Now that the election is over, it's time....

to get back to the process of organizing the Centrist Party.

We've discussed the issue of same-sex marriage and how the Centrist Party will replace the institution of marriage as a government concept with goverment-sanctioned "civil unions" that recognize religious marriages as satisfying the requirements to form a civil union.  Next issue, again in no particular order of importance is the issue of abortion rights.

I have a unique belief on this issue.  Well I think it's unique.  Maybe there are other men out in the world who feel as I do, but we don't hear much from them about this particular sentiment.  When it comes to the issue of abortion, aside from allowing the father of a child to voice his opinion before the mother makes her final decision, I think men who oppose abortion don't have the right to speak on this issue until they volunteer their bodies to be the repositories for fetuses that are not wanted by their biological mothers.

How many years away are we from giving men the ability to carry a fetus to term through an ectopic pregnancy?  The moment that technology is available, all of you men who want to oppose a woman's right to choose should either step up, or shut up.  Women who oppose a woman's right to choose are far closer to being able to carry unwanted fetuses to term and they should have the same option as men will have someday.  Step up or shut up.

Now we can debate at what point a fetus becomes a child and becomes viable outside the womb.  But it's an established fact that a fetus weight less than 500 grams has almost no chance of survival, and that 90% of fetuses that are born at 27 weeks survive, while only 20% of those born at 22 weeks survive.  So maybe the cut off should be at 20 weeks, or 22 weeks or wherever.  Assemble a panel of physicians and bio-ethics experts and let them hammer out a proposal which the elected representatives of each state can agree on.  But the Centrist Party will pass a Freedom of Choice Act that will codify the right of a woman to choose in every state in the land and establish a minimum period during which they will be legal.  If states choose to allow them for a longer period, they can do so.  Again, this will be done in consultation with physicians and bio-ethics experts.

There's a practical issue to be considered here.  Spending money on abortions saves much more money in entitlement spending in the future.  There is no good reason to bring an unwanted child into the world, provided that the fetus is aborted prior to its becoming "viable".

This is a contentious issue and will require much discussion, debate and thought before it can become a party platform plank.  This is intended as merely the first step in that process.