Abortion ban yields tepid response nationally from GOP

Argus Leader By David Kranz

The idea that national Republicans are not happy with South Dakota's new abortion law was first hinted at when President Bush raised concerns about it.

The political impact of the statewide ban is starting to resonate in assessments. Most recent is Morton Kondracke's Thursday comments in his Roll Call column.

"The Supreme Court is highly unlikely to take South Dakota's bait and overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion decision. And for that, Republicans should thank their lucky stars," he wrote.

Kondracke, executive editor of that publication, is also a Fox News contributor on the Fox News Special Report with Brit Hume and that network's Beltway Boys weekend television show.

It is often suggested that Democrats have Social Security as the reccurring issue that helps them win elections. Republicans have abortion to rally the base and win.

Take those issues off the table of political strategy, and both parties would need a new and dependable message.

Abortion and Humphrey?
It seems like everyone else has gotten into the South Dakota abortion discussion, so why not Hubert Humphrey?

When Gov. Mike Rounds was defending the state's legislative action making most abortions illegal, he offered a statement of support.

"In the history of the world, the true test of civilization is how well people treat the most vulnerable and most helpless in their society."

Rounds' original words?

Well, sort of.

Vice President Humphrey has been dead since Jan. 13, 1978, but his life is carefully documented, including his quotes.

Steve Sandell, director of the Humphrey Forum of the University of Minnesota, saw Rounds' reference and wrote a letter to the Star Tribune in Minneapolis.

"Those are the words taken from speeches that Humphrey made on several occasions," including the 1976 Democratic National Convention, Sandell wrote.

Humphrey's full quote: "The moral test of a government is how it treats those who are at the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the aged; and those who are in the shadow of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped."

Sandell concludes his letter saying, "Regardless of one's opinion on the issue of abortion, we might expect the governor of Humphrey's home state to attribute his words to their author, and to use them in the context of their original meaning."

So the question is this: Did the governor alter the wording enough to rightfully make it his own, or was attribution appropriate?

Rounds did not return phone calls.

Rounds Part II
National reaction to Rounds' signing of the abortion legislation extends beyond news commentary, cartoons, editorials and Humphrey historians.

It even got attention from PETA - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The group made a written request of the governor that would also help protect animals.

"Hoping that he'll practice what he preaches in a broader context, PETA has sent a letter to South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds urging him to 'extend his compassion to animals by going vegetarian,' " the press release said.

PETA has offered to cater food from the local Pierre restaurants for him for the first two weeks.

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