So politicians really are capable of change?
Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), a longtime opponent of abortion, announced in an op-ed on Tuesday that he now supports abortion rights after having talked to women in difficult circumstances throughout his home state.
“I have sat with women from Ohio and across the nation and heard them talk about their varying experiences: abusive relationships, financial hardship, health scares, rape and incest,” wrote Ryan. “These women gave me a better understanding of how complex and difficult certain situations can become. And while there are people of good conscience on both sides of this argument, one thing has become abundantly clear to me: the heavy hand of government must not make this decision for women and families.”
Ryan, who was raised Catholic, has long considered himself “pro-life” and has voted for numerous abortion restrictions since he was elected to Congress in 2003, including parental notification laws; restrictions on abortion funding in health care reform; and a ban on abortions in federally funded military hospitals. In 2009, he wrote an op-ed for U.S. News and World Report underscoring the need for fellow anti-abortion lawmakers to work with abortion rights supporters on solutions to prevent unplanned pregnancies.
Now Ryan, who recently has been discussed as a potential candidate for Senate, wants to make it clear to his constituents that his views have evolved.
“Today, I am a 41-year-old father and husband whose feelings on this issue have changed,” he wrote. “I have come a long way since being a single, 26-year-old state senator, and I am not afraid to say that my position has evolved as my experiences have broadened, deepened and become more personal. And while I have deep respect for people on both sides of this conversation, I would be abandoning my own conscience and judgment if I held a position that I no longer believed appropriate. I have come to believe that we must trust women and families—not politicians—to make the best decision for their lives.”
Panderer.
“Now Ryan, who recently has been discussed as a potential candidate for Senate….”
No politician changes his or her stripes for altruistic reasons alone.
I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt on this one – he’s Republican so changing to pro-choice isn’t necessarily pandering. His reasoning sounds sincere.
A breath of fresh air! I’ve always wondered how small government conservatives can justify this kind of state intrusion on human bodies – oops that must be it – wimminz aren’t human, they’re chattel.
Tim’s a Democrat.
Small government Republicans have more in common with Orthodox Jews and Wahhabist Muslims then they’d like to admit.
Wow. Don’t care if he’s pandering, so long as he votes differently now. At least he’s giving a thoughtful reason for switching; and perhaps others will follow.