What's New Robert L. Park 27 Feb 2012

WHAT=92S NEW   Robert L. Park  Tuesday, 25 Feb 2012   Washington, DC=20

1. THE 13TH CRUSADE: "TAKING UP THE CROSS" IN 2012 AMERICA.=20
At the start of the bewildering Republican Primary process everyone agree=
d=20
that the overriding issue would be jobs and the economy.  But a week befo=
re=20
Super Tuesday, with jobs the economy recovering, Rick Santorum is calling=
=20
for a holy war: "I don't believe in an America where the separation of=20
church and state is absolute."  He should take a minute to read the First=
=20
Amendment.  Meanwhile, Franklin Graham, son of Billy, questions the=20
Christian credentials of both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama. Halfway aroun=
d=20
the world, two American officers were shot dead in Afghanistan=20
in "retaliation" for the inadvertent burning of Korans, which of course=20
harmed not a living soul.  Here in Maryland, the Legislature sent a gay-
marriage bill to Governor O'Malley, which he will sign.  That won't hurt=20
anyone either.  Next door in Virginia, the State Senate voted to suspend=20
consideration of a bill defining life as beginning at conception, which i=
s=20
the position of to the Roman Catholic Church. The law would instantly=20
create millions of one-celled persons. Perhaps they would be granted soul=
s=20
by heaven, citizenship by the state, and be counted in the census along=20
with millions of frozen embryos? Or would the frozen embryos have to wait=
=20
till they thaw? Based on a different reading of Genesis, a Jewish zygote=20
wouldn't be a person for another nine months. How do we resolve this? Und=
er=20
case law, protection of a fetus by the state begins only after the fetus =
is=20
capable of surviving outside the womb.  As WN pointed out in the last iss=
ue=20
(15 Feb 2012), freedom of religion is not up for discussion. Gods do not=20
compromise.=20

2. AMNIOCENTESIS: WHO FIGURED IT WOULD BE A CAMPAIGN ISSUE?=20
Last Sunday on Face the Nation, Rick Santorum opposed amniocentesis testi=
ng=20
of an embryo in the womb.  One of the great advances in modern diagnostic=
=20
medicine, amniocentesis can be used to diagnose certain severe medical=20
handicaps long before full-term. On the grounds that bad news might lead =
a=20
woman to terminate her pregnancy, Santorum, who opposes abortion for any=20
reason, would deny a women the right to make that decision. Santorum, of=20
course, is not a candidate for the test. =20
 =20

THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND.
Opinions are the author's and not necessarily shared by the
University of Maryland, but they should be.
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