Reader comments
LDS, Demos alike on abortion

I agree with you Joseph. It's a good feeling to belong to a Party that aligns itself with my religious beliefs instead of a party that contradicts those beliefs. This is why I am a Democrat and not a Republican.

The Church is true, its doctrines correct and teachings sound. This is why I choose to align myself with the Church on the issue of abortion and cannot be a good Mormon and a Republican.

Do we believe the Republican Party and evangelical leaders of the Republican Party or do we believe the Prophet and Apostles?

I choose to believe the prophet and apostles and not the far right evangelicals who seek to destroy the family, undermine the principles of the gospel and promote Satan's plan of force.

Instead, I choose God's plan of persuasion, teaching others correct principles and letting them govern themselves and choosing to trust that they will make the right decisions.

God is right and Republicans are wrong! I choose His plan and not theirs. As a devout Mormon I believe that Joseph Smith and President Monson are correct and McCain or Romney who changed his position on abortion to the Republican one are wrong.

The Dems deleted the term "rare". Check your facts next time. BTW Mr. Obamanation supports a womens right to choose life or death even after the birth of the child. Sad!

Please don't try to liken political parties to religious faiths. But since you did I'll say the libral demos views are so fare to the other extream of the LDS Church and most other Chirstian churches. If you believe librals want rare abortion your running with blinders on. They have always wanted it and have it on demand.
Come to reality

No matter what the condition of our country is in, how many problems we have, how many people are starving or dying or whatever, people in Utah will continue to base their vote for president (and every other position) based soley on abortion, and little else. It's stunning. Listen closey, Utah: REPUBLICANS ARE JUST AS PRO-CHOICE AS DEMOCRATS!! What have the republicans EVER done to criminalize abortion? NOTHING, and they NEVER will! They've had their chances, too. So please, people, stop voting in inferior people to office, people who will continue to erode our lives, based on an irrelevant issue.

To welcome to Utah: It is interesting that you say "no matter how many people are starving or dying or whatever." Do you even know how many children are killed by abortion every year. And do you realize that as members of the LDS Church we give more to more causes then anyone else. So stop trying to bring people of Utah down. We had relief supplies headed to the southern states long before huricane Gustov came to sure. What did you do?

In Denver there was a gathering, with press conference, of pro-life Democrats. Very small turnout and an even smaller percentage of Democrats as a whole.

I know many Democrats that are quite rational on the subject and believe just as this letter writer does. Sadly, the Democratic party as a whole is much more liberal on their views.

For years Utah Democrats had to content themselves with language that allowed for abortion only in cases of "life or health" of the mother. Legally, the "or health" portion has allowed tens of millions of abortions since Roe v Wade.

In other parts of the country Democrats could brag that exact same language almost allowed 'abortion on demand.'

Utah Democrats are constantly faced with the reality that their part as a whole is just as radical as they seem on the 5PM news. Not a fun position to try and defend, even if my Utah Democratic buddies don't support 55 million abortions in the US.

Mr. Price's comments are so far off base that nothing could be further from the truth and even blasphemous. The Democrats are the party of Babies be damned and abortion on demand and let the government pay for it. The Democrats are so far from the teachings of the Church because they force people into unwanted taxation and have been the party of tax, tax, tax. And why, because they don't like people owning property or having money. Steal from those who have earned a decent living and give to those who are 5th and 6th generation welfare recipients, i.e., New Orleans was a pitifull example of a Government welfare state that expected every one but themselves to rescue and save them. No, the Republicans are much closer to the teachings of the LDS Church than today's Democrat party who believes in self-indulgence at the Taxpayer's expense. Mr. Price you are self-deluded as is commenter "God is Right, McCain is Wrong." God save us if Obamanation is elected President; a true Christian despiser and baby-killer proponent.

How low will the Democrats stoop to equate the 48,000,000 abortions allowed in the United States to policies of the LDS Church.

The issue at hand is agency. A woman has the right to choose - once. If she chooses to have sex and that act results in pregnancy, she has made the choice to let that baby live. If she has not had a choice in having sex, i.e., rape or incest, then she still has the right to make a choice about the baby. When her life is in total danger and there is no doubt that bearing a child will kill her, then she has the right to decide whether to live or to die at the expense of the baby.

Review the Democrat position and you'll see that they believe in abortion on demand, at any time and for any reason. Add to that, the stand that Mr. Obama took as a state senator in Illinois, and the right extends past the time of birth. He voted to allow a live, breathing baby to die if it survived the abortion attempt!

I take issue with Mr Price's claim about the position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on abortion. In 1973 the First Presidency released a statement that in part said, "The Church opposes abortion and councils its members not to submit to or perform an abortion except in the rare cases where..the life or good health of the mother is seriously endangered...Members of the Church guilty of being parties to the sin of abortion must be subjected to the disiplinary action of the councils of the Church as circumstances warrant." Reading the complete statement will no doubt confirm a very clear demarcation between what the LDS Church teaches and what political platforms profess. Abortion is a terrible and awful practice.

We can all agree that the government can not prove someone has had an abortion, much less punish them for it; yet hopefully we all agree abortion is not right, and I think most Americans agree on that. The Catholic church doesn't allow for them even on conditions of rape, incest or if life of mother is in jeopardy,( if it is murder then why make exception for murder?). I wish we could all agree that in many regards the Dems are pro life (anti-war) and in many regards the Repubs are pro choice (anti-government involvement and pro gun) and realize most Americans are both pro choice and pro life, (you can be both).

Well, you stirred it up, anyway, Mr. Price. There really are only a few issues in Utah, those being guns, god, gays and abortion. There's war and economy and other stuff in other parts of the country, but here social issues are king and they're all right and wrong, black and white. Attempting to gray them won't work, but it does stir things up.

I have a question. This morning Joe Scarborough, the moderate former Republican Congressman, argued on his show, Morning Joe, that those opposed to Roe v. Wade, including Governor Palin from Alaska, are not suggesting that abortion be outlawed throughout the land but, rather, that it be turned back to a decision by the various states.

My question is - Do those who oppose Roe v. Wade who contribute to this page agree with Joe's assessment? He and Chris Mathews had a vigorous debate about that issue. I genuinely would like to know. Thanks, in advance, for your honest and candid answers.

Anyone who argues the Demos are more aligned with the LDS Church than REpublicans truly does not have any understanding of Church doctrine and/or the Democratic party beliefs.

The LDS Church allows very few exceptions, which account for only ~1% of all abortions. Democrats support the right to all of the other 99% of abortions as well, against LDS beliefs. Most Republicans support the exact same LDS view. As for the Democratic views on everything else, they go against the Church in so many areas, like Gay marriage. The First Presidency supports a Constitutional Amendment to ban it. Democrats want it nationwide.

How is supporting the right to keep and bear arms anti-life? Republicans oppose the illegal use of guns to commit murder, but we do support our right to protect ourselves and family. I am surprised that Democrats oppose shooting an individual who tries to harm you or your family. I do not support the philosophy that I should sacrifice myself and family to protect the life of the criminal. Besides, guns were illegal in DC for years, and they still had one of the highest violent crime rates in the Nation.

And hunting is not murder.

@ ECR, 7:59,

Clever wording, but passing the buck to the States rather than the Federal Government, still begs the question. What gives a woman the right to destroy an unborn child after she chose to participate in the activity that created that child?

In any other circumstance, no one is ever allowed to take the life of another human being without a judge, a jury and years of litigation. Abortion does away with the judge, the jury, the years of litigation and lets one person decide whether another person lives or dies.

How about this...if democrats concede that abortion is murder, will republicans concede that war is also?

It has been asked why Republicans have not outlawed abortion yet. The fact is they have tried, and if you think they have not you are either lying or naive. The issue with abortion has been taken up in many states and laws have been passed, but courts have struck them down. Because of Roe vs Wade, it will take either a Constitutional Amendment (near impossible for anything these days), or the Supreme Court to overturn it. To get the Supreme Court to rule against abortion rights will require more Conservative justices. The only way to get Conservative justices is through a Republican President.

Barack Obama will appoint judges that will continue to allow abortion under any circumstance. He even referred to having a baby as "punishment", and would prefer his daughters have an abortion if they got pregnant when they did not want to. That is how liberals see children, as a punishment. How is that in line with LDS doctrine Mr Price?

Yes we are so backwoods here in the state of Utah.
You talk about wars in other parts...
True, their is an almighty war going on right now and it involves the defenseless, innocent unborn!

I'm afraid Mike Richards has been listening to Rush Limbaugh too much.

Neocons talk and talk about overturning Roe v Wade and nothing ever happens other than some noise around election time.

Q: Why aren't Cannon, Hatch, Bennett, et al. lobbying for the overturn? :>

People who believe that killing a unborn child is murder and therefor very bad, and at the same time believe the killing of other real live humans in political/economic wars is good, are hypocrits.

I read a quote, from an early LDS leader, I forget the name, stating women should not have an abortion if raped, for if they do, they will be comitting a greater sin than the rapist.

Modern LDS doctrine has softened, leaving the decision now, if a woman is raped, to be decided by prayer.

Other than this, abortions are not sanctioned by the LDS church, other than this, they are not to be rare, they are to be non-existant.

The democrats saying it should be rare is lip service only. Under their and the republicans watch, nothing has been done to make it rare.

Republicans are only anti abortion in lip service. Reagan never made this a priority, his domestic priority was lowering taxes, mostly on the very rich. When Reagan had the chance to do something about abortion, he put Sandra Occonnor on the court, which is why abortion is still legal.