Around The Nation

Republican Party Platform: Ban All Abortions & Gay Marriages

TAMPA, FL -- In a convention dominated by the politics and policies of the conservative far right tea party and 'family values' special interests, delegates to the 2012 Republican National Convention approved a platform Tuesday that would ban all abortions and gay marriages, reshape current Medicare benefits into a voucher-like program and the GOP pledges to reform the tax code to make it easier for businesses to generate more capital and create more jobs.

Democrats and Republicans routinely approve platforms during the conventions that coincide with presidential election races that are meant to encapsulate each party's policy initiatives and goals. Historically, those same outlined goals are normally sidelined once the victorious party actually takes power.

In specific and uncompromising language on abortion the platform states that "the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed." It opposes using public revenues to promote or perform abortion or to fund organizations that perform or advocate abortions. It says the party will not fund or subsidize health care that includes abortion coverage.

The language crafted by anti-gay leader of the Family Research Council, Tony Perkins, states that the party believes that it must honour the rights of states and the federal government not to recognize same-sex marriage. It also backs a constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

The platform pledges to move both Medicare and Medicaid away from "the current unsustainable defined-benefit entitlement model to a fiscally sound defined-contribution model." It supports a Medicare transition to a premium-support model with an income-adjusted contribution toward a health plan of the enrollee's choice. Age eligibility in Medicare must be made more realistic in light of longer life spans.

Medicaid services for low income people would be transformed into a block grant program in which the states would be given the flexibility to determine the best programs for their residents.

The latest poll by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, released Monday, showed a higher level of interest in the GOP platform versus people interested in watching Romney's acceptance speech.

52 percent of the poll's respondents were very interested in learning about the GOP's platform, while 44 percent were interested in watching Romney's acceptance speech, and 46 percent who were interested in watching Paul Ryan's speech.

Overall interest in the Republican convention is relatively flat — 44 percent of those surveyed say they are very or fairly interested — compared with 48 percent in 2008 and 46 percent in 2004 who were very or fairly intersted in it.

Los Angeles Times Political reporter Paul West wrote: "The Pew opinion survey showed that overall interest in both party’s conventions is virtually identical. That is, a majority of Americans say they aren’t interested."