My editorial, printed in The Georgia Constitution

"Republicans Need To Keep Pro-Life Stance"

The Georgia Constitution

September, 1995

by Kathryn Wolf

The philosophy of each political party is outlined in their platform, which is a document listing how the party stands on issues. This document is the standard for candidates running for office, and candidates are to honor their oath to their party and conform to their platform.

The platform is renegotiated every presidential election year by a committee selected from the rank-and-file members. Then, when the Republicans and Democrats have their national conventions, there is a vote on the platform.

Since 1976, the very next presidential election after the dreaded Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision, the Republican Party platform has been pro-life (for protection of the right to life of unborn children).

In sharper contrast, the Democratic Party platform is anti-life, and their platform has consistently espoused the right for mothers to kill their babies.

Presidents Reagan and Bush (Republicans) ran on pro-life platforms and won in 1980, 1984, and 1988. They stood behind what they said by putting in place pro-life policies, cutting off funding to abortion providers (our tax dollars, in the billions, which went to killers of babies and exploitation of mothers), and they appointed conservative judges and justices.

The Republican Party has enjoyed a steady influx because of the pro-life issue. But there are a few unfortunates in the ranks who still refuse to see that life is the No. 1 issue, and that abortion is the taking of innocent life and will be the ruination of our country.

So to those few Republicans who call themselves "Republicans for choice," I would say it is NOT a "choice," it is a child--30 million dead babies since 1973.

Along with thousands of others, I believe in taking a stand against what I believe is a terrible travesty of justice, whether it be in the trenches or in high places. Many good men, women, and teenagers have crawled on their knees to the very gates of hell (the abortion clinics) to plead for the lives of innocent human babies about to be snuffed out by abortion.

And yes, thousands of Americans have been arrested for trying to save lives, Only in America! But, if we can give some of our life that others may live, what greater love can a person have? I have also met with and worked for national and local candidates, and encourage others to do the same.

Government is shaped by the standards and character of its participants, and elected officials need to remember they are servants.

It is very important to ask yourself, will a vote I cast--or fail to cast--somehow lead to a decision on issues that could affect your entire community, and country.

The difference in the Republican platform and the Democratic platform is a matter of life and death. Republicans must keep the pro-life plank; it is the very underpinning of American society.

It says in the Bible, Deuteronomy 30:19: "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: Therefore, choose life that both thou and thy seed may live."

The Republican Pro-Life Plank

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. 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. Republicans in Congress took the lead in expanding assistance both for the costs of adoption and for the continuing care of adoptive children with special needs. Bill Clinton vetoed our adoption tax credit the first time around - and opposed our efforts to remove racial barriers to adoption - before joining in this long overdue measure of support for adoptive families. Worse than that, he vetoed the ban on partial-birth abortions, a procedure denounced by a committee of the American Medical Association and rightly branded as four-fifths infanticide. We applaud Bob Dole's commitment to revoke the Clinton executive orders concerning abortion and to sign into law an end to partial-birth abortions.

Power tends to corrupt
and absolute power
corrupts absolutely
--Lord Acton
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