Roundup: Are Georgia Voters Getting Tired of Abortion Talk?

Jul 27, 2010, 9:11am

Robin Marty

Republican candidates for governor are attacking each other on abortion, and voters are getting annoyed. Plus, Colorado Personhood has a new mascot: a fictitious slave.

The race to be the Republican candidate for governor of Georgia is getting heated, and the primary is becoming more and more focused on reproductive health issues as a way to discern between the two otherwise mostly indistinguishable candidates, Karen Handel and Nathan Deal. Now the competition is who is the most anti-choice, and voters are watching a fierce battle ensue.

From the Examiner:

The rather ugly discussion focused a lot on social issues, especially abortion. Handel has been attacked by the Georgia Right to Life (GRL) organization for supporting restrictions to her pro-life stance, such as when the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest, and if it endangers the life of the mother.

GRL attacked Handel personally when, while commenting on Handel’s abortion views, they suggested infertile women are “barren and desperate;” Handel has been outspoken about her struggle to get pregnant.

Most recently, the organization suggested that Sarah Palin shouldn’t have endorsed Handel, because Handel’s views would have allowed abortion of Palin’s youngest child who has a Down syndrome.

…

Deal himself has criticized Handel, naming issues such as abortion and support of a gay group Log Cabin Republicans as examples of Handel’s lack of conservative values.

The conversation about who’s a “true” conservative took quite a bit of time during the 30- minute debate. Handel called herself a “lifelong, conservative Republican,” an obvious hint about Deal who became Republican after his first party of choice, Democrats, lost power in U.S. Congress in 1994.

But there is such a thing as too much focus on abortion issues, and some voters are getting so annoyed they are thinking about not voting all together, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution:

Contrary to popular belief, Karen Handel and Nathan Deal actually have discussed more than just abortion in their runoff campaign for the GOP nomination for governor.

But, for some voters, it’s still too much.

“The state has 10 percent unemployment and the worst budget crisis ever, and they want to fight over things that happened in the ’90s,” said James Williams, 42, of DeKalb County, who said he supported Handel in the primary. “It makes me angry enough to skip voting for the first time in my life.”

…

Theresa Matt, 66, of Athens is strongly against abortion, but she wants to hear the candidates discuss jobs, water and Jekyll Island. A retired attorney who said social issues are “real important to me,” she voted for Sen. Jeff Chapman (R-Brunswick) in the primary, and if the runoff vote comes down to abortion, she’s not impressed with either Deal or Handel.

“I don’t really trust either one of them,” she said.

It seems like the “who’s the most anti-abortion” game really only goes so far, though, as neither candidate appears to have showed support for the recent “Pro-Life Freedom Ride,” who’s inagural trip recently terminated in Atlanta and was attended by leaders of Georgia Right to Life. However, their intended prayer vigil at the tomb of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was not to be, according to Lifenews, who reports they were turned away.

After the protest, which went unchallenged except for three pro-abort bike riders who peddled by, the Priests for Life team and the pro-life and civil rights leaders boarded the Freedom Bus and headed to Atlanta, followed by a caravan of some 50 cars and vans. When it became clear en route that they would not be able to assemble at the King, Father Pavone told a King Center employee, “There’s a lot of people here from all over the country and we’re on our way there, so get ready for us.”

Looks like a lot of Atlanta is getting tired of anti-abortion talk.

Mini Roundup: Fertilized eggs are slaves? Well, that’s what the Colorado Personhood Initiative sponsors are going to claim. Folks, get ready to meet “George Stevens,” a fictitious slave who is prepared to claim a moral equivilancy between using the pill and owning human property.

June 26, 2010

Youth arrested for forcing girlfriend to undergo abortion – IBNLive.com

Buffett Secretly Spending Millions On Abortion Med-School Scheme: NY Times – Philadelphia Bulletin

Early abortion may be allowed – JoongAng Daily

NARAL backs DiNapoli » – New York Daily News

First GOP gubernatorial debate takes some ugly turns – Examiner.com

99 Days to Decide: Anti-Abortion PAC Learns Endorsed Candidate Is Pro-Choice – FOXNews

Philippine Bishops on Sex-Ed/Abortion: State Must Obey Moral Law – Lifesite

Former Surgeon General Koop Calls Kagan’s Alteration of ACOG’s Partial Birth … – CNSNews

Bench Memos – National Review Online

Alaska Abortion Advocates Spending Big to Stop Parental Notification Vote – LifeNews.com

Organizers: Pro-Life Freedom Ride a Success Despite Pro-Abortion Opposition – LifeNews.com