Abortion on Demand?
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James Joyner | Wednesday, January 19, 2005 |
Steven Taylor agrees with Oliver Willis that Tim Roemer’s anti-abortion position disqualifies him from being chair of the DNC. Taylor adds, though,
[T]he Democrats have a serious problemâthere appears to be no reasonable restriction on abortion that the party will supportâthe most striking example being partial birth abortion, or whatever you want to call it. There is also the fact that Democrats tend to oppose fairly moderate reforms, such as waiting periods, parental notification or promotion of adoption. It is also clear that despite generic fulminations from Senators about âmainstreamâ nominees, that the main issue that blocked every one of Bushâs Appeals Court nominees last term was abortion.
Yep. Most Americans have a mushy, intellectually-inconsistent position on abortion that doesn’t coincide with the hard core partisans of either party. The Republicans, though, have the advantage because the status quo is precisely abortion on demand, at least before fetal viability. Being against partial birth abortion and in favor of waiting periods and parental notification is well within the mainstream; the opposite positions are not.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia.
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