lack the basic ability to READ and UNDERSTAND things, always try to break any issue down to the most basic level and then they LIE! How anyone can call themselves a "Christian" and LIE like these cultist do is beyond me. According to Websters Dictionary MURDER is taking a life in violation of the LAW! The argument can be made as to when Life begins and many educated people have had that argument but the Word LAW? There is NO doubt that Abortion is NOT a violation of the Law... in OTHER WORDS it''s a LIE and this idiot is a LIAR. Sieg Heil McSlime
Posted by coryellco at 05:24 AM : Aug 17, 2008
You know I''ve noticed that the Fascist in America, not their "Brain''s" but those who actually are in the cult, do this to everyone who seeks to find common ground and to find a compromise position. No wonder these people weren''t involved in forming our Nation but instead ran to Canada. The Compromises needed to create this nation would NEVER have been possible if they had not supported the King! Sieg Heil McSlime