Via LifeNews, [18] two Republican so-called "pro-abortion" (ahem) groups are teaming up in a fresh effort to defang the GOP's stance on abortion and as LifeNews put it, to "drag the party to the left."
The two groups are WISH, [19] Women in the Senate and House, and the Republican Majority for Choice. [20] After being marginalized within the party for years and years, the two have combined powers to set their sights set on weakening the Republican party's newest pro-life platform.
All I have to say to the is, Good Luck, because the platform is rigid. [21] Here's a little gem:
Faithful to the first guarantee of the Declaration of Independence, we assert the inherent dignity and sanctity of all human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution, and we endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment's protections apply to unborn children... At it's core, abortion is a fundamental assault on the sanctity of innocent human life. Women deserve better than abortion.
WISH and the RMC are interesting anomalies. As the the largest fundraising program for pro-choice Republican women, WISH, according to their website, has fundraised nearly $3,500,000 to endorse candidates such as Olympia Snowe (R-ME). And the RMC, which subscribes to the "big tent" approach to divisive social issues, not only blatantly supports reproductive rights, but also goes so far as to shame their party's conduct when it comes to the matter, calling out their agenda as "intrusive and alienating," "obstinate," and "irresponsible."
Interestingly (or maybe unsuprisingly?), LifeNews spoke not with the RMC or WISH, but with Colleen Parro, head of the Republican National Coalition for Life, who said,
Feeling scorned after eighteen years of trying and failing to remove the pro-life language from the Republican national platform, and with the last three Republican presidential administrations [taking a pro-life stance], pro-choice Republican women are trying to make a come-back.
I wonder, and I'm asking this in earnest, if these groups are so frustrated by the lack of inclusivity of the Republican party, why do they still remain loyal? Salon had a feature up awhile back regarding the RMC's (the RPCC at the time) floor fight in Philly [22] over the issue. Adele Stan quoted one member saying,
I'm a Republican because I believe in less government in all aspects of my life...and to have the pro-life position determine whether or not you're a Republican will make us a very small party in the end.
While they may be a minority as far as the big pro-life players in the GOP go, both groups are bolstered in their position by pointing to evidence that says the majority Republican citizenry is actually on their side, [23] whether they self-identify as pro-choice or not. After telephoning 1,000+ Republicans in a phone survey, the RMC found that 80% of those surveyed found themselves agreeing with the statement "a person must follow her own faith, personal beliefs, and conscience in private matters like abortion."
They're definitely an interesting bunch if they're up for the challenge. But I suppose, given all the talk about finding Common [24] Ground [25], [26] if ever there was a time to launch an effort to weaken the GOP's unyielding stance on abortion, now's the time.