Can Women Be Trusted on Abortion? Two Men Weigh In
The Opinion Pages | Campaign Stops
Can Women Be Trusted on Abortion? Two Men Weigh In
By KATHA POLLITTOCT. 5, 2016
Well, that was painful. What with the cross talk, interruptions, insults, sneers and overly rehearsed zingers, the vice-presidential debate on Tuesday surely bewildered more voters than it enlightened. There was one area, though, in which both Senator Tim Kaine and Gov. Mike Pence were crystal-clear and decidedly different: abortion rights.
Granted, it took long enough. An hour and 22 frustrating minutes dragged by before anyone seemed to remember women. And when abortion came up, it was not because the moderator, Elaine Quijano, posed a direct question but because she invited the candidates to talk about their faith. Still, now we know: Mr. Kaine, despite his Catholicism, and his personal identification as “pro-life,” supports abortion rights, as does Hillary Clinton. Mr. Pence, who calls himself an “evangelical Catholic,” wants to ban abortion, as does Donald J. Trump.
The way each man framed his position was different, too — and telling.
The Republican Party often describes itself as a big tent with room for a range of views on abortion rights, same-s*x marriage and other gender-related issues, unlike those rigid, narrow-minded, politically correct Democrats. Indeed, once upon a time there were pro-choice Republican politicians — think of Nelson Rockefeller and Olympia Snowe — but that was before the party became a subsidiary of the Christian right. Last year only three Republicans in Congress voted against defunding Planned Parenthood.
By choosing Mr. Pence, an energetic and enthusiastic leader of the movement to make abortion a crime, Mr. Trump aligned himself with the dominant views of his party, whose platform has long called for banning abortion, and reassured the Christian conservative base that, whatever his past views, he is 100 percent with them today.
Can Women Be Trusted on Abortion? Two Men Weigh In
By KATHA POLLITTOCT. 5, 2016
Well, that was painful. What with the cross talk, interruptions, insults, sneers and overly rehearsed zingers, the vice-presidential debate on Tuesday surely bewildered more voters than it enlightened. There was one area, though, in which both Senator Tim Kaine and Gov. Mike Pence were crystal-clear and decidedly different: abortion rights.
Granted, it took long enough. An hour and 22 frustrating minutes dragged by before anyone seemed to remember women. And when abortion came up, it was not because the moderator, Elaine Quijano, posed a direct question but because she invited the candidates to talk about their faith. Still, now we know: Mr. Kaine, despite his Catholicism, and his personal identification as “pro-life,” supports abortion rights, as does Hillary Clinton. Mr. Pence, who calls himself an “evangelical Catholic,” wants to ban abortion, as does Donald J. Trump.
The way each man framed his position was different, too — and telling.
The Republican Party often describes itself as a big tent with room for a range of views on abortion rights, same-s*x marriage and other gender-related issues, unlike those rigid, narrow-minded, politically correct Democrats. Indeed, once upon a time there were pro-choice Republican politicians — think of Nelson Rockefeller and Olympia Snowe — but that was before the party became a subsidiary of the Christian right. Last year only three Republicans in Congress voted against defunding Planned Parenthood.
By choosing Mr. Pence, an energetic and enthusiastic leader of the movement to make abortion a crime, Mr. Trump aligned himself with the dominant views of his party, whose platform has long called for banning abortion, and reassured the Christian conservative base that, whatever his past views, he is 100 percent with them today.
Do you really know Pence? This is just one of the reasons why Pence would have had trouble in his reelection bid for Governor of Indiana:
Mr. Pence’s demeanor on Tuesday may have been calm and friendly, but his record on reproductive rights is horrendous, and voters need to be aware of that. A few highlights: As Indiana governor, he promoted a law, stayed by a federal judge, which would have banned abortion for fetal disability. The law also mandated the cremation or burial of aborted — or miscarried — embryos and fetuses, no matter how early. He slashed Planned Parenthood’s budget, which led to the closing of five clinics that provided testing for s*xually transmitted diseases and coincided with a rise in H.I.V. infection in his state. And as a congressman, he led the fight to shut down the government over Planned Parenthood funding in 2011.
Pence signs new abortion restrictions into law with a prayer http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politic...
Indiana crammed as many anti-abortion bills as it could into this horrifying new law http://www.vox.com/2016/3/26/11308890/indi...
Pence's war on Planned Parenthood http://www.politico.com/story/2011/02/penc...
Do The American people really know Pence outside of The state of Indiana? Remember Pence would be just a heat beat away from the presidency if elected. Wow!!!