If you believe that life begins at conception it would be difficult to have anything to do with any party that felt abortion was okay in any way.

Abortion is wrong except in the case of rape or incest, BUT it should not be in the forefront of every darn political discussion.
It will be turned back incrementally, quietly when we win back majorities. To do that, it needs to be a behind the scenes issue so that we CAN WIN back the majority and make it happen.

The MURDER of an unborn baby is WRONG and the "how" it got "there" should not be an issue...

I am pro-life and pro-tea party, but the Republicans had better teach its candidates how to steer the RAT-infested media questions away from stuff like letting the RATS and their media whores paint Republicans as "pro-rape" as they did Akin and Mourdock and "anti-contraception" as Georgie Porgie ABC News Pudding and Pie started in the phony "War on Women" during the GOP primary.

Maybe Mr. Newt can do a few "How to stuff it in the media´s faces" breakout sessions at various candidate recruitment seminars.

Our religious Republican friends mean well but are very wrong in making slavery a political one. The decision to acquire captive human labor is a very personal and emotional one that must exclusively be preserved between a cotton farmer, his God, and his family. Under the precepts of Constitutional freedom, that personal decision must not be dictated by jackboot government.

Ditto´s #5 and well played...

Thank you, #5. You articulated this far more eloquently than I.

It took, what, 100 years for slavery to be abolished in the U.S.?
And abortion is the ultimate slavery; total control over the life, I mean death, of someone else.

Pro-life columnist Alicia Colon explained the best way for pro-life candidates to deal with this. Her column was posted on L-Dot yesterday. Her piece is worth a read if you haven´t seen it.

#1 and #2 perfectly summarize the dilemma of politcizing the abortion issue: it´s a baby at conception except for rape or incest when it´s OK to kill that kind of baby. But if the abortion happens naturally, it´s OK to just flush it down the toilet becase it wasn´t a baby after all; no death certificate required- or funeral service.

Even though the vast majoriy of women oppose governmental restrictions on their reproductive choices, as verified in election after election, those who believe as #1 and #2 do, want to keep this women´s-vote-killing political issue as a Republican plank.

Abortion is a religious issue, not a political one. Republicans who do not understand that will continue to lose again and again.

I am willing to lose again and again and again until the life of the unborn is recognized as God´s child and therefor worth saving. I am not ashamed to demand my politician take a stand for God´s children.

We need to extend the Woman´s Right to Choose so that after the baby, I mean foetus, is born, she can still choose to terminate, I mean murder it.
It is a Woman´s Right, so if she wants to go see Jay Z and Beyonce, she can simply strangle the kid and stuff it in a dumpster and go.
It´s Her Right to Choose, after all.
And it is so wrong of us troglodyte types to bring it up, ´specially ´round ´lection time. That would scare the Moderates into voting for the commys again. That is the real problem. That and the fact we need to suck up to the Hispanics (s/0)

IMHO, in regards to rape and incest; To me-ME- a baby is the product of love, however fleeting. A child conceived in hate is a constant reminder to the mother that the traditional bonds between mother and child do not exist. While I find it repugnant, I would not blame a woman at all for NOT wanting to hold onto a tangible reminder of what she suffered.
That said, I also see no reason to punish the baby and if it were possible I would love to see that child adopted by a family that wants him/her.

#5, superb post.

The unborn are the most vulnerable members of society. And society has an eminent interest in their survival and well being. How can any civilized culture think otherwise??

About 50% call themselves pro-life and 50% call themselves pro-choice.

But I bet 50% of the pro-lifers don´t want to make abortion a crime and send women to prison for having one (no, you can´t imprison the abortionist and not the woman).

No government funding? Fine. But as soon as it is outlawed it will backfire because there will be an incredible backlash.

If the GOP is serious about abortion, then they should be talking secession, because it´s legal in the US and that isn´t going to change. There´s no way you can compromise on this, the abortionists will not accept "rape and incest" exceptions. They want convenience abortions without restriction, and they want taxpayers to be forced to fund it. Nothing will be accomplished by compromise, the GOP will not get a single additional vote from it. The GOP has better find something pretty soon on which to take a principled and uncompromising stand, otherwise get rid of them.

Are we allowed to talk about partial birth abortion?

Of course it´s a political issue; Roe vs Wade (politics) made it so! Most important, the babies are God´s gifts; more so, partial birth abortions are hideous!! Rev. Graham is right, we have abandoned God.

If liberals want to abort their own brats before they can vote or breed, who am I to stand in their way?

If you want to espouse democrat positions then go join the democrat party. I´ll keep my value structure. I spent a lot of years and a great deal of thought about who I am and don´t intend to change to please some GOP fop!

I´d much rather lose an election than my soul!

Abortion is not just a religious issue; it is also a moral and ethical issue. And it is also a political issue. I think Roe v Wade should be overturned and the issue turned back to the states. Let the people decide if third trimester abortions should be allowed. I think you will find a lot of non-religious people who think they should not be.

#11 is willing to lose " again and again"...
I am not.

The issue is a 14th Amendment problem, equal treatment under the law, which makes it a political issue. Cutting fingernails is not an emotional issue that influences elections, which implies the "its my body" argument is leaving out a lot of facts and insights. Baby boomers should consider that they are getting to that expensive time of life with old age medical bills. Standing up against killing the inconvenient intersects with death panels and Obamacare.

It´s time to form The JCC, JudaoChristian Coalition & lobby for minority status.

As a minority, we can be protected by the same laws & programs that are offered to blacks & Islamo´s. We can join hands with whomever is under attack... ie., like the Catholic Church is right now.

And if the Republican party wants to include us, they better have our values & the constitution as their only platform.

If social conservatives would rather live in an authoritarian socialist America than in a free-market America that allows abortion, then that´s just what they´ll get.

Can Republicans win without "social conservatives?" Romney probably lost a lot a votes by not doing more of an outreach to evangelicals/"values" voters.

"I am willing to lose again and again and again"

Well, that´s good, because that´s exactly what will continue to happen.

As usual, rockefeller republican is presented to voters, gets embarrassed, and conservatives get the blame.