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My Point of View by Iolie Rose Harper

 

When I speak to people who have different political views than I do, in order to find some common ground, I point to a commonality that we have, such as that I am pro-life.

Jim Hagedorn and Gene Dornink are unapologetically pro-life, as are our other Republican candidates. I have felt confident in my choice of supporting them.

I have noticed that for many friends who are of different political parties, saying that they are pro-life doesn’t always equate to how they choose to vote when November rolls around.

I saw that again today. Some have their Facebook pages covered with articles or memes against abortion. However, when it comes to choosing a candidate to vote for, I see many of these same people support candidates who openly make laws in favor of abortion, support late-term abortion and even selective abortion.

I don’t understand why people who say they are so against abortion and even admit that life begins at conception would vote for a candidate who supports abortion entirely throughout a pregnancy, and even after.

The only thing I can figure is that there is some type of cognitive dissonance happening. By that, I mean there is a disconnect between what they’re saying they believe and what they actually choose to do.

I’m bringing this up to help people decide if this is something they are having an issue with so they can address this dichotomy within themselves.

My opinion is this: By voting for a candidate who supports abortion, you are supporting abortion whether you say you do or not. By voting for radical Democrats, you are supporting the anti-life agenda whether you believe so or not. Your behavior, not your words, is what dictates what you believe, and your vote dictates which direction you want to see this country move towards — a direction where we value all life, or a direction where we destroy life.

When I am choosing a candidate to vote for, I first look at all of them and see which candidates support abortion and which ones don’t. I then narrow it down based on the other issues of interest. I choose from the selection of candidates who are pro-life, and I ignore the rest.

This is why I have Dornink and Hagedorn signs in my yard!

I think people who don’t have the ability to be able to understand that babies inside the womb are real live humans who should have rights of their own shouldn’t be voted for. If Democratic candidates don’t have the basic humanity to understand the basic fundamentals of human life, then they don’t have the morals to understand all of the different facets of human existence that will require their vote when they are voting on behalf of the general population making laws to decide what the rest of our lives are going to be like.

Because of this, I’ve often found myself voting for Republican candidates as a young person. Over time, I became a Republican because there are other issues that I feel strongly about that the Republican Party supports.

When I’m looking at the candidates to see who is pro-life, I won’t pick a candidate who is not sure of their status with regard to abortion. For example, say I have to choose between all these different candidates and I see several Republicans who are pro-life and several who don’t care either way (that doesn’t happen in Minnesota). I will not vote for any of the ones who don’t care either way —even if they are of my same religion.

I have had to do this before. There was a time when I didn’t vote for a candidate who was of my same religion, and I’m glad I didn’t, because he didn’t care one way or the other about the abortion issue. I figured if he didn’t have the courage of his conviction, then he didn’t deserve my vote even if he professed to have the same religious views as me. I picked a candidate who was pro-life.

When you are voting this year, don’t make the mistake if you are pro-life of putting your other political concerns first. Take a look at all of the candidates who are openly pro-life. Then choose between all of those people who are pro-life.

Be honest with yourself.  Don’t think that you are not supporting abortion if you vote for someone who says that they support abortion. My belief is that God holds us accountable for our choices. As such, we shouldn’t choose people who take a gamble on the lives of unborn babies. Make sure you check to see who you’re supporting, and encourage others to do the same.

Please remember that we have several Republican candidates who are solid in their stance of being pro-life.

Iolie Harper is a member of the Freeborn County Republican Party.