Has Anyone Really Thought This Through?

Hi Everyone,

As I have said so many times before, the majority of politicians just don't have any common sense. I have to give credit for today's blog to a woman who wrote a letter to the editor of my Gannett newspaper. Her name seems very familiar since she lives in my old childhood town and I believe she was my ninth grade homeroom and social studies teacher.

The Republican platform, which was approved during the GOP's recent national convention, includes among other things, that abortions would become illegal. Their reasoning for that stance is that they also included in their platform that life begins at conception. Consequently, having an abortion would equate to killing a person. Foregoing the argument about the separation of church and state; if that is their position, have they really thought it through? Did they use any common sense in coming to that conclusion? I think not. Why? Well let's use some common sense and see for ourselves.

If at the time of conception, an embryo is then considered a person, will the following happen to a pregnant woman?

1) Will she have to pay for: two tickets to attend a movie, two tickets to attend a museum, two train tickets for a one way ride or two plane tickets for a one way trip?

2) Will the census count every pregnant woman as two people?

3) Will a pregnant woman be able to claim an extra dependent on her tax returns before she has even given birth?

4) Will a pregnant woman be legally allowed to drive in HOV lanes?

5) Will a pregnant woman have to pay two tuition fees to attend college?

6) Will a pregnant woman have to pay double medical insurance premiums?

How far would this go? Where would this end?

As the writer said in her letter, "This idea of person hood beginning at conception can have wild and detrimental ramifications for the entire society". I am sure that there are other ramifications that have been missed, but the GOP's positions were not well thought out and obviously again lacked any common sense. Women should be able to control their own bodies and not have the government make the decision for them for such a personal decision. Roe v Wade should stay the law of the land and person hood begins at delivery and not at conception.

Til next week.

Peter