Whenever I’m interviewed on Christian or conservative talk radio, the topic nearly always turns to — or starts out with — abortion. Never mind that the book that prompted my appearance is about independent politics; radio hosts and even book reviewers zero in on the one chapter on abortion and gay marriage. The irony is [...]

For every time the word “irony” is used correctly, there are approximately three hundred incorrect uses. (No, it is not “ironic” that it rained on the day you had planned a picnic.) The following, on the other hand, is ironic. Read it and giggle nervously:
A new form of cloning has been developed that is easier [...]

At a rally in Dover, New Hampshire, Barack Obama was interrupted by a group of abortion protestors. I think he handled the situation pretty well.

It was certainly a clever phrase, but it was rude of them to interrupt him. What do you think?

From the NY Times:
Two teams of scientists reported yesterday that they had turned human skin cells into what appear to be embryonic stem cells without having to make or destroy an embryo — a feat that could quell the ethical debate troubling the field.
All they had to do, the scientists said, was add four [...]

[Re-published from 2008Central.net]
Marc Ambinder on Romney and abortion:
Mitt Romney is simply struggling to explain the Republican Party’s conventional pro-life position. Which is: overturn Roe v. Wade. And then, slowly build up public support for a constitutional amendment banning abortions. ETA: 30 years or more.
This is not a flip-flop.
The reason why Romney is struggling to explain [...]

It could all come down to electability, not social purity.
From Politico:
Rudy Giuliani, whose positions on abortion and homosexuality mark him as the most socially liberal Republican presidential candidate in more than a generation, is so far winning the contest for the support of social conservatives, according to a new analysis of recent polls.
Forty-four percent of [...]

For too long, moderate Republicans have been silenced by party leadership who has pandered to the far right wing. The bullyboy braying of talk radio hosts and self-righteous right-wingers have cowed Republican candidates into acting against their political instincts while the base of the party has been shrinking and shrinking. While expounding the “big tent” theory of party building, leaders of the party were really constructing an outhouse.

He’s splitting the GOP in two because of his views on abortion and gays.
From the WSJ:
“If the party nominates a social liberal like Giuliani, there’s not only the potential, but there’s an inevitability of a split,” says John Stemberger, president of the Florida Family Policy Council, a politically active social-conservative group. “Republicans will learn if [...]

In the wake of the 2006 midterm elections little has happened to predict how Republican voters will ultimately respond to the strong Democratic showing. I suspect that it would be difficult to make definitive conclusion as to what led more voters to back Democratic candidates across all regions of the country. No doubt opposition to [...]

He’s brave. I’ll give him that. Because most of the right wing blogosphere is saying he’s already done after talking about this.
But is he? Or is winning more important to Republicans?
I guess we’ll see.

Rudy is the new straight talker. No doubt about it.
From the NY Post:
Giuliani made his sharpest case for moving beyond social issues this weekend in Iowa, telling The Des Moines Register, “Our party is going to grow, and we are going to win in 2008 if we are a party characterized by what we’re for, [...]

I posted about Giuliani’s liberal judge problem here on March 1st, and now the LA Times picks up the meme.
From the west comes this about the easterner…
One judge approved by Giuliani, Rosalyn Richter, had been executive director of a gay rights organization, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, before being named to the bench. After [...]

If you’re going to get the Republican nomination, there are some things you’ll probably have to agree with the majority of Republicans about. Two of them are abortion and gay marriage. I’m not saying that all Republicans feel this way, but the majority? Yep.
And in that vein…Giuliani may be staring an insurmountable problem in the [...]

But he was wrong. Uhh…woops.
From Politico:
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney said this week that President Bush “was pro-choice before he became pro-life,� an assertion the Romney campaign now acknowledges was inaccurate. The remark was based on a magazine article Romney had read, his campaign said.[...]
Question: “Bloggers like to call it ‘flip flopping,’ the way you’ve [...]

By seven points, in the new WNBC/Marist Poll.
If those numbers persist, they will likely excuse a number of sins, such as being pro-choice (though I’d wager Rudy will moderate or qualify that position if he runs — the pro-choice but anti-abortion position is being wheeled into place just in time) and being so comfortable with [...]

The concept of morality is a complex topic that elicits passion and consternation as people of differing beliefs attempt to validate their own particular versions. I’ve always found it a little odd that God would only provide us with Ten Commandments when it should have been obvious that we would need an abundance of guidance [...]

Researchers using federal data recently found that — surprise, surprise — abortion rates rise as contraceptive use declines, and vice versa.
Gee, imagine that. Sounds like common sense, doesn’t it? So why am I writing about it?
Because some people — relatively influential people — disagree. Some Christian conservatives are starting to jump on the same bandwagon [...]

Looks like support for the ruling isn’t as widespread as many may think.
From the WSJ:
For 33 years Harris Interactive has been measuring attitudes toward the landmark Supreme Court decision that made abortions legal during the first three months of pregnancy.
The latest telephone survey of 1,016 adults indicates Roe v. Wade is supported by a slim [...]

So, “When does life begin?” was never the right question. It was just the Right’s question.
The real question is when does a living thing acquire a right to go on living?

Apparently I was wrong in my previous comment on the South Dakota abortion post. I said that a woman couldn’t take the morning after pill. Well, they can according to the new law, but only up to five days.
After that they’re murderers.
From Slate:
Section 3, however, tells a different story: “Nothing in section 2 of [...]