I

 try to stay away from political discussions, but with less than a month remaining before the 2024 Presidential election, I feel compelled to speak out, knowing full well my small voice will only reach a handful of readers, most of whom share my ability (or lack thereof) to effect any changes in the outcome, and some within that handful may not even agree with me anyway. I pray my fears for this nation are all unfounded, but at this point it appears the conservative Republican Party is shooting itself in the foot, and not only will the resulting wound hurt them more than they will ever know, but it will hurt our nation even more. The bullet is their sparsely-worded stance on abortion, combined with overly-conservative, wealthy religious influencers who have been shaping the direction of Texas politics.

     Please don’t get me wrong. I am a “Pro-Life” advocate, but I also believe the Bible presents exceptions. I fully address my position on the abortion issue in a PowerPoint presentation I just put together titled "The Abortion Cover-Up Exposed." There is much that needs to be said in defense of saving the lives of unborn babies, but the Republican Party Platform is largely silent, which leads Pro-Choice voters to believe the strict, “no-exceptions” abortion restriction claims touted by their opponents will be implemented—if Donald Trump is elected President. The ads are relentless, yet misleading, but the Republicans’ response to date has been frail and ineffective.

     Frankly, I believe the Republican needle somehow, some way, needs to be moved to the same position held by Presidents John F. Kennedy and Jimmy Carter. As I will demonstrate, Jimmy Carter was opposed to abortion, except in cases of rape, incest and in cases where the mother’s life was in danger. Yes, I am persuaded the Bible upholds Jimmy Carter’s position. But, to their impending demise, the Republican Party won’t go there, at least not fervently and certainly not with urgency. The abortion issue, for Democrats, is front and center. For Republicans, it’s more like the proverbial elephant in the room.

     Stephanie K. Pell of the Brookings Institute, in a September 19, 2024 op ed, wrote that abortion is a top issue in the 2024 election, and she’s right. However, the word “abortion” only appears once in the Republican Platform, and then only to state that they are opposed to late-term abortions. In Donald Trump’s only debate with Kamala Harris, he had a unique opportunity to double-down on his position, reinforcing a position that is held by many Republicans—that there must be exceptions in cases of rape, incest and the life of the mother. Yes, he stated,

 

 

Now, I believe in the exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother. I believe strongly in it. Ronald Reagan did also. 85% of Republicans do. Exceptions. Very important.

 

     I wholeheartedly agree with Trump’s remark. But the above comment was soon lost in a sea of Kamala Harris’ commentary in which she correctly expressed her concerns about women experiencing life-threatening complications, yet not being able to obtain an abortion. That has already happened here in Texas, as well as a 2023 case in Oklahoma with a woman who had a molar pregnancy. Never mind the fact that an abortion in her situation would have been legal, the fact that there was so much confusion within the medical sector as to whether or not it would have been legal resulted in her eventually being sent to Kansas for the abortion. That should never have happened!

     Sadly, Donald Trump didn’t have an answer to Harris’ claim, and that is where I feel he lost the debate, at least in the minds of undecided voters. I say this because I am persuaded that abortion is not just “a top issue”—it’s the main issue.  I think many Americans can look around and see how the economy has for the most part tanked under the Biden administration. The cost of groceries keeps going up, and only the well-to-do can afford to eat out these days. As an example, only a few weeks ago, we received a flyer in the mail full of coupons for eating at Burger King. A few days ago, we received the same flyer, but the prices for each item had increased by 50 cents. That’s just a recent example—I haven’t checked to see what their prices were a year ago, much less two years ago. Democratic candidates seem to ignore the rising prices, all the while bizarrely touting what they believe is a strong economy. Well, it’s not, but from what I can see, voters’ focus is not so much on the economy, not so much on border security, not so much on education, etc., etc.  It’s on the issue of abortion.

     So yes, Donald Trump, in his debate with Kamala Harris, really needed to double down on his conviction that there must be exceptions in cases of rape, incest and saving the life of the mother. Yes, he stated his position correctly, but it was lost in Harris’ rebuttal, and he didn’t go there again.  What made his failure to double down so hard for me to take is the fact that it was so unlike him. Trump is big on by-passing moderators’ questions in order to double-down on necessary points or to respond to opponents’ unfounded claims. But not only did he allow Harris’ claim about women with miscarriages bleeding out in hospital parking lots go unchallenged, but he refused to directly answer the question as to whether or not he would veto an abortion ban. I thought it was the Democrats who evade questions, so his evasiveness on this topic, in my opinion, put Trump on equal footing with evasive Democrats, and that is where and how he lost the debate. Even more costly, I now officially predict he will lose the election. I hope I'm mistaken!

     In his debate with Tim Walz, J. D. Vance really didn't say anything to enhance the Republican stance. He stated, "My party, we've gotta do so much so much better of a job at earning the American peoples' trust back on this issue, where they frankly just don't trust us, and I think that's one of the things that Donald Trump and I are endeavoring to do." I understand Vance wants the American peoples' trust, but he really needed to eloquently explain the Republicans' actual position, while citing Democratic Presidents Kennedy and Carter. And inquiring minds want to know exactly how Trump and Vance are endeavoring to gain the trust of undecided voters. He did not elaborate. So yeah, Vance fell short.

     Sadly, I think some Republicans’ overly-conservative stance on abortion can be traced right here to Texas. Two ultra-conservative billionaires in West Texas contribute millions of dollars to their political candidates of choice, with checks in the amount of $100,000 being handed out on the spot. Naturally, those candidates are expected to pander to the billionaires' beliefs on such issues as education and abortion. One of the billionaires is the leader of an assembly called Assembly of Yahweh. On their website, one of this assembly's “Core Beliefs” states that abortion is a serious crime, even in cases of rape or incest: 

     So if a woman is raped, becomes pregnant, and is granted an abortion, the above assembly presents such an act as a “serious crime.” I cannot support such a hard-line stance, and I am persuaded that neither does Yahweh’s Word. I fully address this concern in my PowerPoint presentation.

     I am obviously not a woman, but I am glad to say I was raised in an environment in which I was taught to not touch or hit any person against his or her will, and things were even more serious if I did such a thing to a female. The best I can do as a male is try to put myself in the place of a female who is raped. THAT is the “serious crime”!! I can only imagine the horror of being helplessly subjected to such a despicable act. But to then be required to endure the resulting pregnancy and give birth is just beyond my comprehension. At the risk of being misunderstood, I need to emphasize that I fully recognize a developing fetus is a living being—it’s an innocent life that didn’t ask to be created. To have it aborted means killing an unborn baby. Before requesting such a procedure, I would highly recommend prayer and counseling. If, after all that and other contingencies have been weighed, the woman ultimately decides she wants an abortion, I consider her innocent of any crime.  But the rapist must be apprehended and severely punished for his crime!  Any charges of “murder” must be applied to him, not the victim!

     In view of the fact that wealthy, ultra-conservative Texans who oppose abortions, even in cases of rape and incest, have been funding politicians who align with their stance on abortion, is it a coincidence that current Texas law, as interpreted by mainstream media, prohibits abortions, even in cases of rape and incest?  Here’s a quote from the August 10, 2022 issue of the non-partisan, independent media source The Texas Tribune:

Under current Texas law, abortion is prohibited even in cases of rape or incest. 

     In all fairness, the above is not 100% correct because the 2021 Texas Heartbeat Act, Senate Bill 8 (SB 8), bans abortion after the detection of embryonic or fetal cardiac activity, which normally occurs after about six weeks of pregnancy. Thus, if a woman reports having been raped prior to her sixth week of pregnancy, she can lawfully obtain an abortion in Texas. The Texas Tribune, then, does not truly represent the Texas Heartbeat Act. Nevertheless, any concerns about hyper-conservative, wealthy Texans' belief that she has thus committed a “serious crime” would be the least of her worries. That’s because, under the terms of the Texas Heartbeat Act, anyone performing an illegal abortion may be subject to lawsuits incurring a minimum of $10,000 in statutory damages per abortion, plus court costs and attorneys’ fees. Medical practitioners’ concerns and fears about potential lawsuits are already impeding women's ability to obtain an abortion, even if it’s completely legal.

    The incorrect interpretation of the Texas Heartbeat Act has not only led to false reports perpetrated by the biased media, but Pro-Choice political candidates are seizing on this misinformation to sponsor adversarial attack ads. Here's one that's "approved" by candidate Colin Allred in his race against Senator Ted Cruz:

  

     If you look closely at the attack ad on the left, they list their source of information as the June 9, 2022 edition of The New York Times. I tried accessing the full article, but since they require a subscription that I'm not willing to pay, I was only able to read the headline.  That headline, in and of itself, proves the deceptive, disingenuous nature of the attack ad. The actual headline reads, "The New Abortion Bans: Almost No Exceptions for Rape, Incest or Health." But Colin Allred cunningly and deceptively omitted the word "Almost" from the headline:

     There's a huge difference between "NO EXCEPTIONS" and "ALMOST NO EXCEPTIONS"!  With the one, there are absolutely no exceptions; with the other, there are exceptions! Gullible, uninformed voters, to their shame, believe the media and they believe the attack ads. Since voters will determine the outcome of the 2024 election, if the false media reports are successful, that outcome will be based on a lie. Such is the game of dirty politics, and Democrat Colin Allred plays it well. It would be helpful if Republicans fought back, but with the election so near and early voting already underway in some states, it appears Republicans are throwing in the towel. Is it because their wealthy megadonors actually support what Democrats claim about Republican intentions?

     Even the media giant New York Times presented its own extreme bias with their headline. They could have correctly worded it: "The New Abortion Bans Include Exceptions for Rape, Incest or Health."  That would have been quite true! But no, they want to make the abortion restrictions appear as sinister and harmful as possible. And just how do they define "Almost"? I mean, Yahweh forbid that a woman is raped, but if she is, and she reports it within five weeks, she certainly has the right to an abortion. The same with incest. The same if her health is at risk. So how and where does "almost" fit into this picture? Answer: It doesn't. It's a subliminal tactic designed to make the new abortion restrictions appear as sinister as possible, and the deceptive headline gave Democrat Colin Allred incentive to further demonize the restrictions by making it appear as though there are absolutely no exceptions. Again, this is a big lie. I would say Allred's approach goes beyond "dirty politics"–it's evil politics.

     As the grandfather of two young girls, I want them to grow in a healthy, loving environment, safe from all harm, and I want them to eventually marry loving husbands and raise their children in healthy loving environments. All grandparents want that for their children, right?  Nevertheless, I also know bad things can and do happen to decent people, and sadly, that can include rape.  Yahweh forbid that such a thing should ever happen again to anyone, but as a grandparent, I selfishly make that a prayer for my grandchildren.  I ask Him to please guard and protect them from all harm. Nevertheless, if such a horrible thing should ever happen to one of my granddaughters, I would want them to be granted instant medical attention, as well as the freedom to request an abortion. Yes, I would expect them to pray about such a decision, and I would hope for them to undergo required counseling beforehand and even afterwards. I concede it shouldn’t be a quick and easy decision, but it should be theirs to make, and they shouldn’t have to leave the state to have it done. Nor should they have to seek out a medical facility after having been turned down by others.  Finally, if parents or guardians of a minor requesting an abortion sign the necessary authorization paperwork, there should be no concerns about lawsuits.

     John F. Kennedy is arguably our nation’s most famous Democrat. In his book The Strategy of Peace, he wrote, “Now, on the question of limiting population:  as you know the Japanese have been doing it very vigorously, through abortion, which I think would be repugnant to all Americans.”  I agree with Kennedy’s statement. I’m well aware of reports that he may have secretly paid for mistresses’ abortions, which if true, is truly sad, but nevertheless, in his statement, he exhibited understanding of the correct moral code. Hypocrisy does not constitute approval of incorrect behavior. I remember the days when abortion truly was repugnant to Americans–at least the ones I observed and associated with during my childhood days.

     Our nation’s 39^th President was another Democrat, President Jimmy Carter. He’s the last Democrat I ever voted for, and frankly, his stance on the abortion issue mirrors that of my own. Here’s what he said during a 2012 interview with radio talk show host Laura Ingraham:

I never have believed that Jesus Christ would approve of abortions and that was one of the problems I had when I was president having to uphold Roe v. Wade and I did everything I could to minimize the need for abortions. I made it easy to adopt children for instance who were unwanted and also initiated the program called Women and Infant Children or WIC program that’s still in existence now. But except for the times when a mother’s life is in danger or when a pregnancy is caused by rape or incest I would certainly not or never have approved of any abortions.

I’ve signed a public letter calling for the Democratic Party at the next convention to espouse my position on abortion, which is to minimize the need, requirement for abortion and limit it only to women whose lives are in danger or who are pregnant as a result of rape or incest. I think if the Democratic Party would adopt that policy that would be acceptable to a lot of people who are now estranged from our party because of the abortion issue.

    

     Sadly, today's Democratic Party does not espouse Jimmy Carter’s expressed position on abortion. The Republican Party does, but they have failed to establish a clear goal of appeasing the concerns of women who have been raped or whose lives are in danger. This failure, in my opinion, will likely cost them the election in November. I hope I'm mistaken!

     In essence, I’m concerned the ultra-conservative billionaires' efforts to force their unscriptural abortion restrictions on all women is not only going to backfire, I’m concerned it will lead to no-limits, no-restrictions abortions in a nation already suffering from deteriorating morals.

 

NOVEMBER 6, 2024 EDIT

     I do not usually like to admit I was wrong; no one does. This year's election is an exception. I stand by the principles presented in this October newsletter, but it's obvious I'm not a prophet, as I had outright predicted that the pro-life candidates would lose this year's election. I still disagree with their evasive strategy with regard to the abortion issue, but I'm sooooo glad it didn't impact the outcome of the election. Glad I was wrong!!