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Republican Leaders Should Embrace Pro-LIfe Push

  • Tony Beam Dr. Tony Beam's Weblog
  • Published Mar 13, 2006

A recent article in Newsweek magazine by Howard Fineman and Evan Thomas suggests that many so called "senior Republicans" are suffering heartburn over the bold legislative moves by South Dakota, Mississippi, Michagan, and Tennessee that are designed to attack Roe head on.  When interviewed by Newsweek RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman refused to comment on the impact of South Dakota's law banning all abortions except where the life of the mother is at stake.  The issue didn't come up at the Southern Leadership Conference (at least not publically) and none of the potential presidental candidates who participated in the first straw poll wanted to be associated with South Dakota's new law. 

Virginia Senator George Allen, who came in third in the straw poll, told a Newsweek reporter he would have vetoed a smiliar bill in his own state of Virginia had it been presented to him while he was Governor.  Senator John McCain repeated the moderate Republican line that he would support the bill if it included exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother.  Apparently, Senator McCain doesn't realize the South Dakota bill is causing controversy because the only exception is the life of the mother. 

The only potential presidential candidate for 08 who is on record as supporting the South Dakota law is Senator Sam Brownback who, speaking of the law, told Newsweek, "I would have signed it."  He then added, "Rape and incest are horrible crimes, but why punish the innocent child?"  That is a very good question.  It makes absolutely no sense, when a crime is commited to execute the most innocent person involved in the situation.  It has always been beyond me why any woman would want to compound the tragedy of either rape or incest by adding the death of an unborn child when any one of  literally thousands of couples who are childless would be delighted get a call that a baby was available for adoption.  Carrying a child to term who was conceived by a criminal act is a terrible burden for any woman to bear; but since we are are talking about a life or death situation for the child I just don't see how being physically and emotionally burdoned for 9 months stacks up. 

It is true that many polls now indicate that by as much as a two-to-one margin