Since the Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade, Republicans have treated abortion as a "losing" topic. It seems every time they bring it up poll numbers drop. Meanwhile, Biden and the Democrats are thriving on the "restoration of abortion rights" propaganda. In the media, pro-lifers are called "extremists" and the technique seems to resonate with voters.
At the GOP presidential candidate debate the other night, abortion and "pro-life" was a significant part of the discussion. All of the candidates professed to be pro-life, but some apologetically, and all of them proposed national bans at 15 weeks, except for Burgum, who thinks it is a "states only" issue, and Ramaswamy, who always manages to not commit to any concrete solution, and never gets called on it.
Several candidates pointed out that there is broad, bi-partisan support for a 15 week ban, and Nikki Haley shot them down saying that there weren't 60 senators who would vote for it. That's not helpful, Nikki.
Just like the "Hot Dead Birds" brand, Republicans never seem to find a way to make their message appealing.
On the other hand, she did call out Democrats for pushing abortion up until birth, and that's where the Republicans need to go, IMHO. Point out at every opportunity that the Democrats want abortion until birth, and they don't want parental notification. Parental notification is a hot button topic. Parents everywhere want to know what their kids are doing, and abortion without parental notification chiefly benefits sex traffickers who can get easy abortions for their underage victims. And just about everybody recognizes that a baby is a baby at a certain point in a pregnancy.
What I found most disappointing is every candidate used the phrase "pro-life" without ever saying what they meant by it. The only one who said why he was pro-life was Pence, who said basically "because Bible." Again, not helpful. Those who hold his view of the Bible are already in his camp, and those who don't will see it as another reason not to be pro-life.
Nope, none of them gave any coherent explanation as to what their views actually are or why they hold them. So I will say what I wished they would say.
I understand that not all of America is on the same page when it comes to abortion, but here is how I see it. Our founding documents tell us that we are all created equal and that we all have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Over the years Democrats have always failed to recognize the rights of some. At first it was primarily slaves, then immigrants, now it is the unborn, the disabled and elderly.
Science tells us unequivocally that unborn babies are human beings, as are disabled people and seniors. On what grounds do we justify killing some human beings, simply because they are inconvenient? That's why I'm pro-life and why I believe that government at all levels must protect life at all ages.
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