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Can someone enlighten me as to the abortion plank of the GOP platform? (re Article here)
Atlanta Journal Constitution ^ | 08/23/12 | Daniel Malloy

Posted on 08/23/2012 1:32:48 PM PDT by Winstons Julia

In the platform approved Tuesday night and to be voted on next week by all the convention delegates, the GOP states that unborn children have "a fundamental individual right to life that cannot be infringed." The platform also supports a constitutional amendment granting citizenship protections to the unborn. The stances are unchanged from previous platforms.

(Excerpt) Read more at ajc.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Society
KEYWORDS: 2012rncconvention; 2012rncplatform
People are saying that the GOP has made the abortion plank more strict than in the past. Others say it is unchanged. What's the real story?
1 posted on 08/23/2012 1:32:56 PM PDT by Winstons Julia
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To: Winstons Julia
I've not heard that it's "more strict." Who is expressing this?

I've heard it follows the 2004 & 2008 planks completely, ignoring the Planned Parenthood abortion lexicon, and focuses on the right to life and dignity therein.

2 posted on 08/23/2012 1:37:06 PM PDT by newzjunkey (Election night is 74 days away.)
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To: All
For comparison purposes...

2008:

Maintaining The Sanctity and Dignity of Human Life

Faithful to the first guarantee of the Declaration of Independence, we assert the inherent dignity and sanctity of all human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution, and we endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment's protections apply to unborn children. We oppose using public revenues to promote or perform abortion and will not fund organizations which advocate it. We support the appointment of judges who respect traditional family values and the sanctity and dignity of innocent human life.

We have made progress. The Supreme Court has upheld prohibitions against the barbaric practice of partial-birth abortion. States are now permitted to extend health-care coverage to children before birth. And the Born Alive Infants Protection Act has become law; this law ensures that infants who are born alive during an abortion receive all treatment and care that is provided to all newborn infants and are not neglected and left to die. We must protect girls from exploitation and statutory rape through a parental notification requirement. We all have a moral obligation to assist, not to penalize, women struggling with the challenges of an unplanned pregnancy. At its core, abortion is a fundamental assault on the sanctity of innocent human life. Women deserve better than abortion. Every effort should be made to work with women considering abortion to enable and empower them to choose life. We salute those who provide them alternatives, including pregnancy care centers, and we take pride in the tremendous increase in adoptions that has followed Republican legislative initiatives.

Respect for life requires efforts to include persons with disabilities in education, employment, the justice system, and civic participation. In keeping with that commitment, we oppose the nonconsensual withholding of care or treatment from people with disabilities, as well as the elderly and infirm, just as we oppose euthanasia and assisted suicide, which endanger especially those on the margins of society. Because government should set a positive standard in hiring and contracting for the services of persons with disabilities, we need to update the statutory authority for the AbilityOne program, the main avenue by which those productive members of our society can offer high quality services at the best possible value.

2004:

Promoting a Culture of Life

As a country, we must keep our pledge to the first guarantee of the Declaration of Independence. That is why we say the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and we endorse legislation to make it clear that the Fourteenth Amendment's protections apply to unborn children. Our purpose is to have legislative and judicial protection of that right against those who perform abortions. We oppose using public revenues for abortion and will not fund organizations which advocate it. We support the appointment of judges who respect traditional family values and the sanctity of innocent human life.

Our goal is to ensure that women with problem pregnancies have the kind of support, material and otherwise, they need for themselves and for their babies, not to be punitive towards those for whose difficult situation we have only compassion. We oppose abortion, but our pro-life agenda does not include punitive action against women who have an abortion. We salute those who provide alternatives to abortion and offer adoption services, and we commend Congressional Republicans for expanding assistance to adopting families and for removing racial barriers to adoption. We join the President in supporting crisis pregnancy programs and parental notification laws. And we applaud President Bush for allowing states to extend health care coverage to unborn children.

We praise the President for his bold leadership in defense of life. We praise him for signing the Born Alive Infants Protection Act. This important legislation ensures that every infant born alive – including an infant who survives an abortion procedure – is considered a person under federal law.

We praise Republicans in Congress for passing, with strong bipartisan support, a ban on the inhumane procedure known as partial birth abortion. And we applaud President Bush for signing legislation outlawing partial birth abortion and for vigorously defending it in the courts.

In signing the partial birth abortion ban, President Bush reminded us that "the most basic duty of government is to defend the life of the innocent. Every person, however frail or vulnerable, has a place and a purpose in this world." We affirm the inherent dignity and worth of all people. We oppose the non-consensual withholding of care or treatment because of disability, age, or infirmity, just as we oppose euthanasia and assisted suicide, which especially endanger the poor and those on the margins of society. We support President Bush's decision to restore the Drug Enforcement Administration's policy that controlled substances shall not be used for assisted suicide. We applaud Congressional Republicans for their leadership against those abuses and their pioneering legislation to focus research and treatment resources on the alleviation of pain and the care of terminally ill patients.


3 posted on 08/23/2012 1:43:44 PM PDT by newzjunkey (Election night is 74 days away.)
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To: Winstons Julia

The platform also supports a constitutional amendment granting citizenship protections to the unborn.”

Taken literally this could mean that if any woman anywhere comes to the U.S. and has her child here, the child is a U.S. citizen.

????????


4 posted on 08/23/2012 1:43:44 PM PDT by Grams A (The Sun will rise in the East in the morning and God is still on his throne.)
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To: newzjunkey

It is folks on the left and a number of websites.

They have taken to calling it the “Akin Plank” and are using the talking point that the GOP “changed” the abortion wording.


5 posted on 08/23/2012 1:48:36 PM PDT by Winstons Julia (Hello OWS? We don't need a revolution like China's; China needs a revolution like OURS.)
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To: Grams A

Isn’t that the law already? Hence “anchor babies”?


6 posted on 08/23/2012 1:53:06 PM PDT by Winstons Julia (Hello OWS? We don't need a revolution like China's; China needs a revolution like OURS.)
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To: Grams A

More anchor babies... just what we need!

The party elites are still not listening.... So why am I paying for DHS? Instead of cutting the military, lets just do away with DHS and call it a day!


7 posted on 08/23/2012 1:54:19 PM PDT by vet7279
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To: newzjunkey

That really doesn’t seem much different.


8 posted on 08/23/2012 1:58:23 PM PDT by Winstons Julia (Hello OWS? We don't need a revolution like China's; China needs a revolution like OURS.)
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To: Winstons Julia

I’ve had several posts on my FaceBook today with a graphic saying that the Republican plank outlaws all abortions, no exceptions, including in cases of rape and incest. It’s from something called the “Obama Truth Team”


9 posted on 08/23/2012 2:05:53 PM PDT by twyn1
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To: twyn1
I’ve had several posts on my FaceBook today with a graphic saying that the Republican plank outlaws all abortions, no exceptions, including in cases of rape and incest.

Me too, and also posts saying that the platform endorses abstinence-only sex education.
10 posted on 08/23/2012 2:20:36 PM PDT by rockvillem
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To: Winstons Julia

During primary.

“If elected president I will work with you to foster respect for innocent human life with an understanding that a culture that fails to do so ultimately becomes a culture in which respect for fellow human beings is diminished. I’m heartened by the advances made by the pro-life movement over the last several years,” Romney concluded. “The ranks of our pro-life partners are growing every day. hat progress would not be possible without your passion and your dedication. God bless you for it and God bless the United States of America.”

Now

Romney believes abortion should be legal in cases of abortion or incest, or when the mother’s life is in danger.

I guess he thinks babies should be murdered if their dad is a criminal.


11 posted on 08/23/2012 2:37:19 PM PDT by Linda Frances (Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness)
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To: twyn1; All

“Obama Truth Team”

Is that like the “Amish Geek Squad”?


12 posted on 08/23/2012 3:03:38 PM PDT by Winstons Julia (Hello OWS? We don't need a revolution like China's; China needs a revolution like OURS.)
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To: Linda Frances
Romney believes abortion should be legal in cases of abortion or incest, or when the mother’s life is in danger.

Don't forget that Romney will change his views to fit his audience. I have a hard time believing a so-called Christian like Romney is pro-abortion up until his mid 50s and then miraculously undergoes a conversion to a pro-lifer, which just so happens to coincide with his shifting his stances for a run for the White House.

He'll talk a good talk, I have no doubt of that, but if he is somehow elected, I expect more than a few pro-abortion choices to make their way into the judiciary and his cabinet. He has the same people around him when he was Governor and running for previous elections. He may have undergone some kind of miracle conversion to being a pro-lifer, but the people he relies on probably didn't.
13 posted on 08/23/2012 8:47:16 PM PDT by af_vet_rr
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