I have several Catholic friends and family members and other family and friends who are anti-abortion or pro-life. Every time the issue of abortion comes up, either via a court case or special event or an election, some of them start saying the same things. "I'm supporting or am voting for the Republican candidates because of their position or abortion." I think it is time that those of you who keep saying this start thinking about what that support has gotten you so far.
For 20 of the last 28 years and 28 of the last 40 years, we have had a Republican in the White House. For at least a four-year stretch of the time when we had a Republican in the White House, Republicans controlled both houses of congress. Much of the last 40 years, Republicans controlled at least one house in congress. What have the Republicans done for those of you who want abortion made illegal besides pay you lip service and ask for your vote?
Lip service is the only thing the GOP has to offer on abortion. Republicans are the unchallenged royalty of creating wedge issues, manufacturing outrage and directing said outrage at their political opponents. Just look at the Tax Day Tea Parties. All of a sudden, after the massive deficits of the Reagan, Bush and Bush Jr. Years, Republicans are concerned about deficits. Here is a reality check for those of you who want to change the law on abortion. Republican politicians will never mount a serious effort to have abortion made illegal. They know that to do so would be political suicide. So those of you who want this need to ask yourselves a serious question. What is worse, someone who is up front and tells you they disagree with you, or someone who lies to you and says they agree with you and are going to do something about it, but consistently refuse to do anything after you vote for them?
Of course, for those of you who are opponents of abortion because you are Catholic or belong to another Christian denomination, I think you also have to wonder about a political party that claims to be for a culture of life and then has an obvious preference for resolving international disputes by going to war. The only good thing about this is the unintended comedy that results from Republican politicians and candidates trying to explain away this dichotomy. It's even better now that torture is in the equation. Consider this equivocal response from Gary Bauer http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i7tADnxuR79MJPcf7h0C8jxGSMGQD985E6L80 :
"There are a lot of things Jesus wouldn't do because he's the son of God," he said. "I can't imagine Jesus being a Marine or a policeman or a bank president, for that matter. The more appropriate question is, 'What is a follower of Jesus permitted to do?'"
Bauer said the answer is "it depends" — but the moral equation changes when the suspect is not a soldier captured on a battlefield but a terrorist who may have knowledge of an impending attack. He said he does not consider water-boarding — a form of interrogation that simulates drowning — to be torture.
"I think if we believe the person we have can give us information to stop thousands of Americans from being killed, it would be morally suspect to not use harsh tactics to get that information," Bauer said.
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Now, in my day, I have heard quite a few Christian sermons delivered by pastors of various denominations. I've never heard a Christian pastor try to explain away Jesus' behavior as something we needn't try to emulate because our job would make it too darn hard and by the way, that, plus the possibility it might save lives, means it's within the boundaries of Christian morals to torture.
Before anyone tries to tell me that Bauer is not a pastor, consider Bauer's membership in a leading capacity in the following Christian or Christian values organizations:
Christians United for Israel
Family Research Council
Campaign for Working Families (Founder)
American Values
Let's here what Ann Coulter had to say about abortion:
“No matter what other evils our citizens have voted for, we never voted for the slaughter of 40 million babies. Liberals call them fetuses. You never hear a pregnant mother say to her child, “Come listen to your little brother fetus, Johnny.” And women don’t have ‘fetus showers’."
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But about war in the Middle East, Ann had this to say:
"We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity."
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Again, I've been to many Christian sermons and that does not sound very culture of life or Christian to me. These quotes are only two of hundreds of GOP politicians who have voiced similar sentiments. I could post quotes by Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson and countless others who claim to be for "life" but are for an aggressive and warlike foreign policy and yes, all of whom would do nothing about abortion if they were actually elected President.
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