When Will Republican Moderates Speak Up?

I was a democrat until I experienced the local Democratic Party, which in retrospect isn’t different from any other party local or national. They try to win at any cost.

Now I am Independent. I am both socially liberal while being fiscally responsible. Yes, I believe both are possible.

I must confess I have a hard time voting Republican. Vocal Republicans create laws based on their view of God, which is in direct violation of the First Amendment. The First Amendment states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”. Our founding fathers knew that Freedom of Religion means laws cannot be based on a religious majority.

Yet every single argument against abortion rights has been religious. My gripe here is that women are not treated as equals under “religious” views.

Arizona requires women to have an ultrasound 24 hours before an abortion. In Arizona, a woman becomes pregnant the first day after her period ends regardless of sexual activity and cannot get an abortion after the 20^th week. The Arizona Republic reported  that problems, which could potentially kill the mother, are not discovered until the 20^th week. Arizona lobbyist Michelle Steinberg said “Women are being forced to carry children that they know will end up dying within hours of birth.”

Missouri requires a woman to have two doctors verify she will die unless she has an abortion after the 20^th week. The mental health of the pregnant woman is of no concern. Likewise Republican states Alabama, Indiana, Kansas and Oklahoma have similar laws restricting abortion after 20 weeks.

Traditional Jewish teachings sanction abortion as a means of safeguarding the life and well-being of a mother. These state laws are in direct violation of the Jewish religion. And they violate religions that believe a child should not be brought into this world without the emotional and financial means to support it. Where are our first amendment rights?

I have a hard time listening to Republican jargon because they enact laws that are unfair to women. In April, Emma Gray reported that women make 23% less than their male counterparts according to the American Association of University Women (AAUW). That same month Governor Scott Walker (R-Wisconsin) repealed the Equal Pay Enforcement Act. Then, in June the Senate Republicans blocked  the Equal Pay Bill.

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was passed by Congress in 1972 but required the states to ratify the amendment. The ERA law reads “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” The states yet to ratify the ERA are mostly republican: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, and Virginia.

So, I cannot in good conscience vote Republican because I am a woman that cares about Freedom of Religion and I care about the future of women.

Now I have a lot of Republican friends and they are not anti-first amendment, nor are they anti-equal rights. But they need to speak up! They need to change the Republican Platform to be more female and religion friendly. Remember, silence means approval!

Please moderate Republicans, SPEAK UP!