(Links to these resources are given because they provide valuable insight on the candidates' positions. I am pro-life, but do not necessarily agree with these organizations or the candidates they endorse.)
Jim Esch is running for the U.S. House of Representatives in Nebraska's second district on a "pro-life Democrat" platform. An analysis of that position follows.
Pro-life in practice -- or just in theory?
(This section is based on an interview conducted by the magazine Omaha City Weekly. You can read my highlights of the interview's segment on abortion here.)
For the most part, Jim Esch is philosophically pro-life. On the other hand, as a matter of policy, he feels it's more appropriate for the government to prevent abortion through "education" and "health care" than through direct legal control.
He also distances himself from "the Right to Life side," calling them "a little more extremist." At the same time, he proudly declares that he has "a lot of friends" who are not pro-life. This goes hand-in-hand with his endorsement of Obama, and suggests that he has a stronger willingness to align himself with pro-abortion elements than to protect the unborn.
This is part of a clear trend of political allegiance to a pro-abortion base. (See the Democratic party platform, especially "Reproductive Healthcare" under Section 1, and "Choice" under Section 3.) When viewed along with his preference for cultural programs rather than actual limitations, this trend makes Jim Esch an effectively pro-abortion candidate.
An exception to "life begins at conception"?
Another concern is posed by those who point back to his 2006 "flip-flop" on conducting research with in-vitro embryos. Nebraskans United for Life initially endorsed him for congress in 2006. But they were forced to reverse their endorsement after he publicly, unequivocally asserted a position totally contradictory to the one he initially presented to the organization.
He defends his initial answer by claiming that NUL's questionnaire was "misleading" (although he also met with NUL leaders in person), and he was "surprised" that they endorsed him before he had a chance to make up his mind for sure. He may still claim to believe life begins at conception. But since his interview with Nebraskans United for Life, he now apparently believes that embryos conceived in-vitro don't count. "I just don't see that as being the same as an unborn child," he explains. If he takes office, how many more such exceptions will he discover?
Verdict: With exceptions, pro-life in theory. But not pro-life in practice.
A little simple arithmetic: The world is home to less than 7 billion people, and the U.S. has a dry land area of about 9 million square kilometers. If everybody in the world lived in the U.S., then the population density would be a startlingly low 778 per square kilometer. That's quite a bit less than Omaha, Nebraska, my mid-sized hometown. In fact, in Kiplinger's 2008 ranking of the 10 best U.S. cities to live in, not one city has a population density that low.
(Pronunciation: bod-idge.)
1. Body. "Let's keep the bodage out of the way there, buddy."
2. Body mass; amount or accumulation thereof. "Since I started working out, I've put on a lot of sweet bodage."
3. A bodily appendage. "Please keep heads, arms and all other bodages inside of the vehicle."
USAGE NOTE: This word's effectiveness may be enhanced by use of the plural form. Sharpen and augment the initial syllable to achieve additional sarcasm.
Etymology: Coined in 2008 by Daniel Serafino. Combines the word body with the suffix -age. As a verb, body means to "give body to." The suffix -age denotes an action or its result over time, from Latin -aticum.
A brother (some of you know Ben) shared this verse with me a few days ago:
"Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;" Romans 3:25
It's encouraging that the Lord's righteousness covers past sins! They can be remitted-- they can be "past"...
