GOP's Steele clarifies his opposition to abortion

[cosmicone]

Source: AP/Yahoo

WASHINGTON – GOP national chairman Michael Steele said Thursday that he's opposed to abortion and that Roe v. Wade should be repealed, commenting a day after a magazine quoted him as saying abortion was "an individual choice." Steele clarified his stance in a written statement after online publication of the interview with GQ magazine.

Steele, who is adopted, said in the interview that his mother had the option of getting an abortion or giving birth.

He said: "You can choose life, or you can choose abortion." He said his mother chose life.

Asked whether he thought women had the right to choose abortion, Steele said: "Yeah. I mean, again, I think that's an individual choice."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090312/ap_on_go_ot/steele_abortion

---

hahahaha

Didn't take him long to eat his foot and crow

[mucifer]

1. what a mess!

:rofl:

[Iliyah]

10. AGAIN

LOL - flip. . . .flop

I already knew Steele had problems. At this point he doesn't fit in with the GOP marching standards.

[Rashel]

11. Hip hop flip flop!

[Maine-ah]

33. he is a mess. Considering his age, I'm gonna say that his mother

didn't have a choice, since at the time of his birth (1958) abortion wasn't legal in the U.S.

[ogneopasno]

2. He is totally worth the price of admission.

[Cronopio]

26. But is the price of admission too high for him? nt

[Xolodno]

3. He was further heard...

..uttering curses against Freud.

[Raine1967]

4. Oh Man.

I swear he doesn't know which end he is talking from! :rofl:

[meegbear]

5. He's the gift that keeps on giving ...

YOU GO GIRL!!

[Javaman]

6. foot in mouth party scores another win! LOL nt

[Mithreal]

7. He's pro-choice, that is good news, folks. nt

[kimmylavin]

8. I'm not sure where you're getting that...

"GOP national chairman Michael Steele said Thursday that he's opposed to abortion and that Roe v. Wade should be repealed"

Whatever he said in an interview - I'm sure he'll cry entrapment - he can never officially stray from the party line.

[Mithreal]

13. One can be opposed to abortions and still be pro-choice.

Steele said: "Yeah. I mean, again, I think that's an individual choice."

President Obama even said unless I misremember that no one is pro-Abortion. Maybe there are a few rare individuals that are pro-Abortion, but most people are pro-Choice.

Am I missing something? I don't mean to defend Steele and if this particular opinion gets him into hot water with the GOP, it may not be the best thing for us all. I would much rather the Republicans had the choice to choose pro-Choice.

[David__77]

19. I don't mind being called "pro-abortion."

Abortion is a good thing in that it gives choice. There is no such thing as reproductive choice without abortion. There's no reason to be defensive about abortion.

[Mithreal]

20. That is fine and your choice

As I imagine and understand my fellow human beings, most people experience some personal pain when making the choice to abort.

In a perfect world, all human beings would have high quality healthcare, superior labor protection, strong families, high quality childcare, strong social safety nets and while that might reduce abortions there would still be the need for abortions. Can we work toward a more perfect union where fewer abortions are necessary while remaining a personal choice?

If you want to call yourself pro-Abortion that is fine, but believe it or not I have had good conversations with pro-Lifers and left them, I can feel and see it, feeling cognitive dissonance by taking a less threatening approach in conversation. But don't get me wrong, if you want to call yourself that, I see nothing wrong with it.

The tag pro-Abortion can be easily mischaracterized though.

[Renew Deal]

31. "There is no such thing as reproductive choice without abortion"

Birth control? :shrug:

[No Elephants]

34. Being pro-choice means being for someone's being able to choose contraception, abortion or giving

birth. Being pro-abortion means being pro-abortion. If a woman tells you she is pregnant, do you reply, "Gee, I really hope you are planning to abort and I will do whatever I can to help you achieve that, but I won't do a thing to encourage you or assist you in carrying to term because I am pro-abortion. And, by the way, I am glad that you didn't use contraceptives, because that would have deprived me/society of an abortion. "

If not, you are probably pro-choice.

Most women would like to avoid an unwanted pregnancy, if they can, rather than abort. However, they want to be able to abort if they don't avoid an unwanted pregnancy.

I am anti-abortion for myself and pro-choice for others. I would never consider being pro-abortion. IMO, it should be a last resort, not the birth control method of choice. However, I leave that to other women.

[kimmylavin]

29. Um...

"Roe v. Wade should be repealed" is hardly a pro-choice position...

[Mithreal]

30. He must have cognitive dissonance or another problem

It is not just this healthcare issue but several others. When Steele is asked about controversial issues he sometimes displays the capacity to hold both the official Republican view and a saner personal opinion without distinguishing between party and personal. The man is clearly having trouble because it is not immediately obvious how he can hold contradictory positions unless he really is trying to be honest about his personal views while also doing his best to represent his Party's views. He is doing his job poorly so I would hate to see him go, but that is just me. He is looking like more and more the fool, but he may be good for their Party in the long run.

[tekisui]

12. He's not pro-choice.

And, how would it be good news if he were? The repukes are going to cut him loose, as is. If he were truly pro-choice, is would be quicker, but still not good news.

[AndyTiedye]

14. Not Today, But He Was Yesterday

[Mithreal]

17. Good response : ) nt

[Mithreal]

15. What am I missing? "Yeah. I mean, again, I think that's an individual choice."

The Republican Party is not going away soon despite what some may believe. We can cheer the destruction of their party at every opportunity or in my case at least wish for their return to some long ago Pre-Reagan semblance of sanity. Now we have all these former Republicans coming over and a lot of them would prefer the Democratic Party change for them. Witness the Blue Dogs and former Republicans recruited to run as Democrats. I refuse to defend Steele or the Republican Party but every now and again there are very faint glimmers of hope. If Steele really is pro-Choice than that is a faint ray of hope for them. But do with my argument as you will. I will not defend Steele, he apparently has some cognitive dissonance issues he is going to need to work out.

[tekisui]

22. You give them far more credit than I.

I see your point. I, however do not want to move to the center to peel the reasonable ones away. I would rather the goppers flounder and splinter, and remain irrelevant.

[Mithreal]

27. Neither do I. I want our party to represent the Democratic wing

of the Democratic party. Let the Republicans move to the center for a change.

[scytherius]

9. Politics aside, this guy is just sad

If I was the GOP, I would want to get rid of him too. Just take the hit that will cause and move on.

[ScaryBob]

16. He must have got the phone call from

Lush Rimbaugh.

[sallylou666]

18. Keeps getting better

He just made himself more marginal than he already was. What an idiot.

[Ozymanithrax]

21. With the GOP its always CYA.

[NorthCarolina]

23. So then, he was For It before he was Against It... n/t

[spamlet2002]

24. "You can choose life, or you can choose abortion."

and yet choice is in both scenarios. the repugs are going to fry him over this

[Wizard777]

25. Just think one day Mike Steele might actually get his political opinion right.

[nc4bo]

28. Steele = Voice of change for the GOP?! Really?

:rofl::rofl:

[Doctor_J]

32. More like "reverses his position"

Repukes believe in nothing - they just spew talking points du jour