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9.08.2004
The tale of two bills. Two things are happengin soon. The Assault Weapons Ban will expire and the Partial Birth Abortion ban will be struck down as unconstitutional. Does this excite me? Not really. Both are examples of wedge issue politics. Both bills are ways of building political support for constituents that feels strongly about the issues of gun control and abortion. Personally I find abortions repugnant. I don't wish that any baby should be denied a chance to live. But I find myself forced into the pro-choice camp because I still do believe that abortion should be available as a valid medical procedure when the mother's life is in peril. When abortion was illegal it went underground, women died needlessly and access was only available to those with the means. I feel that forcing a women to have a baby when there is no will or means to take care of that child is irresponsible. So until Pro-Life people offer up an alternative to sticking women with unwanted babies out of some moral crusade I'm not to sympathetic too their cause. As a man I try to defer the issue to women, who are after all, the "Ones With The Wombs." The Partial Birth Abortion Bill will be struck down, but that's actually beside the point. We really could reach a compromise on this issue if we really wanted to. But for political reasons we get bills like the current Partial Birth Abortion bill that serves no other purpose than to convince Pro-Life voters that they need to re-elect Bush so that he can appoint a Pro-Life judge to the Supreme Court. Same with the Assault Weapons Ban. It served its purpose to make Clinton look like he was being tough on crime and appeasing the Brady crowd. But according to what I have heard it did little to prevent lethal weapons from being made and sold here in the U.S. After all, candidates have to have a laundry list of issues to preach from the stump. What good would a sensible abortion bill have served for Bush if it had stood? None. In fact it would have served to ignite the fires of pro-choice opponents who would have sent off fiery messages decrying our loss of choice. They did anyways. But now thousands will go to the polls on election day convinced it is their duty to elect Bush so they can rid the world of the abomination that is abortion. I find it really sad that bills are less designed to address problems but rather to frame a political debate to serve a short term election goal. |
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