GOP Candidates and Abortion

Bill Press, in “GOP Comes to Its Senses on Abortion” (Commentary, March 25), writes about taking out the pro-life plank from the Republican Party platform. Three points come to mind:

The majority of Americans don’t support Roe vs. Wade as written, which supports abortion on demand for any reason during all nine months of pregnancy, including partial-birth abortion.

If the two parties are the same on life, why would Democrats who are against abortion cross over to a Republican candidate as they did for President Reagan? Republicans weak on abortion don’t win elections without this crossover vote.

Why listen to liberals? They want Republicans to take out the pro-life plank. A good percentage of the GOP will change to a minor party or not vote.

Those against the taking of preborn life--both Republicans and Democrats--aren’t giving up. It means too much not only to the baby but to the second victim, the woman, who often suffers physical and mental problems due to an abortion.

BEV CIELNICKY

Fountain Valley

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Press is correct in that many Republican presidential candidates and those running for other offices do hope that they will not be questioned on their positions on abortion. In fact, experience in California and other states has shown that they often choose to be identified as pro-choice. Recognizing that the current U.S. Supreme Court will not overturn Roe vs. Wade, they safely declare that they uphold the law of the land. Unfortunately the agenda of “chipping away” and weakening the rights of the vulnerable (who are the poor) and those who can’t vote (teenagers) proves that what they say and what they do are two different things.

Denying access has resulted in the number of anti-choice laws quadrupling in the past three years. I agree with Press. It is time to focus on issues that will improve the situations of everyone and stop telling people what they must do with their own bodies. But we need to pay attention to the wolf in sheep’s clothing.

SHEILA HOFF

Rancho Palos Verdes