At a conference in Atlanta in April, 1995, Gingrich was asked about abortion. "I believe most Americans are pro-choice and anti-abortion." A murmur ran through the mostly conservative audience. He quieted it by insisting on putting values first in lawmaking and suggesting that alternatives to abortion such as adoption must be promoted and their costs eased.
Newt!: Leader of the Second American Revolution, by Dick Williams, p. 182 - Jun 1, 1995
"Abortion is perhaps the most contentious public issue today, testing the professed American principle that every human life is precious and entitled to constitutional protection. With the advent of increasingly sophisticated ultrasound technology, public opinion on abortion has shifted, with a majority of Americans now identifying themselves as pro-life. As with any public policy, the more strongly public opinion is swayed in defense of unborn life, the more our laws should and will change as a result."
A Nation Like No Other, by Newt Gingrich, p. 92 - Jun 13, 2011
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Given that abortion rates had been dropping pretty steadily since 1990 up until 2006 I'd say his opinion on how people view abortions is probably correct. However, whether that view changed because of increased welfare for single mothers or because people started realizing how wrong it is in cases that aren't life threatening (or any other reason) I can't begin to guess. But it IS telling that as unemployment rates started going up so too did the abortion rates begin to rise.
Out of the three candidates my personal opinion is pretty inline with Newt's to be honest. I don't think we need to make it illegal, we just need to make the procedures better understood, and the other options available more viable to pregnant women and their child's father. This includes convincing parents to support the child in their decision, even if it is a hardship on all involved. With changing public opinion, and decreased poverty brought on by available jobs, the abortion rate will start to decline again on its own without trying to force a belief on people (no matter how fact-based that opinion is).
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As you know, I disagree with you.
ReplyDeleteWe already did the "well, you define human person your way, we'll define it ours" dance-- and it ended in bloody civil war.
The "procedure" is killing a human-- a totally innocent one, at that.
There are a lot of situations where immoral acts shouldn't be illegal...but baby-killing isn't one of 'em.
The only "reasonable" excuse I would accept is to save the life of the mother, I just don't feel that making it illegal is the best way to convince people it's the right view to have. Sadly it's become too entangled in our society to just remove it. But then, that is the problem with a lot of things right now. We need to get people back to the basics of living good moral lives, taking responsibility for their own actions, and dealing with the junked system called Public Education.
ReplyDeleteGiven an actual informed choice of the options combined with the above I think will change public opinion. THEN it can be made illegal, once abortionists are in the vast minority.