ANTI-ABORTION LEADER BENDS.Byline: James Bennet The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times As Republicans gird for a convention battle over abortion, Christian Coalition Christian Coalition, organization founded to advance the agenda of political and social conservatives, mostly comprised of evangelical Protestant Republicans, and to preserve what it deems traditional American values. executive director Ralph Reed Ralph Reed may refer to:
Reed's comments, in a telephone interview, put him squarely at odds with other anti-abortion forces within the Republican Party, who view any modification in the platform as a retreat. His remarks appeared likely to create maneuvering room for Sen. Bob Dole, the presumptive pre·sump·tive adj. 1. Providing a reasonable basis for belief or acceptance. 2. Founded on probability or presumption. pre·sump Republican nominee. An increasingly vocal wing of the party advocates women's right to choose abortion and wants changes in the Republican plank opposing abortion. The Christian Coalition does not endorse candidates, but Reed is widely viewed on the Christian right The term "Christian Right" is used by scholars and journalists, to refer to a spectrum of right-wing Christian political and social movements and organizations characterized by their strong support of conservative social and political values. as a Dole supporter. Reed insisted that he was not changing his stance on abortion and that he would not accept a weakened Republican position. ``But we have no hard-line opposition to someone proposing different wording that conveys the same principle,'' he said. While the battle over abortion often seems like a clash of extremes, nuance is crucial to those who participate in the fight. Indeed, a group of anti-abortion leaders held a press conference Friday to say they will demand that the platform's language remain intact, because the slightest change would signal a retreat. ``No words can be changed; no words can be added,'' said Angela Buchanan, the chairman of her brother Patrick's lingering presidential campaign. ``There is no compromise. There is no negotiating. There is no appeasement appeasement Foreign policy of pacifying an aggrieved nation through negotiation in order to prevent war. The prime example is Britain's policy toward Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany in the 1930s. .'' The Christian Coalition has 1.7 million members, and Reed is widely seen as one of the most influential leaders on the Christian right. His approval is assiduously as·sid·u·ous adj. 1. Constant in application or attention; diligent: an assiduous worker who strove for perfection. See Synonyms at busy. 2. courted by political candidates. His support - never explicit, but widely perceived among Christian voters - was seen as crucial in Dole's decisive victory in the South Carolina South Carolina, state of the SE United States. It is bordered by North Carolina (N), the Atlantic Ocean (SE), and Georgia (SW). Facts and Figures Area, 31,055 sq mi (80,432 sq km). Pop. (2000) 4,012,012, a 15. primary in March, which stopped Buchanan's insurgent INSURGENT. One who is concerned in an insurrection. He differs from a rebel in this, that rebel is always understood in a bad sense, or one who unjustly opposes the constituted authorities; insurgent may be one who justly opposes the tyranny of constituted authorities. candidacy. From then on, Dole dominated the field. Reed declined an invitation from Angela Buchanan to appear at the press conference, and she pointedly urged reporters to call him for his views. Reed maintained that particular wording is not so important. ``I'm just trying to make the point that what we're wedded to is the principle of the sanctity of life,'' he said. But he presented a starkly different interpretation of the party's existing platform, insisting that ``the current language is really silent on whether there are exceptions'' for rape, incest and the mother's life. Reed acknowledged that the platform language is widely seen as permitting no exceptions, but he said, ``It's been taken to mean that quite erroneously.'' The opening sentences of the abortion plank in the Republican platform reads: ``We believe the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We therefore reaffirm our support for a Human Life Amendment to the Constitution, and we endorse legislation to make clear that the 14th Amendment's protections apply to unborn children.'' Most abortion opponents view that language as ruling out exceptions. Some argue that aborting a fetus conceived in rape or incest amounts to punishing the fetus for the parent's sin. Appearing Friday with Angela Buchanan, Judie Brown, president of the American Life League One of the largest pro-life organizations in the United States, according to their website, American Life League, or ALL, opposes all forms of abortion, birth control, embryonic stem cell research, and euthanasia. , said the current Republican plank ``acknowledges the right to life of all innocent preborn children, without exception.'' |
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