Tuesday, September 02, 2008

G.O.P. Holds to Firm Stance on Abortion

KATHARINE Q. SEELYE

Published: August 30, 2008

ST. PAUL — The Republican Party platform this year will reassert the party’s opposition to abortion. And again it will not allow for exceptions in the cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother, even though Senator John McCain, the presumptive presidential nominee, has long called for such exceptio

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Mr. McCain has been trying to win over social conservatives wary of his candidacy, and the party is set to approve the platform Monday without the exceptions. On Friday, he named a vice-presidential running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, who opposes any exception for abortion and whose selection was hailed unequivocally by groups opposing abortion rights.

Mr. McCain argued strongly in 2000 for the platform to include the abortion exceptions. He affirmed that position as recently as May, in an interview with Glamour magazine to appear in its October issue.

“My position has always been: exceptions of rape, incest and the life of the mother,” he said. Asked if he would encourage the party to include them in the platform, he said, “Yes,” adding: “And by the way, I think that’s the view of most people, that rape, incest, the life of the mother are issues that have to be considered.”

But Mr. McCain in fact did little to push for the exceptions, and told Glamour on July 30 that he had “not gotten into the platform discussions.”

Connie Mackey, a lobbyist for the Family Research Council, said: “It is out of the platform. We were told early on that the platform is going to be pro-life and that any differences the senator has with it are his own.”

At the same time, the Democratic platform dropped language from the Clinton era that abortion should be “safe, legal and rare,” while Senator Barack Obama, in his speech accepting the Democratic nomination on Thursday, spoke of finding common ground on the issue. “We may not agree on abortion but surely we can agree on reducing unwanted pregnancies in this country,” he said.

More Articles in US » A version of this article appeared in print on August 31, 2008, on page A27 of the New York edition.




PRINTED IT TWICE BECAUSE IT NEEDS TO HIT HOME!


"NOT EVEN FOR THE LIFE OF THE MOTHER!!??"






G.O.P. Holds to Firm Stance on Abortion

BuzzPermalinkBy KATHARINE Q. SEELYE
Published: August 30, 2008

ST. PAUL — The Republican Party platform this year will reassert the party’s opposition to abortion. And again it will not allow for exceptions in the cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother, even though Senator John McCain, the presumptive presidential nominee, has long called for such exceptions


Mr. McCain has been trying to win over social conservatives wary of his candidacy, and the party is set to approve the platform Monday without the exceptions. On Friday, he named a vice-presidential running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, who opposes any exception for abortion and whose selection was hailed unequivocally by groups opposing abortion rights.


Mr. McCain argued strongly in 2000 for the platform to include the abortion exceptions. He affirmed that position as recently as May, in an interview with Glamour magazine to appear in its October issue.


“My position has always been: exceptions of rape, incest and the life of the mother,” he said. Asked if he would encourage the party to include them in the platform, he said, “Yes,” adding: “And by the way, I think that’s the view of most people, that rape, incest, the life of the mother are issues that have to be considered.”


( OH YEAH!!! BULL!)


But Mr. McCain in fact did little to push for the exceptions, and told Glamour on July 30 that he had “not gotten into the platform discussions.”




Connie Mackey, a lobbyist for the Family Research Council, said: “It is out of the platform. We were told early on that the platform is going to be pro-life and that any differences the senator has with it are his own.”



At the same time, the Democratic platform dropped language from the Clinton era that abortion should be “safe, legal and rare,” while Senator Barack Obama, in his speech accepting the Democratic nomination on Thursday, spoke of finding common ground on the issue. “We may not agree on abortion but surely we can agree on reducing unwanted pregnancies in this country,” he said.



More Articles in US » A version of this article appeared in print on August 31, 2008, on page A27 of the New York edition.

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