29 September 2005

Democrats for Life, Republicans for Choice

I've met pro-life Democrats, and I've met pro-life Republicans. With few exceptions, only the Democrats are pro-life consistently-- i.e. across the board. Republicans essentially misuse a more general term, "pro-life", where they should use the narrower "anti-abortion", although I prefer the term "abortion criminalization" because it's even more specific and highlights the fact that criminalization is just one means to a goal, not the only means.

If you're going to say you are pro-life, then at least be consistent about it. It's absurd that so many people are hypocritical about this.

I recall that Howard Dean said in a speech this spring that one of the Democratic Party Leadership's goals should be to convince their constituents that a pro-life Democrat is better than a pro-choice Republican.

So he'll be happy to read about Democrats for Life, which says it "exists to foster respect for life, from the beginning of life to natural death." It also notes that it is a member of an international network dedicated to "peace, justice and life." Be sure to read about the 90/10 initiative.

I was curious if there was a "Republicans for Choice" site, so I typed it into the URL box. It took me here.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for writing a great post on an important topic. I am very much pro-life (more than anti-abortion as you pointed out) and also an active Republican, yet I am frustrated with fellow Republicans who are "pro-life" only for political reasons and not because they actually believe in the sanctity of life. I find it very hypocritical. We'll rally around Terri Schiavo yet look the other way when it comes to the poor and uninsured in this country.

WestEnder said...

Well, there you go. It looks like both major parties have some work to do in this area.