The Tea Party... Again

One of the things that's really struck me about the Tea Party in the past month is their stance on abortion. In the past, abortion has not generally been the factor that comes to the forefront of a race, and I've noticed that more and more lately, Democrats and Republicans seem to take a similar stance: that abortion is okay under certain circumstances, or that they just don't want to touch Roe v. Wade at all. Mostly, it doesn't come up, because things like the Iraq war, the economy, the job market, all take precedent and social issues like abortion and gay marriage seem to take a backseat. (Not that they necessarily should).

But the Tea Party is bringing out the pro-life guns, and anticipating shooting down several pro-choice Republicans. (Whether this happens remains to be seen; I write this blog entry the night before election day). Of course, abortion isn't the main issue that the Tea Party is running on, but their (rather vocal) stance on it definitely speaks to their extreme conservatism. And I'd have to say, I feel like I've heard more about abortion from them than I have from the Democrats or the Republicans in past elections.

An article in the Washington Examiner discusses how Tea Party candidates beat out several high profile Republicans in the primaries this spring--Republicans who were pro-choice. While the defeats weren't only about abortion, I've heard this tune before: that the pro-choice stance of these republicans was most certainly a factor in their defeat.

The Examiner reports that on the other side, the Democrats seem to be getting a lot of money from pro-choice groups who likely feel threatened by this new lineup of candidates. This article, by a pro-life website, reported that even Planned Parenthood was caught off-guard, and then worried, by the growing popularity of the Tea Party and its candidates. The Democrats have noted the extreme social stances of Tea Party candidates, and have in some instances used these views to push the candidates "off-message" (of their original platform of frustration with "Obamacare" and the recession) says this article at The Associated Press.

According to the same article, some Tea Party members have backed off from their original extreme viewpoints. One, Ken Buck of Denver, "endorsed a state constitutional amendment that would give fetuses constitutional rights, then withdrew his support after doctors and lawyers pointed out it would also ban some types of fertility treatments and emergency contraception." The same article highlights some distressing views that these candidates have not just on abortion, but about gay marriage and civil rights.

Sharron Angle, one of the Tea Party's candidates, expressed her views opposing abortion even in the face of rape or incest, stating that "God has a plan." Click here to listen. She also said in another interview that if a 13 year old girl was raped by her father, that girl should be counseled to have the baby. Christine O'Donnell stated that she only supports abortion if the "life, not health" of the mother is in danger. So basically even if your health is at risk, you should still have the baby, because you're not going to die from it.

It seems to me that these views are giving more rights to the fetus than to the woman, and I still can't get away from the impression that they are trying to tell women what they can and cannot do with their bodies.

--Alexandra