Election Day, One Final Consideration

I have cast my ballot and made my decisions; however, I can't ignore one of the comments left on my last post.

The comment referred to an argument against the Republican party and their views on abortion. The cited article, from the Fargo Forum, entitled "Republicans Pro-birth, Not Pro-life," makes the case that, while the Republican party is viciously pro-life, once birth happens life is very much taken for granted. The author puts it this way:

Looking at the abortion issue through the actions of Republican lawmakers, one must change the term “pro-life” to “pro-birth.” They want to make sure a fetus makes it from the womb to the delivery room, but beyond that, they generally walk away.

If you believe life begins at conception, you must believe it does not cease at birth. Nor does a child cease to exist at age 3, 10 or 17. All too frequently, a child born into poverty – an almost certain circumstance for single mothers – is ignored, vilified, even despised by those who sought that baby’s full-term birth.

Indeed this is an issue. Personally I do not necessarily feel that it is the role of the government to make sure life is always cherished, but I do think it is a direct result of a failure within conservative Christianity, which--as much as I hate to admit it--is represented imperfectly by the Republican party.

There is a theological argument that needs to be explored here. Jesus says a lot about the rich and the poor. Jesus also did not look to government to fix that problem. As Christians we need to be following that example and acting on behalf of the unborn and on the behalf of the poverty stricken.

While I do not entirely agree that this is the reason we should not vote in favor of the Republican party, I do think the argument could be used to support a third party vote.

My final thought is that abortion, unfortunate as it is, has become a government issue. It must be fought on a legislative or judicial level; a level on which our individual vote matters. Poverty needs to be fought on a community level, with our churches leading the way; a level on which our individual action matters. That thought is why I would not let this particular argument, valid as it is, sway my vote.