If you are a Conservative, you should support the Democratic ticket. Viscerally, you may want to disagree with the Democrats because you've been bamboozled and lied to, but if you look at it rationally, supporting the Republicans doesn't even make sense. If you're a Conservative.
Abortion
Certainly, Senator McCain has shifted to the Right socially, in an effort to reach out to social conservatives. In fact, he has changed his position on Roe v Wade in an effort to show social conservatives that he means business. Both he and his vice-presidential pick are now strongly pro-life or as I call it anti-choice.
They support overturning Roe v Wade and returning the issue to the states. Now, at first, this sounds like a great idea. “Everyone knows” that Roe v Wade supports a woman's right to have an abortion, right? Well, actually, that's only partially true. Roe v Wade was an effort by the Supreme Court to limit abortions and make them safer. Roe v Wade and subsequent Supreme Court decisions have consistently made an effort to limit when a woman can have an abortion by attempting to define the issue of viability. In other words, the Supreme Court has attempted to define when a woman no longer has the right to choose, not whether or not she has the right to choose.
This issue is particularly important when one mentions the case of Governor Sarah Palin. Governor Palin decided to have her last child, even though that child has Down "s syndrome. Despite knowing the risks of conceiving a child later in life, her husband and she made the choice to have a child. When this child was found to have Down"s syndrome, her husband and she made the choice to have the child, despite knowing the consequences of this action.
Whether or not we support her decision, we must acknowledge that it was her and her husband's decision to make. For her and Senator McCain, this choice, this decision, would be taken from families and given to the states. If you were a single mother in her mid 40's who got pregnant and found that your child would have Down's syndrome, you would have no choice. Sarah Palin and John McCain would take that choice from you and give that power to the state.
So, if you're a Conservative why would you want that choice to be taken away from the individual and that kind of power placed with the State? As a Conservative, do you not believe that the individual has the right to do what they think is best for their own life?
Now, there's a hole in my argument big enough to drive a truck through, in that most Conservatives believe that the individual has the right to do as they will as long as it does not harm another. Is abortion harming another? Well, now we're back to Roe v Wade and the limits that the Supreme Court has placed on abortion. The Supreme Court made their decision based on viability not on whether or not abortion is allowed. They acknowledged that abortion was going to happen whether or not it was legal, but if it were legal it would be safer for women. However, if it were legal, it also must not happen, under most circumstances, if the child could live outside of the womb, thus, was viable.
Of course, there are questions about viability. With extraordinary measures, some fetuses have survived at just past 21 weeks. That is well into the second trimester, which is where most states and the federal government begin to place limits on abortions.
As always, there are exceptions to every rule. Sometimes, it's necessary to abort a fetus in the late second trimester. Sometimes, bad things happen. It's the way of the world. And we need to be aware of those things and pay attention to them, but exceptions should not control how we make our decisions on the vast majority of cases. Most abortions occur in the first trimester, where the issue of viability is moot.
Now, the argument has come up that Senator Obama opposed a bill, both at the state and federal level that would have made a doctor a felon for providing an abortion. It's true, but this was a blatant attempt by activists who would like to take away the choice of families and put it right squarely in the hands of the State. Further, it is in line with Senator Obama's other decisions as both a state Senator and a Senator of the United States.
He has strongly advocated for the right of the individual to decide for themselves, within the limits set by Roe v Wade. His opponents, those who would place your decisions with the State rather than with you, have tried to smear him (and fool you) into thinking that Senator Obama supports “killing children”.
Well, friends, these people are lying to you. They don't have you, your families, or the United State's best interest at heart. Senator Obama and the Democratic Party believe that you and your family have both the moral integrity and the right to make the appropriate decisions for yourselves. Senator Obama has consistently fought, as has the Democratic Party, to keep rights in the hands of individuals rather than with the State.
So, as a Conservative who believes in the right of the individual and wants to limit the power of the State to make decisions for you, why would you want to put more power in the hands of the State by voting for Senator McCain and Governor Palin? It just doesn't make sense.
**I am not employed by or affiliated with the Obama For President campaign. All opinion and commentary on here is my own and may or may not reflect the opinions of Senator Obama or Senator Biden.
