DENNIS DURBAND

A Question for Armchair Political Quarterbacks

July 25, 2004

Okay, you political armchair quarterbacks, which political organization has just issued an edict that its members refrain from taking a stand, one way or the other, on the topic of abortion? Is it …

The Constitution Party?

The Democratic Party?

The Green Party?

The Libertarian Party?

The Republican Party?

Got an answer? Spit it out. I’ll venture to say that 99 percent of you came up with the wrong answer. The envelope please …

The correct answer is … the Republican Party. No, not the official party leadership, but the National Federation of Republican Women, which is a pretty significant organization. Here’s the word from Dot Greener, rookie president of the Arizona Federation of Republican Women, in her words, in the president’s message in their summer newsletter:

"Worthy of more than mention was the passage of Standing Rules at the March NFRW (National Federation of Republican Women) meeting in Washington, D.C. Rule Eleven stated that the NFRW and its affiliate clubs shall not take a stand on abortion. That means that all Federated State Clubs, including AFRW, shall so refrain ... and, that all of you as Federated Clubs under AFRW shall also refrain on this issue. Additionally, I would like to mention that when this issue was presented for passage, there was not one word of discussion/dissent. Passage was unanimous. Remember, there is "Strength Through Unity."

Does Greener sound giddy about this, or is that just my imagination? She comes through as thrilled with this development. No shrinking violet on the sanctity of life, I have several points to make in response to the Federation. Let’s run through them:

1. The Federation -- it may more aptly be described as a “Confederacy” -- is clearly breaking away from the most basic of principles held dear by the GOP. The Republican National Committee states the following in its pro-life platform:

"As a country, we must keep our pledge to the first guarantee of the Declaration of Independence. That is why we say the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and we endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment's protections apply to unborn children. Our purpose is to have legislative and judicial protection of that right against those who perform abortions. We oppose using public revenues for abortion and will not fund organizations which advocate it. We support the appointment of judges who respect traditional family values and the sanctity of innocent human life.

Our goal is to ensure that women with problem pregnancies have the kind of support, material and otherwise, they need for themselves and for their babies, not to be punitive towards those for whose difficult situation we have only compassion. We oppose abortion, but our pro-life agenda does not include punitive action against women who have an abortion. We salute those who provide alternatives to abortion and offer adoption services, and we commend congressional Republicans for expanding assistance to adopting families and for removing racial barriers to adoption. The impact of those measures and of our Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 has been spectacular. Adoptions out of foster care have jumped forty percent and the incidence of child abuse and neglect has actually declined."

2. The “Strength Through Unity” myth: Strength by coercion and intimidation is more like it. Among the members of Arizona’s 36 AFRW chapters are many solid platform members who are loyal to the party and its pro-life platform. By studying the language of the “Confederacy,” it appears that it is fostering a climate in which free speech is discouraged rather than welcomed. The organization is perpetuating a corporate climate of closed communication. Either everyone in attendance at that national meeting agreed with the edict, or some were afraid to speak out against it.

3. If a political organization is not willing to take a stand on abortion, it is accepting abortion. This goes as a victory to those who advocate a culture of death, to those who are not willing to speak up in defense of the pre-born. Planned Parenthood is no doubt claiming this edict as a major victory. Also, this edict runs interference for pro-death Republican candidates for office, such as legislators Carolyn Allen, Marian McClure, Michele Reagan and Toni Hellon. Any members speaking against them is speaking against the Confederacy.

4. How can the Confederacy empower Republican women by dictating to them in such condescending, autocratic ways, knowing full well that pro-life women belong to their chapters? This edict does not solve the controversy of abortion, but merely shoves it under the carpet, where anger will simmer and eat at the organization’s fabric.

5. AFRW says it supports "the objectives and policies of the Republican State Committee and works for the election of Republican nominees." In reality, many AFRW members worked for the election of Democrat Janet Napolitano in the 2002 governor's election. They cheered when she won, at the expense of pro-life Republican Matt Salmon. Did you catch that? These confederates cheered when a Democrat won the state's highest office. The Federation's website includes a link to Gov. Napolitano's website. Now another key question: has the Republican State Committee disavowed the Republican National Committee’s pro-life platform?

6. AFRW claims its mission is to "foster loyalty to the Republican Party and promote its ideals." In reality, the Federation picks and chooses which GOP ideals it will promote. Tragically, the sanctity of life is not one of them. Which of the hallowed GOP planks will be next to fall victim to the axe of the Confederacy’s “grim reaper?”

7. Renegade leadership: When one examines the leadership lists of the federal and state levels of the Confederation, a pro-abortion sentiment is clearly visible. Among the national leaders are: Christine Todd Whitman, former governor of New Jersey and director of the Environmental Protection Agency, pro-abort; WISH List member and retiring Congressman Jennifer Dunn; former Arizona governor Jane Hull and outgoing Montana governor Judy Martz, both pro-aborts; Betsey Bayless, former Arizona Secretary of State and current Arizona Director of Administration, equivocator on abortion; and several others. Pro-aborts Barbara McMullen and State Rep. Marian McClure have served as recent past presidents of the state Federation. At the 2003 Maricopa County GOP Mandatory Meeting, McMullen advocated -- as president of AFRW -- for abortion.

8. This is further evidence of pro-abortion Democrats infiltrating the Republican Party.

9. If the pro-abort confederates will look around and smell the coffee, they'll discover that theirs is a losing effort. The nation is going more and more pro-life, and in the 2002 elections, the number of pro-life women elected to Congress increased by 71 percent. A majority of Americans oppose abortion. Running as a pro-life Republican candidate is worth a lot of votes. The pro-death message is not resonating with an American population which is more and more coming to view abortion as unthinkable. Who wants to be on a losing team? Going down the wrong way in a one-way street, the Confederates need to stop and smell the coffee.

10. As the Party of Lincoln, the GOP will do well to remember the words of Lincoln, who said a house divided cannot stand. Those who advocate a big tent in the Grand Old Party have wrought turmoil -- and there is a price to pay for turmoil.

Dennis Durband is publisher and editor of The Arizona Conservative, is also a freelance writer and webmaster and a longtime journalist.

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