The Soapbox: Rants and Commentary: Abortion and the Republican Platform By Shawn Althouse(etrigan@soho.ios.com) The Christian Coalition has succeeded in strongarming the Republican party into keeping the "no tolarance for abortion" plank in the party platform. After speaking to many of my fellow Republicans about this issue, I find that, at least in this part of the country, N.J. to be precise, the majority of Republicans favor a woman's right to choose. So why does the CC want so desperately to ban abortions? Because, like most fundamental Christian groups that I've encountered, they are interested in imposing their view of morality on the rest of us "heathens". Oh sure, they say that they have no real problem with giving a woman the right to choose, as long as our tax dollars aren't used to pay for abortions....fooey! Most abortions are NOT funded in any way by tax dollars. Not only that, but if they *really* had a problem with wasting tax money, seems to me it's cheaper to pay for one abortion than eighteen years of welfare for a child that the mother can't support on her own. Ever ask one of these abortion banners why they oppose it? I've talked to these people, and their usual response to my question "why is it a sin against GOD." Well, Gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins, and I can see a LOT of CC types that tip the scales at 300lbs or more. Some of them argue "think about the child," and I do. A child unwanted is a child unloved. A child unloved and undernurtured becomes a violent adult who cannont control their compulsions, or deal with their emotions in a positive manner. A child unplanned for is a child that lives in poverty. Such children suffer privations often seen in third world counrties, but that we never think could happen here. I urge all members of the Republican Party to let Hailey Barber know that we don't support the anti-abortion stance of the party, and that we think that it makes us look like a bunch of fascists to the rest of the world. The big tent looks more like a "tent meeting" of bible thumping puritans, and that's not an atmosphere that favors a party of inclusion. Back to Rants and Comentary

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