Political Implications

The Shift in Republican Opposition for Abortions in cases of Rape

December 6, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

The 2010 elections dealt with many different issues including the economy and the unemployment rate. There was an other issue that was not making as many headlines, but was still creating a buzz in the Republican Party. This is the increase in the number of republican candidates who are now opposing abortion in cases of a woman being a victim of rape or a victim of incest. These candidates want to bar women from choosing to have the procedure in all cases.

In recent years politics have seen a rise in candidates that are opposing abortion in any and all cases, whereas years ago there were many Republicans who would support abortions for those women who were victims of crimes such as rape or incest and became pregnant. These candidates in the recent election tended to be the ones who were receiving a good amount of support from the Tea Party movement. Whether or not there is a correlation is yet to be seen.

The reason for this shift may very well be the fact that Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska very publicly backed some of these candidates. She was the reason their campaigns were launched in the first place, and the result she wanted was an increased publicity regarding this position. It is no surprise that Palin opposes any kind of abortion, while the public is more split on the issue.

The effect that these candidates many have in office is a block of Obama’s Supreme Court nominees. This could have a big impact on any abortion issues that come before the Supreme Court about the restrictions on abortions. It could have a big affect on the rights of women and the rights of victims. There are also existing legislation issues that could possibly be changed because of the shift in power.

Filed Under: Political Implications Tagged With: Abortion, Barack Obama, Republican, Roe v. Wade, Sarah Palin, Supreme Court, Supreme Court of the United States, United States

Feel Strongly About The Dangerous Mix Of Health Issues & Politics? Use The Web To Be Heard

December 6, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Are you sick of the tendency of all medical and health issues becoming politicized? The resent reform in the health insurance industry was a big political debate. So much so that it was obvious that corporate lobbies hell bent on earning more profits were interested in scuttling or supporting the deal.

There is a growing opinion that health issues and political approaches do not mix. More often than not, the political aspect of the issue assumes so much prominence that nobody bothers about the health aspect. Abortion is a classic instance where politics has created problems beyond solutions.

Today, it is virtually impossible to arrive at a consensus view to regulate abortion. There are many who gained political brownie points by adopting a hardcore and fanatical stance. It helps them retain their vote base and they are not bothered about any other aspect or facet of the issue.

The fact that this issue has been continuing for close to three decades now despite a Supreme Court decision clearly indicates how political influence causes more problems than it solves.

Well, there is no point in criticizing the setup and staying out of it. Rather, you should find ways to enter the setup and make the necessary changes. You may not have any resources necessary to carry out this task.

However, all this can be done with the help of internet and online solutions. The first and the most important task is to find out whether there are others who share the same opinion as yours. It is necessary to link up with them and exchange views so that your basic point is crystallized.

The second step is to make use of the internet to spread word so that you start gaining influence. As more and more people subscribe to your view, it is just a question of using the influence at the right time to make the necessary changes to the political setup.

Filed Under: Political Implications Tagged With: Case law, Health insurance, Politics

Legal Solution Is Not The Best Way To Solve The Abortion Controversy

November 22, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

The legal system will be the first to acknowledge that the power of the law and the majesty of the law will come to naught give society loses interest in complying with the law. Each and every law that there is a put in place there is bound by an unspoken and unstated presumption-society is interested in complying with the law.

The Constitution will not be worth the paper on which it is written if people decide that they are not interested in fundamental rights any longer. This is the biggest complication that lawmakers and law enforcers are facing as far as the legal aspect of abortion is concerned. Society is not in consensus mode over abortion.

It does not have a clear opinion on whether abortion should be regulated by law or not. Further, it is next to impossible to enforce the law in its true spirit. Ideally, the person who commits the abortion should be punished. However, medical experts are being punished for committing abortion.

The truth is that the mother or the parents who decide that they want to abort a child should be held responsible. However, punishing a mother who does not want the child simply does not make sense. The best that the government can do is to hope to change your opinion by education and social awareness.

However, one cannot threaten the mother with imprisonment or injury and convince her to give birth to the child. Giving birth to a child is not the end of this story. It is the beginning. In such a scenario, the child may very well criticize the insistence on pro life.

Rather than a life where one’s parents do not give any love or care, does it not make sense to abort the fetus at the very beginning. This argument is not perfect but the law recognizes that it is popular amongst many individuals. That is the reason why this issue is so complicated.

Filed Under: Political Implications Tagged With: Abortion, Law, Pro-Life

Politics And Internet – When Will The Right Balance Be Struck?

November 20, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

There are many who anticipate a showdown between the political setup and those who run the internet. Well, the phrase-those who run the internet-is a misnomer because there is no single authority in charge of running the web. However, the resent leak of military information on the internet has clearly shown that uncontrolled progress is only going to lead to complications.

The internet has been trading a very fine line for quite a long time. On one hand, transparency and free flow of information has helped people connect with each other in ways hitherto unimaginable. There have been instances where Israelis and Palestinians have interacted on the internet and have expressed a desire to solve the crisis once and for all.

The biggest advantage of the internet is that it is possible to bypass the government and the authorities and establish direct people to people contact.
However, the internet is also a safe heaven for child pornographers, sexual abusers, criminals, hackers and various other antisocial elements. The complete anonymity provided on the internet is often misused.

The latest example is the release of classified military documents in bulk on the internet. There is growing fear that this may jeopardize military operations and even the life of an individual fighting a war in a foreign land.

There have been attempts by the government to cut the internet down to size but it has always been shouted down in the past. However, there will come a time when the government will face disturbing questions about its own sovereign power and its dependence on the internet.

It is advisable to adopt a consensual approach. It is important to prevent the internet from becoming a one stop shop for all antisocial elements. However, it is equally important to ensure that people are in a position to extract the maximum out of the fantastic advantages that the World Wide Web offers. It is a political as well as a social issue.

Filed Under: Political Implications Tagged With: Child pornography, United States, World Wide Web

Internet – A Great Way To Clean Politics And Political Campaigns

November 18, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

The internet has changed the way politicians are collecting funds for their campaigns. Fund collection has always been a contentious point. Ideally speaking, political activity should be based on the desire to create social change and social benefits. However, mass mobilization of opinion requires a lot of expenditure.

Booking a prime time ad on major networks requires a lot of money. To hope that one can find donors and contributors who do not expect anything in return is to ask too much. This results in political activity being reduced to a trade where an individual pays money today to buy political influence tomorrow.

Needless to say, the idea of the top official of the country or the state pandering to the requirements of a select few raises disturbing questions about democracy in general.

The internet has changed all this. Today, it is possible to setup fund raising websites on the internet. It is possible to request contributors and supporters to make small contributions online. Contributors prefer this approach because it guarantees them complete anonymity.

They can make use of various methods to deposit cash and there is no need to be seen visiting any office of any political party. Of course, there is sufficient paper trail for investigation, if charges of corruption or any other criminal activity are levied.

Another advantage of the internet is that it helps the political candidate get in touch with supporters directly. The cost of visiting each and every supporter and collecting $10 par outweighs the benefits. To spend $15 to collect $10 does not make sense. However, a single website can help collect millions of dollars with very little expenditure.

What is more, there is no need for the candidate to visit a large number of individuals again and again. A single message on the internet is sufficient to attract supporters.

Filed Under: Political Implications Tagged With: Campaigns and Elections, Fundraising, Politics

Online Platforms For Political Issues – You Have To Think And Work With Long Term Perspective

November 16, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Just because you have a very strong opinion on abortion does not mean that you will find hundreds and thousands of individuals who share the same on the internet. Many persons underestimate the level of organization required to carry out public relation exercise on the internet.

If you presume that making an impassioned speech or writing an impassioned blog post on the internet is sufficient, then think again. You will have to spend a lot of time and effort making sure that the message is passed on to the maximum number of persons as possible. If you simply get in touch with your few friends and hope that this is sufficient, then think again.

You will have to make a concentrated effort to improve your contact base. You will have to get in touch with other individuals who have blogs and forums on this issue. You will have to establish communication and maintain good relations. You will also have to proceed to have these contacts in a position where you can utilize it whenever you want.

Having a Facebook profile with more than 1000 individuals who share the same opinion as yours in relation to abortion can be very beneficial. Every single comment that you make will automatically spread over the internet. However, the task of generating 1000 such friends can take more time and more effort than imagined.

It is also important to use search engine optimization. You will have to keep track of the various keywords that are used when searching and researching on topics related to abortion. You will have to make sure that your opinion or piece is reflected in the results on most of the keywords.

Again, you should not use keywords stuffing just to get your point across. Needless to say, this is a completely different story as compared to what you imagine when you thought that writing a single blog post will be sufficient to mobilize opinion.

Filed Under: Political Implications Tagged With: Abortion, Facebook, Search engine optimization

Roe v. Wade — Where is it Headed?

November 5, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Since the Supreme Court of the United States rendered its historic ruling in 1973 on Roe versus Wade, turmoil has surrounded the decision.

The court declared abortion to be legal, in part because of a woman’s right to privacy. Political dissension and cultural mayhem have dogged the decision since its rendering. Don’t look for an calm ending anytime soon, as Roe v. Wade continues to be a hot-button topic for the nation, with conservative Christians leading the fight to overturn the law.

Many women are firmly in the camp that support the decision. For these women, the ability to have an abortion has given women a freedom that men have had for centuries. By choosing to have an abortion, young women in particular, feel that they can also choose their future — when they want to start a family, when they want to have a career, and how they want to go about living their lives.

While there have been myriad attempts and vehement opposition to the ruling, the Supreme Court has not overturned the law. Certainly, the Supreme Court has had many chances to do so, particularly when George W. Bush was president.

President Bush actually put into effect a law that made an abortion procedure, called dilation and extraction, illegal. In 2003, the president signed the ban. In 2004, a federal law was passed by the House of Representatives that claimed the fetus growing in the womb was actually a person, with all the legal rights that entailed. In fact, the fetus was to have just as many rights as the mother.

In spite of these bans, the Supreme Court did not overturn Roe V. Wade, and many pundits and court watchers think it is unlikely to do so in the future. Historically, the Supreme Court does not overturn its own rulings. While the 1973 decision was unexpected, it still stands — as does the controversy surrounding it.

Filed Under: Political Implications Tagged With: Abortion, Roe v. Wade, Supreme Court of the United States

If Roe v. Wade Were Overturned

November 1, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

The controversy over Roe v. Wade is unceasing. Take a moment to imagine that the Supreme Court overturns its historic 1973 decision making abortion legal in the United States. Some in the nation would rejoice and hold services of thanks, while others were cry against a government that takes decision-making power over their bodies away from women.

This is probably an unlikely scenario, but if the case were overturned, the following could happen in the succeeding days and years.

Many states already have bans on abortion on the back burner that could become active in within 45 days after the ruling by the attorney general that the Supreme Court overruled the Roe v. Wade decision. Certainly, the abortion clinics would be forced to shut their doors, and doctors who perform abortions in their offices would have to stop immediately.

In more than 50 percent of the country — the s0-called conservative states, abortion would probably be declared illegal. In many states, such as South Carolina and Kansas, declaring abortion illegal would be easy, but in the more liberal states, such as many states in New England and California, it might remain legal to have an abortion. States where the issue is close may contend with the issue year after year.

The states where abortion remains legal will see little change, but in those states that prohibit the procedure, back-alley and bedroom abortions will become the practice. Abortions will move to the black market and become more dangerous as a result. Many practitioners will use unsafe substances to induce abortion, from untested herbs to drugs that treat ulcers. In this type of environment, it is likely that many more deaths will be the result.

Politicians will likely feel the brunt of angry women at the polls. More than 1 million individuals participated in a women’s rights march to make it the largest such event in the history of the United States. Imagine this power unleashed at the polls if Roe v. Wade is overturned!

Filed Under: Political Implications Tagged With: Abortion, Roe v. Wade, United States

Abortion in America

October 25, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

The United States has a long and checkered history around abortion — voluntarily putting an end to a pregnancy. Since the landmark Rove v. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973, abortion in the first three months of pregnancy are legal in the U.S.

The procedure may be legal, but it has caused political and societal turmoil in the nation. Most Republicans oppose abortion, while most Democrats believe a woman has the right to choose what to do with her own body.

Those who believe that abortion should be legal strongly feel that what a woman does with her own body is up to her. It is her private business, and she should be able to get the medical care she needs. Those who oppose abortion believe that life starts at conception, and that abortion, which kills the fetus, is thus murder in their eyes.

Two current topics debated are whether abortion in the first three months should remain legal and whether the so-called partial abortion should be legal.

More controversial is the debate over the partial birth procedure, which is rarely performed or needed. In 2003, President George W. Bush banned the partial birth abortion, declaring that is never medically needed.

Many states, including New York and California, filed challenges, and in 2004, the U.S. District in San Francisco declared the ban could not continue for various reasons, one of which was that the statute was burdensome to those wanting an abortion in the second three months of pregnancy.

It is expected that the case will go to the Supreme Court on appeal.

Interestingly enough, abortion was legal in America when the country was founded. It wasn’t until the middle of the nineteenth century that the procedure was declared illegal. It is estimated that illegal abortions went from about 200,000 to more than 1 million in the 1950s and 1960s.

Filed Under: Political Implications Tagged With: Abortion, San Francisco, United States

Politics and Abortion

October 20, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

As the November elections loom, federal funding for abortion looks to be a hot button issue. The debate over the funding for abortion nearly killed the health care bill signed in May by the president and hasn’t disappeared in the interim.

Republicans claim that the health care bill is set up with loopholes that will allow federal funds for abortion, while Democrats say there are no such loopholes and funding is clearly not allowed.

Democrats claim the Republicans are using the issue as a way to block the health care bill. In the November elections, voters will be electing every seat in the House of Representatives, 435, and 36 Senators, out of 100.

The health care reform law indeed has limits to federal funding for abortion, but conservative critics maintain that there is a loophole because women can get authorization to receive an abortion. The critics say coverage for abortion can be authorized because of tax credits that can be received as subsidies.

In addition, conservative critics lambasted the funding for health centers in the community that provide abortions, as well as clinics and co-ops.

While Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in 1973, the Hyde Amendment of 1976 limited federal funding of abortion.

Those against abortion plan to seek out Democrats they see as vulnerable.

Former Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin has painted the midterm elections in terms of those against abortion and those who believe it is a woman’s right to choose whether or not to have an abortion.

Palin lambasted the president’s health care reforms and has even said President Obama has favored abortion more than any other president.

So, while Republicans have capitalized on the economic woes of the country and how Obama has tried to energize the economy, conservatives are not backing away from the abortion issue. Roe v. Wade is still squarely within their sites and will likely stay there for years to come.

Filed Under: Political Implications Tagged With: Abortion, Hyde Amendment, Republican