Pure Common Sense

There has been a great deal of confusion lately over where Michael Steele, the recently-elected Republican National Committee Chairman, stands on the pivotal battleground issue of abortion. He has promised many times in the past that he maintains a strong pro-life belief system. But his rhetoric often did not make this clear and even suggested the opposite to many people. He talked about deprioritizing the overturning of Roe v. Wade as a legitimate goal, which scared many people. He had said that he was pro-life but wanted to focus more on preventing abortions than effecting court decisions. There was a question of whether this meant that he was still pro-life but wanted to focus efforts on the issue elsewhere for the time being or if he called himself pro-life but did not believe there should be any court switches or changes to the law at all. If this was the case then his “pro-life” position would be a fallacy, making him really pro-choice. Many of us were waiting for clarification about what his true stance on the issue was.

That seemed to come the other day in a March 11^th interview with Lisa DePaulo of GQ. When asked if he believed in the “right to choose” Steele responded that abortion “is an individual choice.” This has caused a fiery storm of criticism within the party for betraying them on abortion and led to a giant movement to strip him of his position as RNC Chair. Boy, did this gimmick sure fool a lot of people. Perhaps he made an untimely misstep in judgment. Or maybe it was a calculated political move to fool people. If that is the case, then Michael Steele is one masterful politician and he ought to be held in the highest regard for it. Either way though, put the pitchforks down. Michael Steele is still and has always been pro-life. I 100% guarantee it.

You may sit there wondering why I am so sure of myself on this matter. After all, I myself was confused about his position not too long ago. But not anymore. I’m certain he opposes abortion as much as Sarah Palin or Ron Paul. He also opposes embryonic stem cell research, meaning he probably goes further than many of those who are criticizing him at the moment. If all the journalists and political bloggers had done a little bit of research they should have realized that they were exposing something that isn’t there. Read the full statement by Michael Steele regarding his position on abortion:

“I am pro-life, always have been, always will be. I tried to present why I am pro life while recognizing that my mother had a ‘choice’ before deciding to put me up for adoption. I thank her every day for supporting life. The strength of the pro life movement lies in choosing life and sharing the wisdom of that choice with those who face difficult circumstances. They did that for my mother and I am here today because they did. In my view Roe vs. Wade was wrongly decided and should be repealed. I realize that there are good people in our party who disagree with me on this issue. But the Republican Party is and will continue to be the party of life. I support our platform and its call for a Human Life Amendment. It is important that we stand up for the defenseless and that we continue to work to change the hearts and minds of our fellow countrymen so that we can welcome all children and protect them under the law.”

So he highlights his support of overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 court decision which barred states from restricting abortionists from dishing out abortion-on-demand. He also states that he agrees with the Republican Party Platform. Here are a couple of key quotes from the Platform regarding its stance on life issues:

“Faithful to the first guarantee of the Declaration of Independence, we assert the inherent dignity and sanctity of all human life and affirm that 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.”

“We all have a moral obligation to assist, not to penalize, women struggling with the challenges of an unplanned pregnancy.”

If Steele is indeed pro-choice, than he must be one of the strangest breeds of pro-choice around. He would have to be pro-choice while supporting an amendment to the constitution to make abortion illegal and supporting the right to life of the unborn fetus. If Steele is pro-choice, he is a self-contradictory supporter of abortion-on-demand. The idea that Steele is pro-choice is ludicrous and makes no sense. His position is clearly a pro-life one and he also recognizes the need to help mothers in the pivotal challenge of unplanned pregnancy. This is consistent with his party’s position.

So if he is pro-life, why do so many people think otherwise? Mostly because of the nature of how he states his positions and how it is otherwise portrayed. For example, if you look at his stance on On The Issues, a website which outlines the policy positions of American politicians, you’ll see one quote that says “Roe v. Wade should remain in place. (Oct 2006)” This sounds like a pro-choice position, but that is how On The Issues states his position, not how Steele states it. You can click on the tab which gives you full quotes on the abortion issue and go to where it says Roe v. Wade should remain in place. (Oct 2006)” He does not, in fact, say that Roe v. Wade should remain in place, but says that we should “follow Stare Decisis” for the time being. Stare Decisis means not upholding or defying a certain precedent, but merely assuming it. It’s a term that applies to all lower levels when someone above them has made an interpretation or a rule. Look at the date – October 2006; Steele was Lieutenant Governor of Maryland at that point. As a part of the executive branch of a state government he was bound to work within the restrictions that exist for him – Roe v. Wade being one of them – regardless of his own convictions. It is similar to what strongly pro-life Supreme Court Justice John Roberts said prior to his confirmation when he was on the circuit court and he said he would apply Roe v. Wade to cases that came before him because he was obligated to do so as a judge on a lower court. This does not mean he would not intend to strike down the decision if he is put in position to do so – only that he is currently unable to.

When Steele said in an interview that abortion was an “individual choice” in an interview, the statement was broadly construed to say he contradicted everything he’s ever said on the issue and that one sound bite rules all. This sounds like lunacy to me. Ok, let’s examine the possibilities. He could have had a slip of the tongue and misunderstood the question – that may seem like a stretch but it would explain it all. He could merely be describing the current situation where the act of abortion is considered an individual choice, but not necessarily advocating it – that seems more likely. He could have been referring to his own take on the pro-life movement – that it should focus on mothers with individual choices and try to influence them against abortion – that seems the most likely. Or it could be as the media and the blogosphere say and that the one line revealed his “real” position while everything else that was said is a blatant lie – this is by far the least likely position but the one that has garnered the most attention. Common Sense and Conventional Wisdom do not always see eye to eye and this is one of the cases where they do not. Maybe the reporters who have examined this are aware of the truth but purposefully conceal it to have a hot-button story and make a better name for themselves.

So, where do we go from here? Steele is a qualified individual and should NOT be impeached as RNC Chair. He has a high ethos with the public and his status as the first black RNC Chair contributes to that. There is a widespread ignorance about his true views right now and that is the reality of the situation which would be difficult to change. A more viable option is to let the story run for now while preserving Steele’s current status and image. The liberal media and the abortion establishment are off guard for the moment. The Republican Party – the party of life, seems a little more friendly to people from the other side. This allows more liberal folk to embrace the GOP and perhaps someday, the pro-life philosophy. I would not be surprised if this were indeed a calculated move by Steele – using the publicity of the press oversimplifying his position to a simple soundbite to alter the political climate and allow for greater mobilization to slip under the table. If that is the case than I believe Steele has a long and distinguished career ahead of him – he is a political mastermind.