2020 Republican Platform Part 2 (cont): Abortion and Voting

 I know this is a touchy subject. I wanted to start this off by saying that I do NOT like the idea of abortion, quite honestly I put off researching this section for several days because it's not fun reading through all of this stuff. In a perfect world, abortions wouldn't exist because every pregnancy would be wanted and every baby would be perfectly healthy and every mother would have no complications. But here's the thing...we can't legislate our way into that perfect world. Whether I like it or not, abortions happen. People get them all the time. I don't have to agree with their choice for it to be true. And if they aren't legal, that DOES NOT STOP PEOPLE from getting them, they just go about it in unsafe ways that are more likely to result in the death of the mother. It's truly a horrible thing. What I mostly found missing from this section was any sort of suggestion on how to prevent abortions from being necessary in the first place, which we've learned comes from better access to affordable contraceptives, and sex education that actually teaches kids about sex instead of abstinence only programs. Here are some helpful resources about these points. Again, I do not like abortion. I wish they never happened. But I am also realistic and realize that they will happen, whether I like it or not. I do also think that doctors who do not agree morally with the procedure should not be required to perform them. I don't know if that's a thing that happens, but hopefully not. Please read through, skim some of the articles, there are definitely some misconceptions around abortion that I have seen floating around that need to be cleared up and I tried to link relevant information.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2709326/#B4

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/reducing-abortion-rates-policy_n_589b8ea5e4b09bd304bfd920

https://www.guttmacher.org/gpr/2016/03/new-clarity-us-abortion-debate-steep-drop-unintended-pregnancy-driving-recent-abortion

a.       The Fifth Amendment: Protecting Human Life

                                                              i.      Guarantee in the Constitution for right to life extends to the unborn

                                                             ii.      Clarify 14^th Amendment to protect unborn children

                                                           iii.      oppose use of public funds to perform or promote abortion or to fund organizations like Planned Parenthood, so long as they provide or refer for elective abortions or sell fetal body parts rather than provide healthcare

1.       I found these two websites very helpful in separating fact from fiction when it comes to Planned Parenthood

2.       https://www.factcheck.org/2015/07/unspinning-the-planned-parenthood-video/

3.       https://oversight.house.gov/planned-parenthood-fact-v-fiction

 

                                                           iv.      states should make it a crime to acquire, transfer, or sell fetal tissues from elective abortions for research, Congress should ban any sale of fetal body parts

1.       It looks like the current administration is already moving towards this. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/08/new-us-ethics-board-rejects-most-human-fetal-tissue-research-proposals#

2.       Here’s an article that talks about the reasoning behind using fetal tissue in research https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-truth-about-fetal-tissue-research/

 

                                                             v.      Ban practice of misleading women on fetal harvesting consent forms (2015 investigation)

1.       I couldn’t find reliable evidence that this was happening

                                                           vi.      we will not fund or subsidize healthcare that includes abortion coverage

1.       I’m a bit worried about what this means. Does this mean that a woman who needs to get an abortion for life-saving purposes would be on the hook to pay for it? I don’t necessarily think that’s right.

                                                         vii.      Oppose euthanasia and assisted suicide

                                                       viii.      Assist women who face unplanned pregnancy by supporting legislation that requires financial responsibility for the child to be borne by both parents from conception to adulthood.

                                                           ix.      Support funding for adoption assistance

                                                             x.      support the states that have laws requiring informed consent, parental consent, waiting periods, and clinic regulation

                                                           xi.      Condemn Whole Woman’s Health vs hellerstedt

1.       The Court ruled 5–3 that Texas cannot place restrictions on the delivery of abortion services that create an undue burden for women seeking an abortion

                                                         xii.      applaud Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act

1.       Here’s some great information on the controversy surrounding this https://www.factcheck.org/2019/03/the-facts-on-the-born-alive-debate/

2.       2002 Born Alive Infant Protection Act already protects babies that are born alive

                                                        xiii.      oppose infanticide

1.       Moot point, it’s already illegal

                                                        xiv.      Call on Congress to enact legislation prohibiting abortion after 20 weeks

1.       I feel like this is a roundabout way to say we oppose late term abortion. Here’s the thing. When we say “late term abortion” I feel like there are probably a lot of people thinking that this means we are killing babies that could have survived outside the womb. This is NOT happening. Women with full term, healthy babies are not choosing abortion instead of delivery. This interview with a few doctors was really helpful in understanding (seriously do not get at me that it’s CNN and obviously leftist nonsense, just read it see what you think). https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/06/health/late-term-abortion-explainer/index.html

 

                                                         xv.      Against dismemberment abortion procedures

1.       An article explaining this https://www.guttmacher.org/gpr/2017/02/de-abortion-bans-implications-banning-most-common-second-trimester-procedure

                                                        xvi.      call on congress to ban sex-selection abortions and abortions based on disabilities

1.       Not much evidence I could find that sex-selection abortions are happening, but I found lots of support on both sides of the political spectrum for encouraging parents who find out their future child is going to be disabled so that they feel empowered to take care of that child and give it a life. Disability is not a tragedy.

                                                      xvii.      oppose embryonic stem cell research and federal funding for it

                                                    xviii.      Support adult stem cell research, want to restore the national placental stem cell bank

                                                        xix.      call for a ban on human cloning

                                                          xx.      oppose federal funding for harvesting embryos

b.      The Fifth Amendment: Protecting Private Property

                                                              i.      Against the Kelo decision from the Supreme Court

1.       Private property should only be allowed to be taken for true public use

2.       Support Private Property Rights Protection Act

c.       The Fifth Amendment: Intellectual Property Rights

                                                              i.      call for strong action to enforce intellectual property laws against all infringers, whether foreign or domestic

d.      The Ninth Amendment: The People’s Retained Rights

                                                              i.      all powers not delegated to the government are retained by the people

e.       The Tenth Amendment: Federalism as the Foundation of Personal Liberty

                                                              i.      Federal Government has too much power, we need to return that to the states

                                                             ii.      state and local taxpayers should decide for themselves what is best for their communities, instead of having to get grants from the federal government

f.        Honest Elections and the Electoral College

                                                              i.      oppose National Popular Vote Interstate Compact and anything else trying to abolish or change procedures of the Electoral College

                                                             ii.      National Popular Vote is unconstitutional

1.       would guarantee corruption and “every ballot box in every state would offer a chance to steal the presidency”

g.       Honest Elections and the Right to Vote

                                                              i.      pledge to protect voting rights of every citizen

                                                             ii.      support state efforts to ensure ballot access for the elderly, the handicapped, military personnel and all legitimate voters

                                                           iii.      Support legislation to require proof of citizenship when registering to vote, and showing a secure photo ID when voting

1.       I’m opposed to this. If you live here, you should get to vote.  https://www.aclu.org/other/oppose-voter-id-legislation-fact-sheet

2.       https://www.demos.org/research/how-do-proof-citizenship-laws-block-legitimate-voters

 

                                                           iv.      electronic voting systems should have a voter-verified paper audit trail

                                                             v.      every state should join the Interstate Voter Registration Cross Check Program

1.       Unfortunately it looks like this program is really buggy and not very secure. Voter information is easy prey for hackers.

2.       https://indivisible.org/resource/protecting-voting-rights-ending-crosscheck

 

                                                           vi.      troops should be able to vote when stationed overseas

                                                         vii.      citizenship, not residency, should be the basis for apportionment of representatives among the states

2020 Republican Platform Part 2: The Constitution, Marriage, and Guns

 There is a lot more in this section, but since this is where a lot of the meatier issues are, I'm going to break this up a bit. This first section talks about Religious Liberty, Marriage, and Guns. Sections in bold are my commentary.

Part 2 – A Rebirth of Constitutional Government

1.       We The People

a.       Reaffirm Constitution’s principles of limited government, separation of powers, individual liberty, and the rule of law

b.      denounce bigotry, racism, anti-Semitism, ethnic prejudice and religious intolerance

                                                              i.      This is interesting to me, because Trump has definitely shown himself to be bigoted and racist. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/06/trump-racism-comments/588067/

c.       oppose discrimination based on race, sex, religion, creed, disability or national origin

d.      Encourage equality and access to the American Dream for all citizen

e.       Merit and hard work should determine advancement in our society

                                                              i.      I think this is great, and it should be how it works, however, I’ve been learning a lot about systemic racism and how there is a common phrase that black and brown children are raised with that goes like this “You will have to work twice as hard to be thought of as half as good.” This tells me we have a long way to go until we are truly allowing merit and hard work to determine our advancement instead of wealth, skin color, or anything else.

f.        all legislation, regulation, and official actions must conform to the Constitution’s original meaning as understood at the time it was written

g.       A president should enforce laws, honor constitutional limits on executive authority

                                                              i.      Literally just Google “Trump and the Constitution” and you will find DOZENS of articles articulating how he has ignored constitutional limits on executive authority. It’s upsetting.

2.       The Judiciary

a.       Only a Republican president will appoint judges who respect the rule of law

b.      want to reverse activist decisions like Roe v wade, Obergefell, and Obamacare

                                                              i.      These rulings usurped Congress and state’s lawmaking authority and undermined constitutional protections

c.       Judiciary should be the weakest branch

d.      Only Republicans will follow the original meaning of the Constitution

                                                              i.      This seems vague, and rather accusatory. I’m unclear what they truly mean by this.

e.       We should not use foreign laws and precedents to interpret our Constitution or laws

f.        international agreements should always have 2/3 of the Senate approval

3.       Administrative Law

a.       Congress delegates too much legislative authority to executive departments, agencies, and commissions

4.       Defending Marriage Against an Activist Judiciary

a.       Traditional marriage is the foundation of a free society and is the structure that for millennia has been entrusted with rearing children and instilling cultural values

                                                              i.      What evidence do we have that gay marriage is NOT instilling cultural values, aiding in the foundation of a free society, or unable to be entrusted with rearing children? Studies are showing that kids raised with same-sex parents actually…do just fine. https://www.sciencealert.com/children-welfare-gay-and-bisexual-couples-suffer-stigma

                                                             ii.      https://whatweknow.inequality.cornell.edu/topics/lgbt-equality/what-does-the-scholarly-research-say-about-the-wellbeing-of-children-with-gay-or-lesbian-parents/

b.      Condemn US vs Windsor – made it so Congress cannot define marriage policy in federal law

c.       Condemn Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v Hodges

                                                              i.      The states should have been allowed to decide this question, not the Supreme Court

1.       Here’s where I’m at with this – I actually had to read through the Supreme Court decision on this (the arguments for and against and the eventual ruling) for a college class about a year ago. In case you are not familiar, this is the case that legalized same-sex marriage across the US. I came to the conclusion that this possibly was not a decision that the Supreme Court should have made. I think maybe it would have been better if American people could have voted on it. HOWEVER, I also feel like what is done is done, and it’s not cool to go back and reverse it, to take AWAY the marriages of hundreds of couples who were waiting desperately for that decision. I understand this is a touchy subject for many religious people, but here’s my take. Since same-sex marriage was officially legalized across the US, I have not felt like the legitimacy of my heterosexual marriage has gone down one iota. I do not feel like my marriage is threatened. I am not suddenly confused about what marriage means. If you want to go on believing that God defined marriage as between a man and a woman and nothing else, that’s fine. No one is going to stop you. I believe that God has sanctified that union as well. There was an argument made that we can’t change a definition that God set. Ok, how is that separating church and state? We’re going to define marriage for an entire country based on what religion says it is? That doesn’t seem right to me. Religion can continue to define marriage however they want. I personally don’t see the collapse of society that everyone said would happen if we dared to redefine marriage. And if you’re feeling super fired up about this and want to rip me to shreds, don’t. I would have been right in the ring with you just a few years ago, but then I started LISTENING to LGBT folk and their stories changed my heart. I highly recommend the Listen, Learn, and Love podcast for any of my LDS friends who want to gain more understanding around the subject.

5.       The First Amendment: Religious Liberty

a.       against the attempts to force individuals, business, and institutions of faith to transgress their beliefs

b.      charitable religious institutions are losing their ability to receive government grants

c.       churches are worried about losing tax exempt status

d.      Religious colleges and universities are threatened with fines and government is trying to control their personnel decisions

e.       want to repeal Johnson Amendment

                                                              i.      https://independentsector.org/policy/policy-issues/johnson-amendment/

                                                             ii.      “The Johnson Amendment, passed in 1954, prohibits all 501(c)(3) organizations, including houses of worship, from endorsing political candidates. It has been instrumental in establishing the nonprofit charitable sector as one of the only platforms of nonpartisan civic engagement in the United States.”

                                                           iii.      I don’t see this as a bad thing…I don’t think it should be repealed.

f.        pledge to defend religious beliefs and rights of ALL Americans

                                                              i.      Does that include Islam? I feel like most of the Islamophobia I see online comes from die-hard Republicans.

g.       Endorse First Amendment Defense Act

                                                              i.      bars government discrimination against individuals and businesses for acting on the belief that marriage is the union of one man and one woman

                                                             ii.      protects the non-profit tax status of faith-based adoption agencies, accreditation of religious schools, grants and contracts of faith-based charities and small businesses, and licensing of religious professions

                                                           iii.      government should not use subsequent amendments to limit First Amendment rights

                                                           iv.      support the freedom of Americans to act in accordance with their religious beliefs in their daily lives, not just in private

                                                             v.      people have the right to conduct their businesses in accordance with their religious beliefs

                                                           vi.      Support the public display of the Ten Commandments

                                                         vii.      religious students have the right to engage in voluntary prayer at public school events

                                                       viii.      support religious, private, service and youth organizations in setting their own membership standards.

1.       I feel like this section has a lot of stuff that sounds good but probably also encourages continued discrimination and bigotry. On the other hand, I do feel like a person should be allowed to run a business according to their religious beliefs (if I owned a restaurant, I wouldn’t want anyone forcing me to serve alcohol). I think this is a tricky area to navigate.

h.      The First Amendment: Constitutionally Protected Speech

                                                              i.      No limits on political speech

                                                             ii.      should not require private organizations to publicly disclose their donors to the government

                                                           iii.      support repeal of federal restrictions on political parties in McCain-Feingold

                                                           iv.      call for an end to the “fairness Doctrine”

1.       ensures that both sides get represented on broadcast media. I don’t really get why we would want to end this, but it’s not an issue I care to deeply investigate right now, feel free to educate me.

                                                             v.      forced funding of political candidates through union dues and other mandatory contributions violates the First Amendment

i.        The Second Amendment: Our Right to Keep and Bear Arms

                                                              i.      a natural inalienable right

                                                             ii.      self-defense is a God-given right and lawful gun ownership enables us to exercise that right

                                                           iii.      support firearm reciprocity legislation to recognize the right of law-abiding Americans to carry firearms to protect themselves and their families in all 50 states

                                                           iv.      support constitutional carry statues

                                                             v.      oppose laws that would restrict magazine capacity or ban the sale of the most popular and common modern rifle (I’m assuming he means “aussalt weapons”)

                                                           vi.      Condemn lawsuits against gun manufacturers and the harassment of firearm dealers

                                                         vii.      oppose federal licensing or registration of law-abiding gun owners, registration of ammunition and restoration of any gun bans.

                                                       viii.      call for an investigation of the “Fast and Furious” operation perpetrated by DOJ officials which allowed illegal sales of guns to known violent criminals.

1.       Looks like this is over with https://www.cnn.com/2013/08/27/world/americas/operation-fast-and-furious-fast-facts/index.html

2.       Ok, this is a big one I know for many Republicans. We are a gun-owning family as well. What I found lacking in this section of the platform was any recognition that gun violence is a problem that we should do something about. It very much seems to be – just let everyone keep their guns, don’t change a thing, this is America. And I feel like there is SOMETHING that we should be doing about gun violence. I do NOT think that our country should (or even CAN) completely ban guns, but I’m sure there’s something that can be done. The problem is, both sides need to work together. The people who are going to be best able to figure out a good solution are going to be the people who actually KNOW something about guns. I feel like the people who are most vocal about banning guns are also the ones who know the least about them. For example, do you know what the letters in “AR-15” stand for? Did you think it was “Assault Rifle?” It’s not. It stands for “ArmaLite Rifle.” It’s literally just the name of the gun. Also, fully automatic weapons (or assault rifles, where you hold your finger on the trigger and the gun keeps shooting) are already illegal, and “assault weapons” are just referring to the way a gun LOOKS, not what it can actually DO. https://www.nssf.org/msr/

j.       The Fourth Amendment: Liberty and Privacy

                                                              i.      call for limitations on the use of aerial surveillance, with the exception of border patrol

                                                             ii.      oppose attempts by government to require surveillance devices in our daily lives, including tracking devices in motor vehicles

                                                           iii.      figure out how to help Americans retain rights to communicate with each other free from government intrusion, but also allow the government to access encrypted information when it needs to.

                                                           iv.      Repeal Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FACTA) and Foreign Bank and Asset Reporting Requirements

1.       there is a requirement that banks have to provide detailed info to the IRS about American account holders outside the US.