Mark Wilson / Getty Images
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell waves as he takes the stage during the Republican National Convention at the in Tampa, Fla., August 28.
Delegates approved a party platform Tuesday during the Republican National Convention that bans all abortion. The controversial GOP party plank seeks to overturn the Supreme Court's decades-old decision in Roe v. Wade by declaring all "unborn children" are protected by the 14th Amendment. It also seeks a "human life amendment" to the Constitution to establish such protection.
Although the GOP has passed a similar resolution at its most recent conventions, this year's comments by Rep. Todd Akin on rape and abortion thrust the party's position on the issue into the spotlight.
Party leadership, and the Republican candidate for president Mitt Romney, were questioned in the days leading up to the convention as to whether or not they would allow for exceptions on a blanket ban against abortion in the case of rape and incest. The official platform does not specify any such exceptions.
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, the man who led the party's platform committee this year, downplayed the abortion plank when speaking with MSNBC host Chuck Todd Wednesday morning from Tampa. "That's one component of it," he said.
Indeed. Additional components of the platform include a ban on gay marriage, a push for photo IDs at the voter box, a loosening of gun control rules, and a voucher system for Medicare.
"It's a grassroots, bottom up exercise [with] lots of input from lots of people," McDonnell said. "We offer that to the candidates and I think most of it will be embraced."
The governor argued that the bulk of the platform addresses fiscal and economic issues.
The AP has more on this and other party planks approved by the Republican Party Tuesday, the first full day of the convention, including a
The document opens by warning that while the American Dream has long been of equal opportunity for everyone, ‘‘Today that American Dream is at risk.’’ It pledges that the GOP will ‘‘begin anew, with profound changes in the way government operates; the way it budgets, taxes and regulates.’’
Read more from the AP here.
Or read the full platform as posted to the Republican National Committee's site.
Leave a Comment:
The Republicans stance on abortion is contraversal?
You want to know what is controversial is allowing a baby that survives a late term abortion one that is alive breathing on its own to be thrown in the trash to die. Mr Obama not once not twice but four times voted against a bill that would require that a baby that is alive after an abortion to receive doctors attention. that is more then controversial it is out right murder how can a man be that heartless how can a man advocate and condone a live baby get thrown in the trash to die
And MSNBC has the nerve to ask if the Republicans stance on abortion is controversial
The Ignorance and Hypocrisy of the gop-neo-con-Nazi's is truly Amazing - They Claim That they want Less Gov. control and Yet they want More control to tell women what they can and cannot do with their own bodies and to Control what a Doctor/Patient relationship IS - Yeah lets take All Americans Rights Away so We Can Be the New 4th Reich Dictatorship of the Formerly Free Land of America !!! NAZI's ..................................What Year Is This ?? What Country Is This ??
What bill are you talking about?
Where do people get these ideas? TRFjr, Never happened. At least do some research before opening up your mouth. It's pathetic that people actually believe such crap
These vicious, greedy, Right-Wing Christians talk about freedom. But they only mean freedom for vicious, greedy Right-Wing Christians. Everyone else be damned.
And they are NOT Pro-Life. They are Anti-Choice. Plain and simple.
They do not fight to end wars that kill people fight to get illegal handguns off the streets that kill people; fight to close down deadly work sites that kill people; fight to end domestic violence that kills people; fight to get products off the market that kill people !!!
They are NOT Pro-Life. They are Anti-Choice.
...is your hair on fire? are you taking drugs? what the hell are you talking about?
I am talking about the Born Alive Infant Protection Act that required doctors to give medical attention to a baby that survives a failed late term abortion
Obama voted no 3 times on the bill in other words Obama would let the baby just be left alone and thrown away to die
You are delusional
That is not why he voted against it. He had a concern about the wording and whether the state level should exactly match the federal. That is why he voted against it.
and in 2003 obama voted to amend the act which it was to match the federal law and then he still voted agaisnt it
2003
Senate Bill 1082, Born Alive Infant Protection Act
Democrats took control of the IL Senate with the 2002 elections. This year Born Alive was sent to the Health & Human Services Committee, chaired by Barack Obama.
As can be seen on the vote docket, Obama first voted to amend SB1082 to add the "neutrality clause" from the federal version of Born Alive to the IL version to make them absolutely identical. (DP#1 means "Do Pass Amendment #1.)
Then Obama voted against the identical version. (DPA means, "Do Pass as Amended.)
@TRFjr What bill is this? I'm curious to know.
The Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002 ("BAIPA" Pub.L. 107-207, 116 Stat. 926, enacted August 5, 2002, 1 U.S.C. § 8) is an Act of Congress. It extends legal protection to an infant born alive after a failed attempt at induced abortion.
2001
Senate Bill 1095, Born Alive Infant Protection Act
Obama's "no" vote in the IL Senate Judiciary Committeehere, March 28, 2001
2002
Senate Bill 1662, Born Alive Infant Protection Act
Obama's "no" vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee, March 6, 2002
2003
Senate Bill 1082, Born Alive Infant Protection Act
Democrats took control of the IL Senate with the 2002 elections. This year Born Alive was sent to the Health & Human Services Committee, chaired by Barack Obama.
As can be seen on the vote docket, Obama first voted to amend SB1082 to add the "neutrality clause" from the federal version of Born Alive to the IL version to make them absolutely identical. (DP#1 means "Do Pass Amendment #1.)
Then Obama voted against the identical version. (DPA means, "Do Pass as Amended.)
I would like to make a correction on my first post I was mistaken it wasn't 4 times Obama voted no on the born alive protection act it was 3
I read that and it was not that he was voting against it. The Illinois version had an interpretation of what the federal version stated. His explanation was that the amendment in both the Illinois and federal versions did not match exactly. He felt that the wording should match exactly so that there would be no mistake in thinking that all abortions were illegal; hence, his "no" vote.
and in 2003 obama voted to amend the act which it was to match the federal law and then he still voted agaisnt it
2003
Senate Bill 1082, Born Alive Infant Protection Act
Democrats took control of the IL Senate with the 2002 elections. This year Born Alive was sent to the Health & Human Services Committee, chaired by Barack Obama.
As can be seen on the vote docket, Obama first voted to amend SB1082 to add the "neutrality clause" from the federal version of Born Alive to the IL version to make them absolutely identical. (DP#1 means "Do Pass Amendment #1.)
Then Obama voted against the identical version. (DPA means, "Do Pass as Amended.)
To TRFjr...This is from RH Reality Check article by Dana Goldstein...."BAIPA isn't really about protecting infants; it is anti-abortion rights legislation crafted by the hard right. BAIPA targets the abortion procedure known as dilation and extraction, which anti-choicers have so successfully re-branded as "partial birth abortion." Dilation and extraction accounts for less than one-fifth of one percent of all American abortions, and is used most often to end wanted pregnancies in which expectant parents learn their baby will not be viable outside of the womb."
The Born-Alive Infants Protection Act
This act addresses cases where failed late term abortions result in children born alive. The law ensures that newborns are afforded all of the rights of legal personhood including life-sustaining treatment or humane comfort care for those too young to survive. It provides guidelines for doctors on how to treat these children as well as punishment for doctors who fail to provide treatment. Immunity from the law is provided to the mother and the Born Alive Infant Protection Act allows these children to be surrendered under the Safe Haven Delivery Act so that they can be quickly adopted by a loving family.
GOP, Repugnuts, teaheads are all a bunch of crazy, hateful, selfish, lying creatons!! What the he%$ has this world done to deserve the hyprocracy of these nut jobs??? I definitely will make it my business to make sure that someone who wants to vote and does not have the means to pay for an ID, will get one!!! Enough is enough of these crazies! They supress the vote by changing laws when they want and how they want. THE DOJ needs to put an end to this lunacy! I for one will be taking steps to stop this crap! Just to think that these crazies call themselves "patriotic"... what damned hypocrites!
Umm it is very simple why someone would vote against this bill. "Alive" is a relative term. A baby can be "alive" after what? How many weeks? What is the definition of alive? Its a loaded bill. Who determines what is alive? The pro-life folks thinks life begins at conception, do they not? So the babies would be "alive" at conception correct? So you are giving legal protection at conception, correct? Its a red herring bill putting women, doctors, and nurses, criminally at risk during abortions. Logical folks knew what this bill entailed and what the outcome would be. So please spare me.
Do you know how many people are walking around today after a doctor said they wouldn't live a day a week or a month after they was born
there are numours cases of failed abortions that the baby survived and thanks to the doctor who give them care they are alive today
google Melissa Ohden she is one example of hundreds
If you and Obama had your way she and 100 others like her would have been left to die
LIES don't make it so! LOL Crazy, looney, repugnuts!
Keep it republicans, folks are turning away from you en mass. Pro life? how Orwellian the same old stuff Job Jobs Jobs and what do you do? voter suppression, Lies of omission and racism. Evolve or become a foot note. Fascist is what you have become, keep it up and know this we still love you
How is this taking us into the future? Is this the "Leave it to Beaver" era? Sad, sad, sad, Young Republicans, I hope you rise in the future and get your party together. This is old and boring it has no substance, same old platform abortion, gay marriage & guns. And yes I read the platform, scary!
The republicans must think this country is still existing as it was back in the 1950's, when many fewer women voted. They are crazy to think that female voters of today are going to voluntarily give up the right to choose what happens to their own bodies. And I'm quite sure you won't get any gay/lesbian votes, or any from those associated with the NRA.
GOP, either get with the program, or perhaps, you might think about moving your entire party somewhere in the Middle East, perhaps Afghanistan, where women have no rights in the first place!