« Quickie: Huckabee’s new Chuck Norris Ad | Main | A Muslim in Mitt Romney’s Cabinet? »
Is Mike Huckabee Right On Abortion?
By Bill | November 19, 2007 | Email This Post
Mike Huckabee makes no secret of the fact that he is an abortion foe. His web site comes right out and says: “I support and have always supported passage of a constitutional amendment to protect the right to life. My convictions regarding the sanctity of life have always been clear and consistent, without equivocation or wavering. I believe that Roe v. Wade should be over-turned.” Those beliefs don’t make him much different than a number of other Republican candidates, whether or not they’re quite so honest about their position as is Huckabee.
Recently, though, Huckabee added a new dimension to the debate by saying that he believes the abortion question is not a states rights issue - a position opposite that taken by a number of his rivals in the Republican party. As I discussed in a previous post, some of those other candidates (Ron Paul among them) seem to hold that philosophy because it’s a natural outgrowth of their consistent states’ rights beliefs; others (Mitt Romney, for one) seem to endorse the position because it’s an expedient means to an end, with Romney basically saying that he’s all for a law restricting abortion, but since one isn’t likely to be passed he would like to see the issue decided on a state by state basis.
Huckabee’s point is that abortion doesn’t leave a lot of middle ground; it’s either right or wrong, in his view. And if it’s wrong, as Huckabee believes, are not Romney and those with him failing in their moral duty to carry the fight to its ultimate conclusion simply because it makes their candidacy less tenable? (Not that Huckabee has said such a thing about Romney, other than by logical extension of his argument.)
I think Huckabee is correct, regardless of whether or not one agrees with his underlying belief that abortion is wrong. The point could not be more simple: if one believes abortion is a woman’s right, one ought to uphold that right for women everywhere; if one believes it is murder, one cannot allow some states to slaughter their unborn while permitting it in others.
Romney, should he choose to do so, might attempt to defend his position by saying that half a loaf is better than none - that by adopting a states rights position that the Republican party might succeed in preventing a certain number of abortions, but if they push for an all-or-nothing solution they will fail altogether. The issuance of such a statement is unlikely for several reasons: 1) it would call attention to Romney’s rather inconsistent position on the issue over the years; 2) it would entail an admission that the anti-abortion stance is not likely to be well-received by the majority of Americans; and 3) that the logic doesn’t work; should there be a hodge-podge of laws across the nation, women seeking the services of an abortionist will simply go where it’s legal (bringing an ugly new dimension to the “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” advertising slogan.)
In the end, though, the simple truth of the matter may be that Huckabee can afford to take the morally consistent position while Romney cannot. Huckabee’s power base is the religious right, and his staunch anti-abortion stance only serves to further cement their support of him. Romney is trying to walk a much finer line, trying to placate social conservatives while reaching out to more liberal voters. As such, Romney must let everyone think he is someone they can live with on the abortion question, which necessitates taking a less stringent approach.
Finally, I think Huckabee’s position isn’t a mere matter of political calculus; my sense is that he genuinely believes abortion is sin. Does Romney believe as deeply in his position? You be the judge.
Topics: Abortion, Mike Huckabee |
November 27th, 2007 at 2:28 pm
Make it illegal everywhere…then we’ll kill off those slutty, sinning abortion-seeking women too through botched up, back-alley jobs. Two birds with one stone……
January 7th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
So, demsupporter, should we make assassination legal too, so that those pesky suicide bombers will just use a rifle like civilized people instead of taking themselves out? You completely ignored the argument and went for sarcasm. I don’t blame you since you obviously have nothing intelligent to say.