Republican Party Expected To Maintain Call For Constitutional Ban On Abortion In Platform

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 28 Aug 2008 - 5:00 PDT

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Republicans "went on record" while debating their election platform on Tuesday "with a reaffirmation of their hard line on abortion," the AP/Talking Points Memo reports. During the platform debate, the party stuck to its call for a constitutional amendment banning abortion. The party also "toughened already uncompromising language on the issue, according to the AP/Talking Points Memo. Some conservative members of the party were successful in removing a line from the draft of the platform that called for a reduction in abortions -- "underscoring their point that abortion should be eliminated" -- the AP/Talking Points Memo reports (Lohn, AP/Talking Points Memo, 8/26).

According to the Washington Times, the platform draft also notes progress made by the Supreme Court when it upheld the federal law against so-called "partial-birth" abortions and the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act. The Born-Alive Infants Protection Act guarantees that every infant born alive is entitled to full legal rights under federal law, regardless of the stage of development or whether the live birth occurred during an abortion (Hallow, Washington Times, 8/26).

Ann Stone, national chair of Republicans for Choice, said her organization will not seek to overhaul the antiabortion platform. "This is not going to be the year that we make big changes," Stone said, adding, "We know that we can't get major things done." Gary Bauer, an evangelical Christian who is advising McCain, said the platform focuses on uniting Republicans on the issues (Woodward, AP/Google.com, 8/26). A final committee vote on the platform is expected Wednesday (Washington Times, 8/26).

Catholic Bishops Criticize Pelosi for Comment on Catholic Church's Position on Abortion Rights

In related news, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was criticized by two prominent Roman Catholic archbishops over her comments during an appearance Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," the AP/Google.com reports. Pelosi during the appearance said that "doctors of the church" have not been able to define when life begins and that "over the history of the church, this is an issue of controversy" (AP/Google.com, 8/25). Pelosi, who is a Roman Catholic, supports abortion rights.

Washington, D.C., Archbishop Donald Wuerl in a release issued Monday night said Pelosi's comments were "incorrect." The release added, "We respect the right of elected officials such as Speaker Pelosi to address matters of public policy that are before them, but the interpretation of Catholic faith has rightfully been entrusted to the Catholic bishops. Given this responsibility to teach, it is important to make this correction for the record." Wuerl added that the church's catechism is clear and has been for 2,000 years. He cited catechism language that says, "Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. ... Since the first century, the church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law" (Cusack, The Hill, 8/25).

In addition, Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput and his auxiliary bishop, James Conley, said in a statement posted on the archdiocesan Web site that Pelosi is a "gifted public servant of strong convictions and many professional skills. Regrettably, knowledge of Catholic history and teaching does not seem to be one of them." They added that abortion "is always gravely evil, and so are the evasions employed to justify it" (AP/Google.com, 8/25). The Rev. David O'Connell, president of the Catholic University of America, expressed similar concerns, saying "When you have very prominent individuals in the public square who are eager to identify themselves as Catholics ... the bishops want to make sure that the people understand that quote unquote celebrities don't get a pass when it comes to the teachings or the practices of the church" (Salmon, Washington Post, 8/27).

Pelosi spokesperson Brendan Daly said in a statement Tuesday that the Speaker "fully appreciates the sanctity of family" and "agrees with the Church that we should reduce the number of abortions." Pelosi believes this can be accomplished by making family planning more available, expanding comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education and, and supporting adoption programs, according to Daly (AP/Yahoo! News, 8/26).

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