Paul Ryan Abortion Record: 4 Reasons Why VP Pick is Bad News for Women
The tornado of media coverage following Paul Ryan this past week has traced a route through his budget plan, his quirks, and his professed admiration of (ironically pro-abortion and atheist) philosopher Ayn Rand, but it has left largely untouched the topic of Ryan’s social agenda. Those who already believe Ryan is an extremist on budgetary issues will find that he is an extremist on abortion as well.
Here's why.
1) Ryan believes raped women should bring the fetus to bear
You were raped? Tough luck, says Ryan. He is staunchly against any sort of compromise when it comes to abortion. A fetus, even if the offspring of a rapist, has rights just like you and me. No, really – Ryan thinks fetuses have the same right to personhood as a person. The Sanctity of Human Life Act, a bill that Ryan supported, states that a fertilized egg should “have all the legal and constitutional attributes and privileges of personhood.” For his dogmatism, the National Right to Life committee has awarded Ryan a 100% voting score every year since his admittance into the House of Representatives in 1999.
2) Ryan would have Romney’s children thrown in jail for in vitro fertilization
If Romney were honest – if he wasn’t a politician intent on ascending to the presidency – he would acknowledge that he differs greatly from Ryan on abortion. After all, he did say, "I believe that abortion should be safe and legal in this country." Can’t get much more opposed to Ryan's position than that. That quote not only exemplifies Romney’s flip-flopping tendencies, but it also acts as a stunning backdrop for Ryan’s views. Three of Romney’s children employed in vitro fertilization to bring children into the world. During the process to create a so-called ‘test-tube baby,' multiple embryos are created. The problem with this, in the eyes of hard-core anti-abortionists like Ryan, is that only one embryo is implanted in the woman. The rest are either frozen or discarded, and so, according to some, a few unfortunate embryos are ‘murdered.’ Paul Ryan, in no uncertain terms, believes Romney’s children are murderers. One would think such a diametrically opposite viewpoint on an important topic would have precluded Ryan from being on Romney’s VP list.
3) Ryan would let women die
Ryan voted in favor of a bill that would, among other atrocities, allow hospitals to deny emergency abortions to women who are in danger of dying in labor . Ryan staunchly opposes federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which among other things, conducts cancer screenings and supports STD disease prevention for women. He voted to ban federal employees from choosing health insurance plans that include abortion coverage. He voted for and cosponsored a bill that would have imposed a tax on small businesses that allowed their employees to choose health insurance plans that included abortion coverage. He has voted time and time again to endanger the lives of women.
4) Ryan is against stem cell research
In 2005, 2006, and 2007, Ryan voted against stem-cell research. Nothing complex here - Ryan thinks embryos, most of which would otherwise go to waste, are more valuable than science that is likely to save untold millions of lives.
Somehow, Paul Ryan has the temerity to not just espouse these beliefs, but also claim that they can be reconciled with a small government mindset. This is the man who voted to make doctors criminals for failing to determine if the expected sex of a pregnancy is a factor in a woman’s decision to seek an abortion. He also voted in favor of two year prison sentences for doctors who perform abortions - even emergency abortions. How can a sane person think that is not a perfect example of the heavy hand of government?
