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Tue 19 Oct, 2004 07:46 pm
The following letter appeared in the Orlando Sentinel on October 19.
"As a Catholic, I have been receiving literature implying that I should not vote for Kerry because he is not pro-life. I would hope that Catholics and all voters would take a look at all life issues -poverty, environment, health care, death penalty and the war- not just abortion. If they do choose to look only at the issue of abortion, they need to ask the question: Have abortion rates declined under Bush and will they rise under Kerry? History suggests otherwise. Under Ronald Reagan, the abortion rate remained stable; the abortion rate dropped by 11 percent under Bill Clinton. Current available data show that the abortion rate has not continued to decline under Bush. Economic policy and abortion are connected. Democratic policies regarding jobs, minimum wage, health care and child care support pregnant women. If Bush just says that he is against abortion, but he has social and economic policies that do not decrease abortions, why should he automatically get the Catholic vote?
"The Democratic platform says abortion should be safe, legal, and rare. Abortions are made rare through the promise of good jobs, good wages, and adequate health care for all."
--Patty Grant
Winter Park
Ah, then it is true that the world is interconnected and that issues do not exist on their own, floating like balloons in the air, but are spread over the landscape touching us all.
Well, that's a relief, I thought I was crazy.
Joe
I posted this article a few days ago on that very same theme! Nobody had anything to say about it, though. I do see a link between economics and society and abortion rates rising.
http://www.courier-journal.com/cjextra/editorials/2004/10/11/oped-stassen1011-5709.html
I agree thoroughly with what you state about the economy and abortion rates, very logical premise. Even putting that aside any literature implying that Kerry is not pro-life is incorrect. He states he does not believe in abortion. However, he also stated that church and state should remain separate and whereas this is a moral/religious stance on abortion, he does not feel it is right to make abortions illegal. I know many people claim that you cannot have both viewpoints and that this is an example of Kerry flip-flopping. I cannot confirm whether he is trying to appease both sides, but I can confirm that this is a logical viewpoint. I have this viewpoint. I may not want or support abortion for myself, but my religious or moral belief should not prevent others from their point of view. To me this is similar to saying it is wrong to have pre-material sex according to the Bible, so it should be illegal. Until it is proven within a reasonable doubt that a fetus is a human being (not moral or Biblical viewpoints) then there is no legal reason to make abortions illegal.
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