"The 300-odd young libertarians packed into Catholic University's student center were the elect of the elect. They'd scored invites to the Young Americans for Liberty annual conference because -- according to an email pitch to sponsors -- they could be "the future congressmen, entrepreneurs, policy makers, and activists that will restore our republic."
And they were not fans of Planned Parenthood. In a short evening of conversations, no young libertarian activist said he disagreed with Sen. Rand Paul's (R-Ky.) effort to bar any federal funds for the family planning group. At a bar near the conference, one table echoed with arguments about the ethics of abortion, and the politics of Paul's move.
"Planned Parenthood should not be funded by taxpayer dollars," said Hannah Malstrom, 26, a student at the University of Central Arkansas. "We were all once 20 weeks old. If I was ripped limb from limb, and my organs were sold on the black market, I would not be a happy camper. Another big stance in libertarianism is opposition to the death penalty. It's not right to play God when someone has done something wrong -- so why is it right to play God with someone who has done nothing wrong?"......