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Republicans - Life, Marriage, & Religious Liberty - Democrats

Republican -  Life, Marriage, & Religious Liberty - Democrats

Party Platforms and the Battle of Values

Who Stands for Faith, Family, & Freedom?

“If a political party or candidate does not understand and will not defend the sanctity of innocent human Life from the moment of conception, and if they do not understand and will not defend the institution of Marriage as between only one man and one woman, they are undeserving of the public trust.” Rakazzi

With high unemployment and a skyrocketing national debt, the stagnant economy is likely to be the greatest concern for voters in November.  National security will also be important, especially with the recent attacks on our diplomatic missions in Egypt and Libya.

However, if past is precedent, Values Voters may well decide the outcome of the upcoming elections. Therefore, we need to know which party and which candidates share our values and are willing to fight for them – and then help them to victory in November.

One of the best ways to measure Republican and Democratic Parties’ commitment to our core “Values” is to look for differences in their respective platforms.  For example, the Democrats’ aborted effort in Charlotte to remove “God” from its platform is one such difference.

The Family Research Council has issued a report on a range of other differences. Highlights of that report, which are drawn verbatim from each party platform, follow below with a focus on Life and on Marriage:

 On Life

Republican Platform: “Faithful to the ‘self-evident’ truths enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, we assert the sanctity of 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 endorse legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to unborn children.” (p. 13-14)

Democratic Platform: “The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to make decisions regarding her pregnancy, including a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay. We oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right.” (p. 18)

On Marriage

Republican Platform: “The institution of marriage is the foundation of civil society. Its success as an institution will determine our success as a nation… we believe that marriage, the union of one man and one woman, must be upheld as the national standard…” ( p. 31)   “We reaffirm our support for a Constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman.” (p. 10)

Democratic Platform:“We support marriage equality and support the movement to secure equal treatment under law for same-sex couples.” (p. 18)   “We support the full repeal of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act” (p. 18)

Last Call for the Values Voter Summit

I hope you can join Janet and me along with thousands of other Values Voters at the Family Research Council’s seventh annual Summit beginning this Friday in Washington DC.  It is a reminder that Values issues are vital and that the economic, national security and social issues are mutually reinforcing. It is not too late to register.  Just go to www.ValuesVoterSummit.org.

NOW on VALLEY FAITH in ACTION!