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Rolling Cyber Debate Question for John Hagelin from October 22, 2000
From Web White & Blue (http://www.webwhiteblue.org)

Question:
When Bush ran for Congress in 1978, he opposed a Human Life Amendment. In Congress in 1977, Gore voted for the Hyde Amendment which says abortion takes the life of an unborn child. Were these changes of heart sincere, or just political opportunism?
Submitted from Jenny from Bakersfield, California, via USATODAY.com

Answer:
Abortion is a highly politicized issue, but it is also an issue of deep and complex moral considerations. Hence it is possible that Bush or Gore had a genuine change of heart. However, it is still more likely, given the intense pressure for votes, that these candidates have yielded to political considerations.

The abortion issue, including the highly charged subject of "partial birth" abortions, has been used historically by both parties as a "wedge" issue. A wedge issue is an issue engineered to chip away at another candidate's support base, often used when a candidate has little of substance to say. This is precisely how the abortion issue is being exploited in this 2000 campaign.

The Natural Law Party focuses instead on major issues that unite Americans. While we have a well-reasoned and defensible stance on abortion -- one that appeals to the vast majority of Americans (visit www.hagelin.org) -- our campaign emphasizes crucial solutions in the fields of heath care, education, the economy, campaign finance, crime prevention, trade, foreign policy and the environment.

I believe most voters will resonate with these solutions. I hope they will help us build a strong independent political movement in this country -- a powerful voice for the 50 million registered Independent voters, and for the 115 million frustrated nonvoters. It's time we take back our stolen democracy from special interest control. It's time we create the next generation of U.S. politics.

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