Republican politician: We can't sacrifice our values for votes
Congressman Mark Alford says GOP shouldn't shift on abortion to win elections
The Republican party shouldn't change its stance on abortion in order to win more elections, one of its senior politicians told the 麻豆约拍.
"We've got to make sure that we don't sacrifice our belief in God for votes" said Congressman Mark Alford, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee.
Speaking to the HARDtalk programme from Washington DC, Mr Alford said: "What you're seeing right now with the abortion debate in America. Are we going to equivocate? Are we going to give up our values to gain votes?" He told Stephen Sackur that he didn't believe in any exceptions for abortion laws, including in cases of rape, because "if you believe that life begins at conception, how do you equivocate and come off of that and then allow for abortion under certain circumstances?"
Republicans have underperformed in many recent elections where abortion has become a central issue of the campaign. After the Supreme Court last year overturned the constitutional right to abortion, the topic has become a feature of many elections. Last week the swing state of Ohio voted to enshrine abortion rights in their state constitution.
Mr Alford's state of Missouri has some of the strictest abortion laws in America, with no exceptions for rape or incest, including when the mother is underage. Mr Alford says he supports those laws, despite polling showing that around 70% of Missourians support exceptions in those circumstances. "We have lost our compassion for the mother who finds herself in these situations" he said. "We have to show just as much compassion for the mother as we do for the baby. And so that's why I believe in life-affirming care for the mother and the baby".
