I support it in my personal choices, and have continued pregnancies even though I knew it was most likely they would end is miscarriates (four out of six did). That's what I CHOSE to do -- the government didn't force me to do it.

Palin would take away the right of people like me to decide is best for me, and force them to do what the government thinks is right. She would add insult to injury by forcing women who conceived as a result of rape or incest to gestate the fetus conceived by the assault. She would force women whose health was at risk because of pregnancy, or those who know that their fetus has a fatal fetal deformity, to completely gestate their pregnancy. Basically, in all cases she would impose the will of the government over the will and decision of the woman.

The women of this country deserve better. I support life but I also support free agency (and choice). Inform but don't compel. Thanks, but no thanks, Sarah, the women of this country desrves better.

I support life. I do not pretend that it is right for me to tell others what to do in these situations. However I also support science and oppose banning books. I don't support Palin.

Yes and she slashed funding for shelter for single pregnant women. That's the republic way. Make sure the woman has no choice and don't you dare help the slut either.

oh ya, that's rich. I love how republicans like to spin this stuff. She's a crappy enough mom to leave her down's baby at home while she runs for vp and let her 17 year old cry out for attention by getting pregnant. But let's spin that to look like the issue here is pro-life. That is so rich.

She chose to support life. However, she does not want you to have that same choice. Oh, you'll 'support life', all right. Because she told you that you have to. Her family is off limits. Not yours. Or mine. That book banning thing, that's a little disturbing, too.

I also support life. What I don't support is the government telling me that I have to. The same people that condemn higher taxes because they want to "choose" to donate to charity are fine with the government meddling in their uterus. I'm LDS and think abortion is morally wrong, but for Republicans to tout "smaller government", they sure enjoy the government regulating their sex lives.

Does Palin really support life absolutely without regard to the cause of a pregnancy? I have not heard or read that she does. Abortion, except in the case of rape, incest, or the life of the mother is sick and wrong. Choice is a poor term because it implies that its not right or wrong. The government should not support nor condone such behavior. Please don't start with the lame excuses. Anyone that can terminate a life for the reasons that the vast majority do is a cold, ruthless and sick individual. I don't support prosecution of the women that have an abortion.

Sure she supports life.
Then last night she criticized those who want to give every human a defense (the right given to us ALL by the Constitution) instead of simply torturing them then shooting them.
I'm confused, tell me again how that is supporting life?

I don't support life. Why would we? We already have 6 billion people, not like we need more.

Oh, my goodness, for once I believe with all the comments on this post. Palin is bongo on two points: 1. She opposes abortion, even in the case of rape and incest. How dare you deny a woman the right to make that choice after a terrible crime has occurred! 2. She touts "family values," but she's never even home to see hers. The hypocrisy is overwhelming!

Palin is to be commended for giving birth to a Down's child but there are also 250,000 other women in the US that have done the same.

As an LDS woman I also do not support abortion but my religion also proclaims free agency - I would not want to take that away from the rest of the women in this country.

I hope the contrast between Obama and Palin's attitudes and values have not been wasted on us.

Obama's famous speach on premarital sex and sanctitiy of life was... "If my teenaged child makes a mistake, I don't want her PUNISHED with a BABY"!!!

I think Palin's position on this same topic is obvious from the decisions she's had to make in her own life.

Republican platform (issued this week) would ban all abortions, no exception. They want to "extend the protects of the 14th Amendment to the unborn," which would ban terminating a pregnancy unless the "due process rights" of the fetus are ensured. In other words, you'd have to try the fetus and convict it of a capital crime to abort it, save the mother's life, etc. Republican absurdity...

Could a Palin supported please answer me this question:

If, as Palin preaches, abortion should be illegal even in cases of rape or incest, exactly how much jail time should be served by a 13-year old who gets an illegal abortion after being raped by a family member?

I'm shocked that so many Mormons could support someone whose stance on abortion is so much more extreme than the Church's position.

I'm also shocked that the Palins have chosen to not only make public their teenage daughter's pregancy, but to parade her and the child's father around as if there were nothing wrong with teens getting pregnant.

Some family values!

She's not PRO-LIFE, she's ANTI-ABORTION. If she's like the standard Republican and supports her running mate's Endless War, then she is PRO-DEATH and Anti-Life. I hate it when the anti-abortion crowd insists they are pro-life.

The choice between killing an unborn child and not killing an unborn child is most often a simple one.
It's really about either taking responsibility for your actions or committing murder.

@ Booker...
If only the same logic were applied to starting wars where children's fathers and mothers don't come home...

When will our country wake up and know that abortion does not divide the parties any more; Guiliani and Lieberman had prime time speaking spots. I can name 20 prominent GOP people who are pro choice and 200 Dems who are pro life. I feel sorry for Palin, just like Reagan (an actor) and Clarence Thomas (a puppet) they are given their lines to say, the latter of whom hardly ever speaks on the Court.

How much attention will Palin give her infant with Downs Syndrome as Veep?

What's Palin's response to Sean Hannity, who last year referred to Jamie Lynn (Britney's kid sister) Spears' out-of-wedlock teen pregnacy as evidence that Britney & Jamie Lynn's lives are the result of terrible parenting?

Where's the "pro-life" component in Palin's enthusiasm for the war in Iraq.

How "pro-life" was her decision as governor to veto funds for housing for unwed teen mothers who aren't fortunate enough to have affluent and supportive families?

What's the problem with someone being pro-life/anti-abortion? You don't like her position, fine, vote for Mr. Obama. It's all about choice. You have the choice to vote for pro-life or pro-abortion when you vote for President and Vice-President. It couldn't be easier.

Finally, the issues in this campaign are losing their gray pallor and becoming distinct. If you stand for the principles outlined in the Democrat platform, you're going to vote Democrat. If you stand for the principles outlined in the Republican platform, you're going to vote Republican.

It's not like Republicans are saying that they like everything in the Democrat platform except abortion. The platforms are totally different. The choice will be easy this year because the Republicans are not trying to satisfy the wishes of hard-core Democrats and the Democrats are not trying to win over hard-core Republicans.

Sarah Palin is pro-life and anti-abortion. I agree with her.

To blatantly borrow and then change a phrase made famous by the United Negro College Fund people who agree with Sarah Palin might say, "A Baby is a Terrible Thing to Waste".

Mike Richards,

Do you think abortion should be an option for women who are raped or victims of incest?

I'm just wondering, because the LDS Church thinks it should be an option, and Sarah Palin thinks it shouldn't.

You want me to support McCain/Palin because she hasn't had an abortion? Are you kidding me? What a terrible, horrible, idiotic basis to decide who to make the leader of the free world. I haven't had an abortion either, so why don't you vote for me for president?

I won't be supporting life. Since thats how you want to word it.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I have always thought the question was not whether having an abortion should be illegal (a criminal act), but whether government funds (e.g. Medicaid, PHS grants, etc.) could be used to pay for it. If I'm right, a lot of posts here are nonsense. If I'm wrong, I've got a paradigm shift to make.

Utah Independent | 10:02 a.m says, "I hate it when the anti-abortion crowd insists they are pro-life".

You may hate it but they are.

There is a difference between ending the life of a child that hasn't had a chance to have any say in the decision to end it's life, just for having the audacity to show up in this womans womb... and a man who decides to join the military and go to war and risk his life to protect his family or end the life of those he sees as a risk to his family.

Joining the military and going to war is a concious decision made by the person put at risk. Killing a baby who is too young to speak or voice it's input into the decision to end it's life is not the same thing.

It may offend you when anti-abortion people say they're "Pro-Life" but that's your problem.

By the way... Not all anti-abortion people are pro-war. That's just a myth your Democrat controllers have been selling you for years. Many anti-abortion protesters are also anti-war protesters. How's that for a mind-bender?

You're not running, thank heaven.
And to you "rich", your ignorance is amazing! You know nothing of the circumstances of Palin's pregnant daughter. What an interesting diversion the media frenzy has provided to refocus the attentions of the masses from the charlatan Obama and his fuax mantra of change.

You don't need to attack Sarah Palin for not having an abortion. And your not electing her to be the "leader of the Free World". She's just the VP (mostly a cerimonial position). The VP of the United States is NOT the leader of the Free World. You're over-dramatizing this one aspect (abortion) and evident lack of knowledge of what the VP does makes you sound loony.

Of course you don't make your decision of who you want for President based on whether his VP nominee had an abortion or not (only the media thinks that is a valid issue). As far as I'm concerned that is a private decision and we have no business discussing and debating it, but since some people insist on making it an issue we sort of have to discuss it.

Grimble,

You know how the game is played better than I do. You asked your question at 12:13. I submitted my response at 12:38. Your question was posted. My response was rejected. You know as well as I do why that happened. So, keep asking and I'll keep replying, and the game goes on. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a few e-mails to write.

re: "oo Utah Independent @ 12:53"

I wasn't referencing those who CHOOSE to join the military, that is their choice. I was referencing those poor souls who had no choice in whether or not to be "Shock and Awed" to death.

Blowing people up for oil is NOT PRO LIFE.

Anti-abortion=against terminating a pregnancy
Pro-life=against killing ANYBODY, not just the unborn.

If you want to call yourself Pro-Life, then you MUST be Pro-Life!!! Not Pro-Death. Can't have it both ways. Sorry.

Palin supports life - but NOT the lives of her small children.
While she is busy in politics, her children will be latch-key kids.
Shame, shame on her!

No, I won't support her for that one reason. I am simply AMAZED at how many voters make up their minds based on that ONE issue. In my own family I see it. Republican only because of abortion.

There are so many other issues of dire urgency and importance facing this country. The president only indirectly affects abortion policy. (The VP quite possibly not at all.) There are other issues that a president has much more impact on and yet seem completely ignored by these one issue voters.

Wow.

The Vice-President is likely one of the most important people in Government. He/She has direct contact with the President on all matters. He/She is the President of the Senate and will cast the tie-breaking vote. Even the President of the United States cannot vote in the Senate, although the President pseudo-votes with the veto.

The ability to cast the tie-breaking vote gives the party in power greater leverage than the party out of power.

The 1:58 poster submitted an argument that pro-life means you must be against killing anybody. That's one view. Every law or rule exists within a sphere of influence. Within that sphere,the law is the law. Outside of that sphere, the law does not apply. For instance, I believe in disciplining children. In my own home, I can instruct and teach and expect curteous conduct from MY children. That sphere of influence does not extend outside my own family, and it does not change the fact that I believe in discipline.

A policeman can be pro-life, but to protect the innocent, he may find the need to take the life of an attacker. Does that change his status to "pro-death"? Not in my book.

I hate to break it to you Utah Independent | 1:58 p.m. but not all Republicans supported the war then or now. Not all Democrats supported the war then or now. Not all pro-life people support the war. Not all anti-war people are Pro-choice.

Life isn't as simple as political party lines or steriotypes based on whatever life philosophy you have (be it pro-life or pro-choice). The two groups are NOT mutually exclusive. There are all kinds of mixes out there. Not all Pro-life folks are Republican and believe it or not, all Republicans are not war lovers. Shallow judgements based mainly on a person's political party or even worse, just their opinion on abortion frequently lead to flawed assumptions.

Sorry to burst your rhetoric based bubble but life just isn't that simple.

"While she is busy in politics, her children will be latch-key kids". WHAT???

I haven't read anywhere that their father is going to be out of the picture. Have I missed the story of him divorcing his wife if she gets elected, or have I missed the one where he's already been offered a job in D.C. if she's elected? Where's he going? Is she leaving him in Alaska? We need an update. National Enquirer, where are you? I want to be informed.

I guess that means the majority of the state governors, (males) and the majority of the work force, (males) have latch-key kids. I'm sure our governor, Huntsman, would want to hear that and remedy his situation. After all, he has what, 5 or 6 latch-key kids. Or is it an assumption that if the dad works the kids are okay, but if the wife works and dad doesn't, all of a sudden the kids become latch-key.

Doesn't make sense to me. Maybe we all need to quit working and live off the government, then there would be no more of those poor waifs on the streets.

Liberals and demo fear-mongers say she will take rights away from women.

Did she do that in alaska? NO!

So why will she do that as VP?

And how, as VP, will she do that?

Palin thank you. You can hold Mormons and Christians togeher. Mitt was a divider.

The LDS Church allows abortion under certain circumstances, nothing new. Palin will take those choices away, making it ILLEGAL to follow church standards. MORMONS WAKE UP!!!

Oh yeah, and all this crap about being 'pro-life'. Last time I checked, she supports the war in Iraq. Oops!

No more Mitt!

If Obama wins Mitt has a chance in 2012. If Palin does well she will carry the GOP. You go, girl!

Saying that making abortion illegal gives government control over a woman's life and decisions is ludicrous. Every woman has the choice of whether or not they have sex unless they are raped. If they choose to have unprotected sex they have chosen to risk getting pregnant. If abortion were illegal women would have to make the choice sooner, before having sex, but they would still have the choice.
When it comes to life and death issues the government has to have some control in the form of laws or crime would be rampant as some people make choices that harm others. Agency means responsibility and paying the consequences, not having your way at any price.

Mc,

Fine. But Palin opposes abortion even in cases of rape or incest -- in other words, even when there was no "choice" about having intercourse.

I'm still waiting for you or Mike Richards or someone to tell me how much jail time Palin thinks a 13-year-old incest victim should serve if she gets an abortion.

Palin does not make law, practice law, she is not a judge or lawyer or a legistlator, or set sentences, and as VP she can not sign anything into law.

So creating an extreme rhetorical and straw argument to attack her accomplishes nothing.

So whatever her personal views of abortion are she has never forced them on anyone else.

She didn't do in alaska as Governor. Their is no evidence she has done such thing in her life.

So please stop the fear-mongering and hate-mongering and making up fantasy situations.

And deal with reatlity, the real facts, the truth.

straight talk says, "The LDS Church allows abortion under certain circumstances, nothing new. Palin will take those choices away, making it ILLEGAL to follow church standards. MORMONS WAKE UP!!!"

Ummm. How can Palin take those choices away from you. Do you think the VP makes the laws of this land or something. Do you know even a little about how our govenment works?