Activists predict abortion will be a hot issue in campaigns
With a deeper-than-ever split between Republicans and Democrats over abortion, activists on both sides of the debate foresee a 2016 presidential campaign in which the nominees tackle the volatile topic more aggressively than in past elections. Friction over the issue also is likely to surface in key Senate races. And the opposing camps will be further energized by Republican-led congressional investigations of Planned Parenthood and by Supreme Court consideration of tough anti-abortion laws in Texas. “It’s an amazing convergence of events,” said Charmaine Yoest, CEO of the anti-abortion group Americans United for Life. “We haven’t seen a moment like this for 40 years.” In the presidential race, Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton is a longtime defender of abortion rights and has voiced strong support for Planned Parenthood — a major provider of abortions, health screenings and contraceptives — as it is assailed by anti-abortion activists and Republican officeholders. In contrast, nearly all of the GOP candidates favor overturning the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Some of the top contenders — including Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio — disapprove of abortions even in cases of rape and incest. “We may very well have the most extreme Republican presidential nominee since Roe — a nominee who’s not in favor of abortion in any possible way,” said Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILY’s List. The organization, which supports female candidates who back abortion rights, says it is en route to breaking its fundraising records. A similar claim is made by some anti-abortion political action groups. What’s changed for this election? One factor is the increased polarization of the two major parties. Only a handful of anti-abortion Democrats and abortion-rights Republicans remain in Congress, and recent votes attempting to ban late-term abortions and halt federal funding to Planned Parenthood closely followed party lines. Another difference: Republicans in the presidential field and in Congress seem more willing than in past campaigns to take the offensive on abortion-related issues. Past nominees George W. Bush, John McCain and Mitt Romney opposed abortion but were not as outspoken as some of the current GOP candidates. “Abortion will bubble over into the general election,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, which supports female candidates opposed to abortion. “If you don’t know how to handle this issue, you will be eviscerated.” As the campaign unfolds, other factors will help keep the abortion debate in the spotlight. The Supreme Court will be hearing arguments, probably in March, regarding a Texas law enacted in 2013 that would force numerous abortion clinics to close. One contested provision requires abortion facilities to be constructed like surgical centers; another says doctors performing abortions at clinics must have admitting privileges at a local hospital. The Texas dispute will have echoes in other states as social conservatives lobby for more laws restricting abortion. Americans United for Life plans a multistate push for a package of bills called the Infants’ Protection Project; one measure would ban abortions performed because of fetal abnormalities such as Down syndrome while another would ban abortions after five months of pregnancy. Also unfolding during the campaign will be a new investigation launched by House Republicans to examine the practices of Planned Parenthood and other major abortion providers. The panel’s chair, Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, says its work will likely continue past Election Day. The investigation — denounced by Democrats as a partisan witch hunt — is among several congressional and state probes resulting from the release of undercover videos made by anti-abortion activists. They claim the videos show Planned Parenthood officials negotiating the sale of fetal tissue in violation of federal law; Planned Parenthood denies any wrongdoing and says the programs in question at a handful of its clinics entailed legal donations of fetal tissue. Cruz is among many Republicans who have already passed judgment on Planned Parenthood, calling it “an ongoing criminal enterprise.” He welcomed the endorsement of anti-abortion activist Troy Newman, who helped orchestrate the undercover video operation. Donald Trump, who leads the GOP presidential polls, has been harder to pin down on the issue. He describes himself as “pro-life” and open to defunding Planned Parenthood, while acknowledging that he held different views in the past. Planned Parenthood’s leaders say a majority of U.S. voters oppose efforts to cut off its federal funding, most of which subsidizes non-abortion health services for patients on Medicaid. Planned Parenthood’s political action fund hopes to spend a record amount — more than $15 million — on election-related advocacy. The fund’s executive vice president, Dawn Laguens, contends that some GOP presidential hopefuls, including Cruz and Rubio, may have hurt their general election prospects by making strong bids for anti-abortion votes in the primaries. “They’ve gone so far out on the limb that they won’t be able to crawl back,” she said. National polls over the years show the American public deeply divided on abortion. An Associated Press-GfK poll released Dec. 22 found 58 percent of U.S. adults saying abortion should be legal in most or all cases, and 39 percent saying it should be illegal in most or all cases. Forty-five percent viewed Planned Parenthood favorably; 30 percent unfavorably. Abortion and Planned Parenthood are likely to surface as divisive issues in several of the races that will decide control of the Senate. New Hampshire features an intriguing race between two women. Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan, a supporter of abortion rights, hopes to unseat GOP incumbent Kelly Ayotte, who is endorsed by anti-abortion groups and favors halting Planned Parenthood’s federal funding. Other key Senate races likely to feature sharp divisions over abortion include those in Pennsylvania, Nevada, Wisconsin and the crucial presidential battleground of Ohio, where GOP incumbent Rob Portman is expected to be challenged by former Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland. Republished with permission of the Associated Press.
A roundup of Sunday editorials from Alabama’s leading newspapers
A round-up of Sunday editorials from Alabama’s leading newspapers: The Anniston Star – Money for their captivity in Iran If a human life is invaluable — which it is — then what are 444 days of a person’s life worth? For more than 30 years, that question has dogged the U.S. government and the 53 Americans taken hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Iran in 1979. One of the infrequent stories about the hostages and their families is the long struggle in seeking compensation for their ordeal. Thirty-seven of the hostages are still alive. That struggle is over. The living hostages and the estates of the deceased are now eligible for payments up to $4.4 million each thanks to the omnibus spending bill signed into law earlier this month. Spouses and children of deceased hostages are eligible for lump-sum payments up to $600,000 each, The New York Times reported this week. The living hostages will receive up to $10,000 per day of captivity, though the final amounts are undetermined because of myriad legal hurdles yet to be cleared. Money for the payments became available, The Times reported, when a Paris-based bank paid a $9 billion penalty for breaking sanctions against Iran. The compensation is long overdue, but it doesn’t replace the human toll of spending 400-plus days in captivity in Tehran. The Birmingham News – A vision of amazing love without burning down the church When I looked down the row of chairs, the potential fire hazard was apparent. My three sons were in close proximity to lit candles. We separated them between my family members to reduce the likelihood of the candlelight service becoming a bonfire service. With one of my sons sleeping on my chest, I looked down the row in the dark room filled with hundreds of flickering flames. I saw my family. I saw my wife. And my other two sons were simply mesmerized by it all. My heart was overflowing. And then it struck me. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” As a father, I can’t imagine sacrificing any of my sons to save a friend, let alone someone who had become my enemy. That strikes me as utter lunacy. That’s the point. That’s how strong a love it takes to save a broken wretch like me. Jesus’s arrival in the manger is at the crossroads of God’s radical love and my desperate need for redemption. I don’t want to accept that. I want to repair the wrecked parts of my character and the world on my own. If I earn it, I’m entitled to it. If I’m entitled to it, I can set myself apart—relishing in my own smug superiority. The Decatur Daily – Good tidings of great joy And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David) to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. “And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men.” Dothan Eagle – Keep calm In the fall of 1939, a day after Britain’s Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declared war on Germany, the nation created its Ministry of Information to handle press and publicity at home and abroad. Among its tasks was settling a population anxious about Britain’s entry into the Second World War. One of its productions, a red poster featuring a crown and the words “Keep Calm and Carry On,” was part of that initiative, although the placard was not widely deployed. The image emerged 70-odd years later as an icon of popular culture, both in its original form and in various clever reiterations. Its message, however, is one worthy of reconsideration these days, as we’re experiencing an uneasy and dangerous cocktail of political posturing, rancorous debate over guns in America and an unpredictable and ill-defined enemy. The result is a growing fear that’s begun to creep into every corner of hometown America and is destined to foment irrational decisions or, worse, policy. On the political front, candidate Donald Trump’s public appearances have occasionally degenerated into violent mobs. In a Republican debate last week, candidate Chris Christie called President Obama “a feckless weakling,” saying the president has damaged the nation before the world. While competing philosophies on policy issues is a hallmark of representative government, name-calling has no place in the halls of government. Then there’s anxiety here at home. Recently, Geneva County Sheriff Tony Helms joined the growing number of law enforcement officials in urging residents to arm themselves. The Enterprise Ledger – Santa,
