Texas Gov. and GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry sought to win over conservative voters with abortion talk at an Iowa forum on Saturday night. According to Perry, “Being pro-life is not a matter of campaign convenience; it is a core conviction.”
Perry criticized fellow Republican candidate Herman Cain for his statement to an interviewer last week in which he said that he was against abortion, but that the decision should be a personal one and one in which the government should not be involved. From Perry’s perspective, “If that is your view, you are not pro-life, you are pro-having your cake and eating it too.”
As can be seen by anyone following the polls, the Republican Party seems to be floundering in its own issues, with no real leader emerging from the pack of characters the party has presented to run for president. Most of them harbor the same views toward the economy and fiscal policy, and because of this, the only way they can seem to differentiate themselves is through their social views. When debate headlines tire of talk about the economy, GOP candidates seem to jump at the chance to break out a full dog-and-pony show centering around anti-gay or anti-abortion sentiments to rile up voters, and it is growing, frankly, less than amusing.
Viagra is covered under federal health care provisions, but Perry thinks it appropriate to lead a crusade against the Roe v. Wade decision that allows a woman rights to her own body. Abortion is a moral issue, undoubtedly, but it has no place in government policy. As Cain so logically expressed, it is a personal issue and should be dealt with as such, on an individual basis, and without the meddlesome fingers of the government.
Moreover, these men that are advocating for or against abortion from their comfortable seat in the legislature have never, and will never, be able to experience the feeling of unwanted pregnancy. They will never be faced with the decision of whether or not to keep a child growing inside of them. What right, what prerogative do they claim to espouse governmental restrictions for something that they can never truly know?
The GOP seems to be grasping at straws with its sensational talk of abortion and other social issues, as they seem to be losing the interest of the public with arguments over the nuances of difference in their thoughts on economic policy. With their anachronistic views of abortion a part of talks in government, this country will never be able to move forward into a functional future.
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