|
| | |
|
President Mike Chapman, Option A
The mother had plenty of time to decide upon an abortion prior to this time. I don't favor any abortion, but would accept, reluctantly, provisions for the mother's life and health. This late term abortion should rightly be labeled as murder. President David Mack, Republican, Option B As a OBGYN person, I feel we should all be working together to stop the need for abortion. I believe both views try to simplify a very painful and complex subject whose participants are often incapable of understanding or controlling the circumstances in which they find themselves. Ironically, the Fed programs aimed at assisting these people often contribute to the problem by giving "passive" consent to the men to desert the women they impregnate. The extremes of both positions is only serving to delay our willingness as a society to solve this problem. President Craig Browning, Democrat, Option A All abortion, in my opinion, is the murder of a human being, so I support this bill. President David Knight, Democrat, Option A I am 18. This took some thought. I am pro-choice. I have covered this issue rather extensively in my ethics class here at the University of Maryland. Alas, I could not allow politics to interfere with my conviction that while early abortions are acceptable (and will hopefully occur even earlier with RU486) women have lost their right to choose at this late a stage of their pregnancy. President Briana J. Binkerd-Dale, Other, Option A This was a hard decision. I personally would not be able to have late term abortion. Maybe if my life would be at risk, but otherwise, no. However, I believe in women having a choice about abortion, and I think the decision to have a late term abortion would be difficult for anyone. I feel confident in a woman's ability to make the right choice for herself, and I believe it would be unconstitutional not to give her that choice. President Jonathan Fisher, Democrat, Option B The fact that the Congress did not include a provision which would allow for the abortion in the case of preserving the woman's health clearly indicates how partisan this bill is. It's a joke that the national media hasn't prevented the Right Wing from taking this issue. President Sadie, Democrat, Option B The right to choose is the right to choose. To limit types of abortions that are legal would begin to erode a woman's constitutional right to an abortion. President Joachim Blonski, Republican, Option A This is not rocket science. We do not kill innocent human beings, period. This is an innocent human being. Therefore we must not kill it. President Kent Mansfield, Republican, Option A I thought the argument against partial birth abortion was very convincing. The supporters of Roe v. Wade have for years led people to believe that restriction on abortion after the first trimester had some meaning. In reality abortion in the United States is legal for any reason at any time through the entire 9 months of pregnancy. Many, if not most, people do not believe this to be the case. President Ross Haight, Option B The decision under contemplation is a terrible one, so even more than with other abortion choices I would have to leave it in the woman's hands. President Sherry, Democrat, Option A I'm afraid that I agree that "health" is too vague a term. In the past, I think mental health was used to justify abortions. And I think here it could be used to justify the late abortion of an imperfect child. I am very much pro-choice, because having children is a huge burden, and mistakes with contraception - and much worse - do occur. However, late-term abortions make it possible for abortions to be used to get rid of "imperfect" children. That is completely abhorrent, and I don't think we want to get even close to that possibility. President G.D. McClelland, Republican, Option A I find it appalling that we, as a nation, have accepted this "procedure" for so long. I am also curious how someone calling him or herself a doctor justifies the act of pulling a baby out of the womb, jabbing a pair of scissors into the base of its skull, and then sucking its brains out with a vacuum cleaner. I find it equally appalling that we have a President that vetoed a bill to ban it. That great sucking sound you hear is America's soul being sucked into Hell. President Holly Matthews, Democrat, Option A The decision was a difficult one to make. I am usually very liberal, but I feel that the practice of partial-birth abortions is a cruel and unnecessary one. My views are usually the same as President Clinton's; this is the one and only issue where I feel that I must stand with the conservatives. President Candice White, Democrat, Option B The example cited in the argument in favor of a veto is a very fair and real example. Raising a child today is a huge commitment, both financially and emotionally. What is the purpose of forcing a woman to carry a fetus to term if the outcome is certainly death of the child? Disallowing that woman to terminate the pregnancy makes no sense. And what is the point of bringing a severely brain-damaged child into the world, if only to allow it and its family to lead a life of emotional and financial hardship? A woman's right to choose should never be jeopardized. President Joel MacDonald, Republican, Option A The is the defining moral issue of our time. It is indicative of other issues reflective of our countries moral decline. We do not have an economic problem but a moral problem. Our lack of moral decisiveness and foundation is what is driving the economic problems and others. President Patrick Ludwa, Independent, Option A If we accept the logic of those in favor in vetoing this bill, then we must accept the right of a parent to end the life of their child for 'any' reason. After all, sleepless nights can affect the health of almost anyone. What is the logic that we are offended by child abuse and not offended by this? How is it that a woman can be charged with child abuse and/or murder if their child is born with a defect, or dead, due to the mother's use of illegal drugs and/or heavy use of alcohol, but she, and abortionists, can rip them apart from the womb with little or no regard. Is this logical? Do we end child abuse, hunger, etc., by murdering out children? Who's next? The poor, the aged, the mentally handicapped? The arguments for abortion are the same arguments used by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. President Jonathan R Nebeker, Republican, Option A Given your memos it seems hard not to support. There must be some key argument that was not adequately addressed. One might believe that enacting this law would eventually weaken the case for all abortions. I disagree. It seems that the strongest images against abortion are those of grizzly surgeries. If these techniques were discontinued and women were just able to take pills in the privacy of their own home, a significant sector of the opposition to abortions would dwindle. President Bill Goodfellow, Independent, Option B I don't think this should be a political issue at all. If anyone is to decide this issue it should be each individual woman. Certainly NOT me. President Reiter, l., Republican, Option B If this question had any validity the Republican congress would have raised it in April. I believe that my party has been both stupid and cruel with their anti-choice dictum. I would like Newt (Gingrich) to have to go to (Bob) Dole the next time he or his wife has a medical problem. These talking heads who are only interested in their views are dangerous to the liberties of all American Citizens. President Colby Bibb, Democrat, Option B The "pro-life" people never met an unborn baby they didn't love or a born one that didn't have its grasping little hands on their tax dollars. President Steven Chapman, Republican, Option B Very easy decision. Until the baby is born, the mother has control over her body. President Kris Sullivan, Republican, Option A While a woman's right to choose should be supported in the first trimester or in any case in which the mother's health is jeopardized, partial birth abortion is inhumane. There can be no debate about the viability of the fetus at this point. While proponents of partial birth abortions argue that in many cases the baby (and at this point it IS a baby) will die due to birth defects anyway, why not let nature take its course rather than turning into butchers in order to facilitate convenience? Obviously, by the time a woman reaches her second or third trimester, she has made the decision to carry through with the pregnancy. If complications do arise this late in the pregnancy, it is a woman's moral obligation to see it through as she originally intended, whether or not it's inconvenient or unpleasant. One of the aforementioned scenarios mentioned a woman who felt she would go insane with the knowledge she was carrying a child without a brain. Surely knowing that your already-formed child was suffering a horrible death at your request would cause even greater mental anguish. If not, something is definitely wrong. President Kenneth Nesper, Jr., Democrat, Option B I was appalled by the grisly description of the procedure, but that just makes it more unlikely that a woman would undergo this operation for trivial reasons. This remains a subject for a woman, her doctor, and God to decide--not me, nor the federal, state, or local government. President Bret Young, Republican, Option A It was an easy decision. I have not yet found an argument in favor of choice that doesn't commit some logical fallacy. It appears that the truth is on the side of life. If you disagree, tell me first the standard you use to disagree and then we can talk. Without a standard, I am as right as anyone else. President Iain MacFarlane, Democrat, Option B This is an issue that the government should leave alone. It is a personal decision - not a decision to be made by government or by the courts. President Wendy, Independent, Option A Abortion should only be performed when the mother would otherwise perish if the pregnancy went to term. President Thomas Clough, Independent, Option B Abortion legislation is NOT a function of the federal government. President Jim Kettle, Democrat, Option B Of course this is a difficult decision. However, I am not intelligent enough to make the decision for the mother. Only through consultation with a physician, and realizing each individual case can that determination be made. Therefore, it seems appropriate to veto the bill, since supporting it could well have traumatic affects. President M. P. J. Grégoire, Other, Option A This is obviously a wedge issue, intended by the Republicans only to alienate a part of the public from my ticket. Nonetheless, it is far easier to explain to pro-choicers why this is not abortion as they know it than to explain to pro-lifers why this unnecessary killing ought to be legal. President Jane Magen, Option B I am not in favor of abortions. I am in favor of the right to an abortion. It is time government kept its nose out of personal decisions -- not only abortion, but gay marriages and gay rights as well. President Terrence P. Deyo, Democrat, Option B This was a very difficult decision, but I have to go with my conscience and say that the choice of abortion should always remain with the mother and should not be dominated by governmental policy. President Ian Kaplan, Option A Late-term abortion is infanticide. Clinton's veto cheapens life. President Clifford Martin, Democrat, Option B I tend to agree with the argument that this is a "wedge" issue, and due to the fact that it affects an extremely small percentage of the population, I question any need for a federal law relating to this issue, except for political gain of anti-abortion faction. It would possibly be acceptable if there was a "health" exception, but the federal government does not, ultimately, have any place in a decision so personal. President Raymond Fischer, Unregistered, Option B The premise that any woman has the obligation to donate the use of her body for the state's use is untenable and unacceptable. To demand that a woman risk her health and face permanent injury for no good reason goes contrary to all the notions of individual rights upon which this country was founded. President Asher Wilson, Democrat, Option B Bad policy. Bad law. Leave medical decisions to the physicians. President Jeff McQuary, Democrat, Option B Though horrifying, partial birth abortions are often the only escape for women trapped in excruciating and medically dangerous circumstances. Moroeover, the bill to ban this type of abortion is an attempt to ban abortions even in circumstances that are less morally ambiguous. President Bruce Forest, Other, Option B There is so much misinformation about D&X abortion, it is frightening. Why would people concetrate on such a rare procedure? It's certainly no more 'gruesome' than D&E, and is designed to remove a profoundly deformed, terminally ill or dead fetus, without having to subject a woman to abdominal surgery. The only reason the fuss is being made is to begin a slippery slope to illegal abortions. President Marc Madison, Republican, Option B Although this procedure is the most controversial and inhumane of all abortion procedures, the ultimate decision must rest with the individual and not with the government. I realize that a few individuals may callously use this right in order to "take the easy path," but I feel the majority of individuals would only use the procedure under extreme circumstances (i.e. Maureen Britelle's pregnancy). Abortion is a personal and individual decision and right which should not be interfered with by the government. As a registered Republican who commits to the party based upon economic issues and is generally moderate, I am disillusioned with the current platform regarding the abortion issue. The minority Christian Coalition has no right to dictate policy on this issue. I believe the Republican Party will become more divisive, and consequently weaker, if we allow the minority "Right to Lifers" within the party to give direction. President Mark Snell, Republican, Option A This was not a difficult decision. A 27-week-old fetus is either a human being or it is not. If it is not a human being, then every decision having to do with its treatment should be the sole province of the affected woman. The fact, however, is that nearly every citizen of this country believes that these fetuses are unborn humans, and all the debating and compromising and demonstrating is about to what degree they are human and to what extent their humanity should trump female autonomy. The President of this country has a sacred responsibility to speak and act on behalf of the most innocent and the most powerless. President Dr. Tom King, Independent, Option A Crucial decision, difficult one; but life is more fundamental than choice. President Jim Shue, Republican, Option A The sanctity of life should be at the center of this issue, not political embarrassment. President Daniel L. Curran, Republican, Option A The decision was easy. Obviously not as easy for some as the fate of a seal pup. President LPG, Republican, Option B Extremely difficult decision, but this is not a decision entered into by these women either without careful thought. I respect their right to choose. President Yang, Hyun Joon, Independent, Option B I understand that the late-term abortion affects women's health a lot. I'm recommending a relatively restricted abortion program which can meet the needs of each side concerned with this issues. Also, my standpoint is on the human rights including babies. President Carlyn A. Walker, Democrat, Option B I am essentially a pro-choice supporter although late term abortions are the exception. This bill should be passed besides the fact they excluded the clause including an exception for a baby endangering the mother's health. This is a tough choice politically but not logically. I think the bill needs re-writing in order to be approved. President Anne Carson Hodges, Democrat, Option B This is a difficult moral and ethic decision to face. However, I must veto the bill and side with the women of this nation who must be protected. President Eugene Friedrich, Independent, Option A Death by any other name is still death. You can murder with a ball point pin to the paper instead of the brain, but you will receive your just reward, and boy, is it hot there. President David Marcus, Other, Option B It's easy to say life is precious, but looking at the world, human life is one of the cheapest commodities. Thus, even if one concedes that a late term fetus is a life, it is consistent with the attitudes of most governments and individuals that if that life must be sacrificed for the greater good, so be it. This previous paragraph is a sop to McKenna who clearly believes that abortion is evil and the absence of a movement, gradual though it may be, demonstrates some sort of moral rot in our society. The reality is late term abortion is rare. Our society does not have a structure to fully integrate the babies who are aborted for birth defects to lead happy satisfying lives. Usually, once their parents, unless they are phenomenally wealthy, die, these persons will become wards of the state. And we see how generous and willing government and charities are to take over the care of these people. The war against abortion has already been lost. With the advent of RU-486 and other pills, the need for abortion clinics will go away and abortion will be what it always should have been, a private matter. Rich people will always be able to go to Canada, Mexico, or Western Europe for late term abortions. Since there is no desire to criminalize the woman, but only the doctor, it's hypocritical and inconsistent, and because of the discrepancy in wealth, the law is in fact discriminatory, in effect, if not as a matter of law. This decision is not a hard one, except as to the extent that one weighs political considerations. Since, unlike our President, I have no such constraints, there is no need to mince words. President Burt Yankiver, MD, Democrat, Option B The government needs to stay out of the personal decisions made between a woman and her physician. The decision is hard because a third term fetus appears human. The fetus is still part of the mother and incapable of independent life. President William Wuerl, Independent, Option B This is a very emotional issue. I find it hard to believe that all of the facts are being told. My sources say that these late term abortions are being done on babies that are not normally developed and would not survive in the outside world. Again - these arguments are emotional, not factual. President Ardath N. Blauvelt, Republican, Option A I am what I call a reluctant pro-choicer. I support legal abortion because I feel that it must remain as they say, "legal and therefore safe." Many today do not remember the back-alley butchery of illegal abortion, but I do and it galls me to this day. As usual, it is the woman, and generally a single, young gal who had to sneak off, put her life in real jeopardy in order to deal with a mistake made by TWO people, one of them, male. He walked, and walks, away scott-free. Until we can offer sufficient alternatives to many of these young women, then abortion must remain one of the choices. But, no society should ever condone or promote the taking of life without cause, so I totally disagree with "abortion on demand." If anyone, man or woman, is unwilling to accept the responsibility and, therefore, some societal restriction to preserve the chance for life when there are good and viable alternatives, including adoption, then that person has some very skewed values. I abhor the idea that it is simply a matter of "choice" -- this is not about coffee, tea or me, folks, this is about ending life and there have already been many "choices" made along the way: sex now, unprotected, with this man and suddenly the ultimate consequence appears, that "choice" is all. As to the euphemizing of the deed -- when we have "fetus showers", we decorate a "fetus room" and we talk of bearing a "male or female fetus" then, and only then, can we speak of destroying a "fetus". This is the same being that the same people will demand society protect at all costs under other circumstances. Abortion is the taking of life, period, and if we are going to do it then we ought to at least be mature enough to look the truth in the eye - and then decide. It is a procedure with reason. Reason should never be removed from it and restriction to the procedure should be automatic. I have yet to read a good reason for late-term abortion -- other than the hysteria over "rights." Abortion is lousy public policy but for now, restrictively abidable. Put your heart where your mouth is, Mr. Prez and sign the bill in the name of all that is decent. President Jim Clarke, Republican, Option A The decision was an easy one and should have been been an easy one for President Clinton. President MaryAnn Jackman, Democrat, Option B The whole "partial birth abortion" issue is very troublesome. The term itself has no reality to it -- it was invented by the proponents of banning it. As a medical procedure, it doesn't exist. No woman undergoes a procedure such as abortion, whatever the term, easily. No matter what the circumstances, it has to be a soul-wrenching choice. The "Pro-life" people seem to believe in a kind of black-or-white world that can only exist in the imagination. I think at the heart of things, being "Pro-life" has little to do with being for or against a woman's right to have an abortion and everything to do with issues of CONTROL. A lot of misinformation is being put out as gospel by these groups, twisting numbers and facts to suit their cause. That doesn't speak very well for the validity of their position. If you have to lie about it, it can't be worth very much. The bottom line is this: No one, and I do mean no one, has a right to force a woman to share her body with an anencephalic fetus. President Michael R. DePietro, MD, Republican, Option A This procedure is clearly the killing of a human child. What difference separates these pre-born children from premature infants who are cared for in neonatal ICUs across the country, that allows the former to be destroyed, while the latter are cared for using complex and expensive resources? Surely all but the most fanatical defender of "abortion rights" would agree that the destruction of a human fetus at this late stage in devlopment, and in this brutal manner, is not justifiable. Finally, the argument that pro-life forces might use this procedure to engage in a propaganda effort featuring "mutilated flesh" is perverse. If prolife forces can do this, is it not because this is in fact a repulsive procedure, which most people are revolted by when it is accurately described? President John Veal, Republican, Option A While for the most part I am pro-choice, I feel that this decision (to have an abortion) should be made in the earlier stages of the pregnancy. Becuase of the procedures, waiting until the third trimester is inhumane. In cases where the mother's life is in danger I can support this action. However in other cases, I cannot. President Gary Wade, Democrat, Option A Politically, this is a difficult choice. Morally, it is not. Somewhere between the moment of conception and the moment of birth, the fetus is invested with a soul, and - at that moment - becomes a human being--something intrinsically greater than epidermis cells in my arm or a wart on a woman's leg. Before a fetus has a soul, its aborting may be no more than a medical procedure. But once the fetus has a soul, it is a human being whether or not it is yet capable of life on its own outside the womb. To kill a human being is murder and should not be allowed except in the rare case when both mother and child will die unless the baby is aborted. A baby which has developed to the point where it can live outside the womb is clearly a human being and is clearly deserving of legal protection. We have the example of premature babies born vaginally and by c-section being kept alive and healthy. Does anyone not consider these infants to be human beings protected by law? I think not. I see no vital difference between these premature infants and those affected by partial birth abortions. Killing either is clearly killing a human being. President Frank Rogers-Groggett, Option B This issue is a question of power and who holds it to control other people. The issue of morality is one that many people would like to hold in their grasp. The reality is that they do not have a clue as to what having that power necessitates for the holder or for the recipient. This question continues to include the question of male and female equality. It will not be settled easily or quickly. President Susan McCorquodale, Unregistered, Option B I voted the way I did because I am in favor of a woman's right to choose. I am a practicing Christian, and the description of a late-term abortion is very disturbing. But on balance, one has to believe that women are the best deciders; it is not up to the state to wave some version of morality at its citizens. President Alex Aitken, Republican, Option B The politicizing of abortion was awful enough before this bill came up. This isn't even really an abortion related issue. If people - including the Catholics being bullied by their bishops - knew that intact D & E is a procedure used when wanted pregnancies go terribly wrong, when the baby has little or no chance of surviving, and when the other methods of getting a dead or dying fetus out of the mother pose greater risks to her health and future childbearing, they would be as angry as I am that the anti-abortion forces are manipulating family tragedies like this. The deception involved in convincing people that women and doctors are "sucking babies' brains out" on a whim is immoral and degrading. This is not a hard decision once you know the truth about the procedure and about the motives and tactics of those trying to outlaw it. The manipulation of well-meaning people by their "religious" leaders is appalling. The truth is out there. President J. Quinn Brisben, Other, Option B The chief proponents of this bill are not really pro-life, since most of them also favor capital punishment, every war action currently being considered, and the shredding of a social safety net with resulting early termination as well as immiseration of many lives. The proponents of this bill wish to re-institute a nasty variety of sexual terrorism which constitutes an unconstitutional establishment of religion. If the President's exception of "health of the mother" is included, there is no serious objection to the bill. President Joe Burns, Republican, Option A Bob Dole would have signed it. GO BOB GO!! President William J. Lemon, Independent, Option A Prior to reading your memos I understood that this procedure could save women from having to undergo hysterectomy due to fetal abnormalities. I had not heard the overwhelming statement from the gynecologic community that this procedure is never necessary. Having heard it now, I think that this procedure can be banned on the grounds that it is indeed equivalent to infanticide. The women who have undergone the procedure in the past need not be ashamed; they acted in line with the best information they had available to them and can thank God that they are well. Sign the bill and let women know that this is in the interest of our posterity and makes no statement about decisions made by women in the past. President Mark, Democrat, Option B If men were the ones who bore the burden of carrying an unborn fetus/child within their womb, (assuming they had them), this issue (abortion) would be mute--abortion would be an unquestionable right--it would be available on demand, like pronto! And if it weren't, there would be another civil war. Let women decide the fate of their bodies and the course of their lives. This is a PRIVATE issue; the GOVERNMENT and MEN should stay the heck out of it! President Linda Schluter, Republican, Option A Any type of abortion is unacceptable to me, whether the unborn child is 8 wks or 8 months old! While banning this procedure may help to save the lives of some unborn children, we must not forget those whose lives are still being threatened by other tools of destruction. President Michaels, Republican, Option A With the slippery slope our courts and politicians have placed us on (not to mention the extremists who value abortion in all cases and circumstances), I predict that within 10 years there will be 'legitimate' groups proposing the killing of the elderly or of the infirm because their care is a burden (emotionally or physically) to others. Let's stop this insanity and utter disrespect and war against life! Sign this now! President John Gutierrez, Republican, Option A The arguments in the memo in favor of signing the bill are very convincing, and not surprisingly, I had not seen them before in the media. The refutations of the medical necessity of this procedure from respected expert doctors, no matter what the baby's abnormality, are the clincher for me. President Juli Loesch Wiley, Other, Option A I would not want anybody to jam a sharp instrument into my skull and suction out my brain, for any reason whatsoever. Therefore I cannot use my executive power to authorize that this be done to somebody else. To argue otherwise would be to say that the strong have the "right" to prey upon the weak AT WILL; and it is precisely to prevent this that governments are organized to begin with. You knew that, didn't you? President D. M. Giambattista, Independent, Option A This procedure is morally repugnant to people of about every political, religious and civil persuasion. There is no compelling reason to allow it to continue and many valid reasons to stop it. Only those for whom abortion is the ultimate desire could be in favor of such a procedure. Please sign the bill. President Eric Olsen, Option A This scenario is offensively biased against the pro-life view. May God have mercy on this country when a child may be legally killed seconds before its birth and thePpresident is credited with "courage" for guaranteeing the legality of this grotesque act. Surely one day you will awaken and tremble in shame and fear for the moral blindness of this craven devotion to sexual licence, at the price of innocent human lives. President James Martin, Independent, Option B The subject of abortion is not the business of the government at any level; it is the personal decision of the woman. President April Spivey, Democrat, Option B Why would anyone object to aborting a fetus that cannot survive outside the womb anyway? I think the anti-abortion groups have gotten too militant and have lost sight of their goals. I also think the abortion issue should be left up to the woman and her doctor, not a bunch of politicians. President J. Diane Varra, Democrat, Option A Partial birth abortion is infanticide. If one reads the reasons Pres. Clinton vetoed the bill he or she will realize he was misinformed on many of the concrete, provable realities and he focused on the fact that he believed that he was saving the lives of the mothers who would go on to have more babies, and who would go on to raise the families that they have already started. How does a President become so misinformed? The type of propaganda he uses is similiar to Hitler's ways of thinking. It is the logic of the murderer in Crime and Punishmen., President Tara Gross, Unregistered, Option A There is no "good" excuse why a BRUTAL abortion procedure such as this must take place. It is far less barbaric to allow the child to incur a "natural" death if that indeed proves to be the outcome (which in many cases will NOT), than to so repulsively murder the child to "save" it from a miserable existence or its mother from trauma. In most cases, a woman's life CAN be saved without this abortion technique to rid her of the baby! President Ron Chandonia, Democrat, Option A The incumbent President seems to have no principles or convictions whatsoever except a determination to make abortion on demand acceptable throughout pregnancy. The veto of the partial-birth abortion ban was just one small step in President Clinton's pro-abortion campaign. For his lack of conviction on *all* other issues, as well as his wrongheaded conviction on that one, this liberal Democrat looks forward to casting a "protest" vote against what appears to be his certain re-election. President Philip T. Hitchcock, Republican, Option B The only reason this is the most significant issue is that it is an unconscionable invasion of privacy for any government to tell a woman what she can do with her own body. Body control, thought control: it's all the same. Free people should be free. President Pat Villaescusa, Independent, Option A To kill a full term baby as it's being born is horrific. This isn't about choice or a woman's right to have a control of her OWN body. At least if this country is going to kill infants in this way; we, as a people, should be honest enough to admit that we have decided that it's acceptable to kill infants and not hypocritically re-label the act as an abortion. President Tom Donnelly, Option B If a fetus deserved all the rights some would give it, why is it that we don't have funerals for miscarriages? These are sad occasions because of the lost potential, not because a loved one has died. A person cannot die until it has been born. Until that time, its existence depends upon the willing consent of the mother. If it does not have parents who are able and willing to provide loving care, a choice should be available to the mother to prevent a bigger mistake. An unwanted child is a bigger mistake than an unplanned pregnancy. I thought the conservative side was to keep the government out of our lives as much as possible. President Brandi Adams, Republican, Option A I am the mother of two beautiful girls. I think that people who are for abortion do not fully understand the gift of life that God has given. I cannot understand how someone can think it is OK to KILL a baby just because he/she hasn't entered the outside world yet. What a wonderful gift to be able to feel the baby inside you moving, growing, living. Please consider what you are doing before it is too late. ***GOD BLESS*** President Grant Mitchell, Other, Option A I quote a line from a Bruce Cobourn song "the trouble with normal is that it always gets worse"....Abortion is not an easy decision. However, the decision must be taken, although within certain constraints. Without constraints you could take things to their worst extreme. Kill a week old baby. Measure nine months or one and a half years from time of birth. I agree with abortion on demand without restrictions up to a certain time period, however a limit must be imposed on how much time can be spent before deciding. The health clause is an escape hatch which will just cloud the issue. I favor abortion, but there is a clear and moral limit to what women (and men) can do to themselves and to others. President E. Bond, Democrat, Option B Politicians should stay out of the bedroom, the physician's office, and should not be able to pass a general rule or law which could endanger a woman's life. Her decision should be the one that counts! Her physician or husband, church, or Congressperson need not agree. President Beverly Urton, Democrat, Option B George McKenna's arguments are very flawed. I can not understand why The Atlantic Monthly takes him so seriously. I would suggest that you guys have a logic professor explain it to you. I already tried in a letter. Honestly, how can you be so absorbed by his article as proof that abortion is immoral. I think it must be because you are slanted on this subject to begin with. President Sharon Parker, Other, Option B Exactly which federal law enforcement officers does Congress intend to have patrolling doctor's offices? If the doctors can't come to consensus on this procedure, what makes the politicians think they can make a good decision? Outlawing one procedure is meaningless -- if this procedure isn't available, others will be used (which would probably involve extraction via a tube and the fetus would be mutilated -- very hard on the women's psyche). Politically speaking, being ostracized by the Catholic church is a plus -- politicians the bishops urge people not to vote for typically win. President Chris Howard, Independent, Option A It is outrageous that one human being should have the "right" to kill another one for the purpose of convenience. Motherhood was once considered a privilege and a noble sacrifice. Today the only thing sacrificed is the baby. Partial birth abortions? Does it matter that we suck out their brains as opposed to in-utero vivisection? President Jeremiah Burnham, Democrat, Option B This is a decision between a woman and her doctor! President Matthew Donovan Goehlert, Independent, Option B The right to have an abortion is up to the individual. The government should have no say, or should not inact any regulations pertaining to the matter or a women's right to choose. President Charlee Lambert, Democrat, Option B A woman has to have control of her body. I can't imagine having a late term abortion, but if it is important for whatever reason, it should be allowed. Women have worked long and hard to have rights, and I don't want to see any of them lost! President Patricia Dickinson, Republican, Option A This grisly act can only further dehumanize our young people. Abortion kills their protective instincts. This unnecessary procedure takes us to the level of an animal. If the mother's life is at stake, do a Cesarian. The doctor who has performed most of these said "that would result in a live baby." This is an unnecessarily barbaric abortion. President Right, Republican, Option A Not difficult at all. A matter of character. If you have it, use it. My candidate does and will. President Matthew Polly, Independent, Option B Individuals' rights must be held above this rank mire of politics and morality. President Grant Ashley, Republican, Option A It is a no-brainer decision for anyone who is a born-again Christian. It is a true and certain litmus test by which to gauge any politician. Anyone in favor of partial birth abortions, assuming they are informed as to what they are, cannot -- I repeat -- cannot be a true born-again Christian. Anyone who is for the partial birth abortion is against all morality and is devoid of any moral sense and sensibility, and should be totally rejected out of hand, whether or not there are any other reasons to consider either for or against that person. President Bob Schlomann, Democrat, Option B This is a troubling issue. Because of the uncertainty, and because this is such an incredibly personal and (at least it should be a) private decision, government should refrain from interfering in it. Physicians, if they care about the this issue, should be vigilant and energetic about reviewing questionable uses of the procedure and in educating their peers and patients about the need for, and the effects of, this procedure. You did a nice job of presenting the issue. President S. G. Merager, Other, Option A Partial-birth abortion should be a horrific idea to anyone with a conscience and its sanction should be inconceivable to any civilized society. I believe that we should not mix the issues of abortion and infanticide. There is no substantial difference between a fetus with its head still in the birth-canal and a baby that is completely removed. President Anonymous, Democrat, Option B I'm enough of a pro-choice hardliner to veto this bill, but enough of a political realist to have hesitated. Good job! President Peter Stratman, Democrat, Option A Since the woman has had enough time to decide whether or not she wants to have the baby, late abortions are just dangerous and unnecessary. Besides, the brutal way in which it is done cannot be accepted. President John Harvey, Democrat, Option A I agree that women should have the right to end a pregnancy in the very early weeks. However, after a person has made the decision to continue the pregnancy (i.e., they elect not to have an abortion at the outset!), then I feel that unless (1) their life is threathened, or (2) their PHYSICAL health faces SUBSTANTIAL impairment, or (3) the child is found to be severely deformed to the point that expected life after birth is measured in days or weeks -- then no abortion should be allowed. Allthough this bill does not quite match my beliefs I choose to err on the side of life rather than death. President Sherry Tapke, Democrat, Option B I strongly feel that this is none of my nor the government's business. This decision belongs to the woman, her family, her doctor and her god. President Chris Broussard, Democrat, Option B Another political hot-button, this operation is performed so rarely that it is almost irrelevant. The procedure is performed to protect the life of the mother. President Kevin Bowman, Republican, Option A The decision for the bill is clear. Certainly Bob Dole will pass it and quite likely Bill Clinton--if only to maintain the middle ground. President John Reynolds, Republican, Option A I am personally opposed on moral grounds to abortion in general, but I believe we cannot legislate morality, and women who choose to have an abortion need a legal outlet to have the procedure performed in a clean environment by a trained professional (for health reasons). However, this particular procedure should never have been defined as abortion, as it is fundamentally infanticide, which we cannot tolerate in our society. President Josh Polacheck, Democrat, Option A I have been raised in a highly medical environment, to the extent that I can understand the medical procedure involved. It is not a political issue, but I would feel uneasy with myself if I did not sign this. Let me also say that I feel abortion is a horrible choice to have to make and that there should be a concerted effort made to educate people so this procedure is not necessary, BUT the government does not have the right to decide that, when abortion is an acceptable procedure, a woman does not have a choice. President Ross A. Messer, Democrat, Option B Late term abortions are usually done so that the woman is capable of bearing children in the future. Failure to do so often makes a woman unable to bear children. Therefore, right-to-lifers should favor late term abortions instead of following their usual knee-jerk position. President Dick D., Democrat, Option B Medical decisions such as this are hard enough to make without involving the government in the decision-making. If this procedure is not considered acceptable it should be raised by the medical society who has more influence over this and can minimize "the politics" of these difficult decisions. President Ronald L. Johnson, Independent, Option A The federal government has no place in this argument. Abortion is an individual decision. However, the federal government SHOULD NOT be funding this or any other abortion procedure. Click here for previous poll results. Return to this week's Executive Decision |
|||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
 | |
 |
|
