Georgia Right to Life issued its endorsements in the Republican race for governor on Thursday – and picked a major fight with former secretary of state Karen Handel, the only woman in the contest.
The anti-abortion group gave five candidates its stamp of approval: state Sen. Jeff Chapman of Brunswick, former congressman Nathan Deal of Gainesville, former state senator Eric Johnson of Savannah, businessman Ray McBerry of McDonough, and state Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine.

Republican candidate for governor Karen Handel
But in its press release this afternoon, GRTL placed most of its emphasis on the unendorsed GOP candidate:
“Ms. Handel proclaims herself pro-life; however, she does not meet the 21st century demands of being pro-life.” says Dan Becker, President of GRTL.
“For instance, Handel believes that a child may be aborted based on its manner of conception. When I asked her directly her thoughts on the value of embryos, she answered that she does not believe that an embryonic human is a child.”
Based on Ms. Handel’s own statements, she does not meet the GRTL PAC’s criteria and will not be endorsed in this primary election or the November election, without a change in her positions.
The Handel campaign declared Becker’s statement to be false:
In fact, Karen does believe that an embryonic human is a child. Further, no one ever asked Karen this question, and if they had, they would know this.
GRTL’s real problem with Karen is twofold: First, they disagree with her stance regarding exceptions to an abortion ban in cases of rape and incest.
Secondly, Karen opposes the group’s push to ban invitro fertilization, which has helped so many couples realize their dream of having children. The group has proposed legislation to virtually eliminate invitro.
In a meeting with Karen, the group’s leadership told her directly that fertility treatments are immoral and that their goal is to completely ban the procedure.
Becker, in turn, says that Handel is mischaracterizing his position. The GRTL president says his group has never taken the position that all invitro fertilization is immoral.
But his group has sponsored legislation that would limit the number of embryos produced by fertility clinics to only the number actually implanted in the mother.
It is a restriction opposed by fertility experts, who turned out at the state Capitol in 2009 to block the measure. Handel, too, is against the restrictions, campaign spokesman Dan McLagan said.
From a campaign press release:
“My husband Steve and I tried for nearly ten years to have children. It is the single greatest disappointment in my life, and I can say with certainty that no one in this race cherishes human life more than I do.
“I am saddened that this group would resort to fabricating quotes and distorting my beliefs. I shared very personal information with the group’s leadership, and they are well aware of my true beliefs. I am dismayed and very disappointed by their actions….
“Further, I am absolutely opposed to severely limiting fertility treatments, including invitro fertilization, and am saddened that my opponents appear to.
“Tens of thousands of couples have been able to have children through fertility assistance. Their lives have been blessed by miracle of birth and enriched by the blessings that children uniquely have added to their lives.”
This was the reply from Becker of GRTL on Wednesday afternoon, in a telephone interview:
“Someone’s desperate right to parenthood – because they’re infertile, they’re barren, whatever term you want to use – is an emotionally fraught subject that has our highest sympathy. But it should never be attempted to be addressed where a life is taken in the process.”
The confrontation was not unexpected. The Handel campaign was ready with an endorsement from Adrianne Susong, a former director of Georgia Right to Life.
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122 comments Add your comment
TW
June 3rd, 2010
5:14 pm
If men carried the babies, you’d be able to get an abortion out of a Coke machine.
No Ox Noo Raw Deal, Nooo Linger Longer Johnson Noooo King Roy
June 3rd, 2010
5:27 pm
The name says it ALL
Mike Smith
June 3rd, 2010
5:33 pm
Women represent a larger voting block than men.
Former GRTL Member
June 3rd, 2010
5:37 pm
I am pro-life, given the comments from Becker about “barren women” I am never sending them another dime.
WhoCaresWhatThisIdiotThinks
June 3rd, 2010
5:53 pm
The 1992 election season witnessed the advent of political advertisements depicting the aftermath of abortions. See Lilli Levi, The FCC, Indecency, and Anti-Abortion Political Advertising, III Vill. Sports & Ent. L.J. 85, 86-88 (1996) (”Anti-Abortion Political Advertising”). In that year, Daniel Becker was a qualified candidate for election to the United States House of Representatives from Georgia’s Ninth Congressional District. At 7:58 p.m. on July 19, Station WAGA-TV, which was then licensed to Gillett Communications of Atlanta, Inc. (”Gillett”), aired, at Mr. Becker’s request, a campaign advertisement that included photographs of aborted fetuses. WAGA-TV received numerous complaints from viewers who saw the advertisement.
Alabama Communist
June 3rd, 2010
6:02 pm
“For instance, Handel believes that a child may be aborted based on its manner of conception. When I asked her directly her thoughts on the value of embryos, she answered that she does not believe that an embryonic human is a child.”* Jim
Meanwhile Handel said she would appeal to higher authority on the non- endorsement by the Georgia Pro-Life group… She said that direct appeal was being forward to the Pope and expected a ruling on it before the end of the year in her favor…. When press for a answer if the Pope rule against her, she said that the Pope had to answer to higher authority and most likely the Alien Lizards from the Planet ” Real Life At Any Cost” would destroy the Pope vacation Boys Town home
FultonRighty
June 3rd, 2010
6:21 pm
Ethical fertility assistance preserves life, but some doctors are focused only on “success rates”. How many dead little human beings must be sacrificed for someone to bear a child via In vitro fertilization? Overproduction of embryos leads to “leftovers” in cryo-preservation interminably or to their death via “research” or disposal. Transferring too many in one cycle leads to “selective reduction” later during the pregnancy. Pick a couple to eliminate, leave one or two to be born. Georgia Right to Life is right to fight for more ethical IVF.
Dan
June 3rd, 2010
6:52 pm
Given the facts above . . . SHOULD someone’s “right” to parent supersede another’s “right to life?” Handel believes that the death of a few children are necessary in her quest to parent. In war that is called an “acceptablle loss.”
All of the other Western countries have much more restrictive laws concerning IVF than the US. UK allows only two embryos at a time (the GA RTL position) GA RTL was simply attempting to rein in the profit motives of these clinics and the unsafe and destructive practices they are selling to these desperate perspective parents . . . NOT stop the treatment of infertility.
Lynn
June 3rd, 2010
6:55 pm
Right to Life are a bunch of terrorists.
MiltonMan
June 3rd, 2010
7:10 pm
The clowns on here who think that having a college education is mandatory to becoming governor. Here is a list of the US presidents who did not have a college education:
Washington, Jackson, Van Buren, Taylor, Fillmore, Lincoln, A Johnson, Cleveland, Truman
Cutty
June 3rd, 2010
7:37 pm
So this group believes that if a woman is raped, it should be against the law for her to have an abortion? Wow!
FultonRighty
June 3rd, 2010
7:52 pm
“A person’s a person, no matter how small.” Dr. Seuss in Horton Hears a Who.
Rape is a horrible crime, a violent violation of a woman, but it is more. Why shouldn’t the rapist pay for the damage he has caused? For the position he puts a woman in if she conceives? She shouldn’t have to be dealing with that. But abortion is not the answer. It causes its own damager to her–psychological, physical, spiritual. If abortion were good for women, they would talk about their experiences, it wouldn’t be a secret. Abortion is a further assault on a woman who has been raped. see http://www.unfairchoice.info/unsafe.htm for some of the risks.
BobDog
June 3rd, 2010
8:22 pm
Karen Handel just helped me to decide how to vote. I applaud her distancing herself from those KOOKS and she is going to get my vote and a check. I, too am not in favor of abortion except in cases of rape and incest, but I am not going to let it totally define how I vote. Our state government is totally in a shambles because we have a dominant Republican party (KOOKS) that screen all candidates on the abortion issue above and beyond everything else.
When are we going to come to our senses. KOOKS!
the only sane one
June 3rd, 2010
8:25 pm
first off no one I MEAN no one has or should have the right to decide what is right for another. First everyone situation are different. I feel that if u know that the person was a victim of a crime that resulted in pregancy, they should not be judge by wether the continue a pregnancy or not for simple fact the they may not have that support system that few are fortunate to have. Let state the fact most people are all talk until they are one in that shoe . As I always say let him without fault cast the first stone
Bullwinkle
June 3rd, 2010
8:25 pm
Wait until your mother, sister or daughter is impregnated by a rapist. Then let me know if you’d want her to give birth and care for the unplanned child!!!
the only sane one
June 3rd, 2010
8:34 pm
What they need to do quit runnig around like crazies and ask question like how well do u manage your personal funds, what are your agenda to get people working,what are your plan for saving our children future (schools)
Religious Nuts'R'Us
June 3rd, 2010
8:37 pm
Why can’t these fruit flies actually address a real issue? Were I to be running, I would wear their rejection like a badge of honor. I would speak openly about it at every stop of my campaign and tell the people that I have no desire to be persuaded and approved of by a bunch of people whose only purpose is to divide my constituency and enforce their own brand of religious discrimination into local and national politics. I would remind everyone that America is a diverse country based on freedom of religion and that we as a state and a nation have much greater concerns that need to be addressed than trying to legislate everyone elses morality. Maybe throw in a little Thomas Jefferson for them to reflect on – History, I believe, furnishes no example of a priest-ridden people maintaining a free civil government. This marks the lowest grade of ignorance of which their civil as well as religious leaders will always avail themselves for their own purposes.
RobertF
June 3rd, 2010
8:50 pm
Right to lifers are extreme morons. Is there an candidate who is not a part of these clowns.
Oxendine is an Assskisser
June 3rd, 2010
9:11 pm
Who gives a crap…abortion will continue no matter who becomes the STATE OF GEORGIA’S governor…BTW, John Oxendine is a prick!!!
Professor
June 3rd, 2010
9:44 pm
Lead by example…..get a college degree.
Georgia Voter
June 3rd, 2010
9:58 pm
Karen Handel will never win a Republican primary in Georgia when she is the ONLY candidate without Georgia Right to Life’s endorsement.
Another Georgia Voter
June 3rd, 2010
10:37 pm
Good for the GRTL. This is a major issue to a lot of folks. If she can’t be totally clear we don’t need her as govenor.
dawg
June 3rd, 2010
10:40 pm
Enter your comments here
Will Jones - Atlanta Jeffersonian Exegesis
June 3rd, 2010
10:48 pm
Anyone who maintains that a victim of rape should be forced by law to bear a child conceived through that act of rape, is a sick person and an abomination to G-d. It is little wonder that those who do promote such evil are members of the Babylonian pedophile priesthood whose Black Aristocracy gave us Hitler and Bush.
Time to “chop weeds” America.
El Bibu Life Insurance » Blog Archive » Georgia Right to Life picks a fight with Karen Handel – Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog)
June 3rd, 2010
11:09 pm
[...] Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) [...]
Paulg
June 3rd, 2010
11:11 pm
just went on line and donated to grtl. Thanks for seeing through this lier.
ATHtoATL
June 4th, 2010
12:09 am
It’s one thing for GRTL to pontificate, but there is absolutely NOTHING, ZILCH, ZIP, NADA that the governor of this state can do to overturn FEDERAL protections for the mother’s right to choose provided by Roe vs. Wade.
No candidate would be able to ban abortions in the state of Georgia as governor.
The ONLY candidate I’ve seen with a common sense and worthwhile answer to this question has been Carol Porter, the Democratic candidate for Lt. Governor. Instead of sitting around and angrily talking about abortion (like Deal, Oxendine, Handel, Johnson, etc. intend to do), her position is to actually create policies that limit the need of women to get an abortion in the first place.
That means better schools, to push our children into worthwhile careers rather than early pregnancy. More jobs, to help the poor establish a life for themselves and support their existing families. No one in this state should have to fear the thought of getting pregnant. No one in this state should have to abort their child.
If you elect any of the candidates endorsed by GRTL, abortions will continue to happen in the state of Georgia. They’ll increase in frequency, because these candidates, Handel included, won’t actually do anything to stop them.
Take a look at Carol Porter, and consider voting for someone that actually wants to reduce the number of abortions in this state, not make money off of them like GRTL does.
Will Jones - Atlanta Jeffersonian Exegesis
June 4th, 2010
12:15 am
Paulg
June 3rd, 2010
donates to “Georgia Right to Life” and proves himself conformed to the pedophile priesthood of Babylon.
Thomas Jefferson, America’s Founder, told us Rome is “the real Anti-Christ.”
Let’s “do the math,” Georgia, and make governor someone who is more American than papist.
LIfe is a miracle directly from G-d. Let’s each work out our own salvation like good Americans and keep the institution which gave us “pro-life,” Hitler, who agreed with Rome to make it illegal to have an abortion even in cases of rape and incest, locked out in this New Secular Order.
Those who reject Our Creed, let’s we reject as American leaders.
nocumentum
June 4th, 2010
12:15 am
All that exchange could possibly do is make Karen Handel a more attractive candidate (a damn hard thing to do, by the way), and make all the candidates endorsed by these right-wing out-of-touch, out-of-their-tiny-mind neo-con A-holes even less attractive than they already were.
Jobu
June 4th, 2010
5:01 am
Interesting, that the voter suppressionist Handel is despised by both the left and the right.
It is absurd that such a complete non-entity can seriously compete for the governorship of a large state. She is without intellect, principles, or competence.
Intruder
June 4th, 2010
5:17 am
Uneducated? By whose standards? A college degree is no indicator of education and certainly no indicator of common sense based on some of the postings here of “educated” people. Spare us from college educated idiots!
BitterEXdemocrackkk
June 4th, 2010
6:36 am
If you dont like abortion then DONT have one!
Karen Handel is the ONLY qualified candidate for Governor!
pcBobby
June 4th, 2010
7:33 am
….and here’s the reason why I can never describe myself as a Republican. Certainly I favor smaller, efficient and responsive government that creates jobs, opportunity and a better quality of life for everyone. Then, the right-wing religious anti-choice zealots get involved and I would like to run for the hills.
When will this clueless Georgia GOP organization realize that they have a great female candidate in Handel who is able to cross party lines to become a great chief executive for this state? I do hope that Karen bolts this archaic party to become an independent or possibly a Libertarian.
I do hope that the public wakes up and sees that the other GOP gubernatorial candidates are quite corrupt in so many ways.
No wonder this country is screwed up....
June 4th, 2010
7:59 am
To have a PAC that wants top protect life is one thing but to have them go as far as to promote a total ban on invitro is an outrage. These special interest groups our illogical and selfish in pushing their agendas.
Pro-life is one thing but the position that GRTL takes that someone that is raped has to bear that child is crazy and the ban on invitro is even crazier. Notice how Becker softens the answer…they never want to come out and give their true mission because people will stop giving them money.
I applaud Karen for standing up for her beliefs and not selling out for an “endorsement”. That’s why she needs to be in the governor’s office!
jconservative
June 4th, 2010
8:03 am
If GRTL is going to demand that the police power of a state be used to prevent abortion and force a pregnancy and birth, then the police power of the state should also be used to ensure the medical care of that child from conception until adulthood.
Fair enough?
Zig Zag Deal
June 4th, 2010
8:05 am
Nathan Deal was once a Pro Abortion Democratic.
November
June 4th, 2010
8:08 am
The confrontation was not unexpected. The Handel campaign was ready with an endorsement from Adrianne Susong, a former director of Georgia Right to Life.
Jim, why didn’t you give equal space to Adrianne Susong in this article to voice her views…..are you saying you agree with the crazy people at GRTL.
You know, the AJC better get it’s act together or it’s not gonna be airing anyone’s views and you’ll be writing a column in Podunk Junction
Karen Handel is absolutely the right person to bring accountability and fiscal responsibility to a state so sorely lacking in same. Does anyone remember the old Lucky Strike Commercial……LS/MFT….Lucky Strike Means Fine Tobacco. Years ago it meant something else too…..Lord, save me from Talmadge
Talmadge is gone but you can say the same about all the other candidates for governor except “Karen Handel”. They are all corrupt and will sell us down the river just like BHO.
jconservative
June 4th, 2010
8:10 am
GRTL says abortion is murder. Fair enough.
If I hire you to murder my wife, and you do so, you will be tried for murder and I will be tried for murder. Correct? Correct!
But if a lady hires a doctor to abort a pregnancy, the doctor who performed the abortion and the lady who hired the doctor are not tried for murder. Why? GRTL should logically have the position that if you have an abortion you are guilty of premeditated murder. But they do not.
Why?
Former GRTL supporter!
June 4th, 2010
8:17 am
Thanks for helping me decide to go all in for Karen’s campaign. The hypocrisy of GRTL and their extreme requirements will continue to reduce their impact and importance. I am pro-life, but there is nothing wrong with Handel’s views on this subject, which are measured and reasonable to most Georgians. I will support GRTL no further.
Former Handel Supporter
June 4th, 2010
8:30 am
I will be going with one of the 5 other candidates in the primary that are pro life.
Boots
June 4th, 2010
8:39 am
Anyone with an IQ of 40 can see where this Tea Party/Ultra Conservative/Libertarian movement is taking us and it “ain’t” a place I want to go.
Fortunately, the more they talk, the worse they look. Rand Paul and his clones are the best reason to vote Democrat.
Penny Lane
June 4th, 2010
8:43 am
Wow!
For the first time I find myself agreeing with something Karen Handel has said. These woman-hating extremists are anti-life (just look at their position regarding infertility treatments) and Handel is smart to be distancing herself from their polarizing positions. What a bunch of mullahs.
John K
June 4th, 2010
8:59 am
I’m so glad these right-to-lifers put their money where their mouth is and there are no children left to adopt……oh wait.
Big Dude
June 4th, 2010
9:02 am
Seig Heil!!!! There…satified??
No Ox Noo Raw Deal, Nooo Linger Longer Johnson Noooo King Roy
June 4th, 2010
9:09 am
Zig Zag Deal
June 4th, 2010
8:05 am
Love your name,
No Ox Noo Raw Deal, Nooo Linger Longer Johnson Noooo King Roy
June 4th, 2010
9:14 am
Alittle cut & paste from the PP
I’m sorry that GRTL has fallen to the point that they would rather have a child molester represent their version of family values than someone that supports invitro fertilization. That’s sad, because 6 years ago, they were at a point where they could have pushed for victory.
Intown
June 4th, 2010
9:19 am
I love watching the Republican primary. It’s a fight for who can be the most radical right-wing cuckoo bird. Lord help us, though, if one of these fools actually gets elected.
Mr. Grumpy
June 4th, 2010
9:28 am
Why is it that GRTL’s position on abortion and solutions to it sound reminiscent of Nazi Germany doctrine? It’s interesting that GRTL is headed up by a male who wouldn’t know how to deal with an unwanted or unintended pregancy, while female GRTL members sit quietly and dutifully by, adhering to the commands of their male overlords. What’s wrong with these people? I don’t even like Karen Handel, and won’t vote for her, but she along with Carol Porter make more sense on birth-right issues than that collection of male candidates who can’t spell “pregnancy.” People who blindly and unquestioningly support a PAC like GRTL are insane. God help us all! This country is turning more fascist everyday.
Both parties are going nuts
June 4th, 2010
9:51 am
I feel I am one of the measured and reasonable people in this state mentioned above. I am a pro-life Christian business owner. I have 2 kids in public school, own my home (current on payments) and just go about life not messing with others and don’t want people messing with me, my family or friends. I have white friends, black friends, hispanic friends, male friends, female friends, queer friends and straight friends. Just an everyday American guy.
The tea partiers, the liberal wackos and special interest extremists are what is killing our country. We need logical, common sense leaders with a backbone to stand up for us. Leaders that understand that there needs to always be give and take in an issue and not every case is black and white. A leader that understands economics and commerce, wants government to only do the tasks it is mandated to perform and not spend money on things we don’t need. We need someone that has compassion and is willing to accept the fact that we need to sometimes teach people to fish but never, ever just hand out fish. That knows that educating our youth is an investment and that yes, even the old folks need to help fund it. Leaders that demand accountability from every appointment, every office, every department and every employee.
That’s what we need…in my humble opinion.
Wounded Warrior
June 4th, 2010
10:01 am
of course mcMolester is anti-abortion. He wants all the little girls to be born so he can molest them when he is their teacher. And his daddy is the DA, so he can get away with it.
PoliticalOutsider
June 4th, 2010
10:02 am
Baaaaaaad news for Karen. And I’m a Karen supporter. This sucks
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
10:08 am
As I have said previously, i find it painfully ironic that those who were not aborted, think its OK for others. Abortion is murder for convenience, no less evil than murdering someone for their insurance payoff. Women want to talk the talk, but not walk the walk.
TisP'doff
June 4th, 2010
10:12 am
What a joke! The GRTL are without a doubt the biggest bunch of hippocrits there are. These people have endorsed pedophiles, rapists, and adulterers, just because they say they are pro life. Mrs. Handel, a woman, is not endorsed by the “man” leading this organization. When was the last time he was pregnant, carried a child, lost a child, or was unable to give birth to a child? What a stupid, ignorant, silly man. Character matters in my opinion and this group has none. They have engaged in pious fraud in the highest order.
Maybe Mr. GRTL will meet up with Ray McBerry and his newest 16 yo protege…. if he’s lucky, this young thing will have a sister for him. Mrs. Handel, it’s perfectly within reason for you to tell them to screw themselves… and the mule they rode in on.
John K
June 4th, 2010
10:19 am
“i find it painfully ironic that those who were not aborted, think its OK for others”
It’s only ironic if you don’t really understand irony.
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
10:42 am
Regarding college degrees & Harry S. Truman: He wanted to go to West Point, he did attend a college for 2 years in pursuit of a law degree. He had the talent & interest, but not the $$$. I consider a college degree essential for a candidate I would vote for, for Governor. Otherwise, that Governor will have a hard time pushing the incredible benefits of public education.
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
10:44 am
the only sane one – your failure to defend life, would indicate that you yourself would be fine if someone robbed you, shot you and left you for dead. How do you feel about that happening to you?
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
10:46 am
If you are Christian (can not speak for Hebrews), you should believe that conception is a blessed event. The actual pregnancy should be viewed as a holy benefit from the evil of rape or incest. If the victim does not wish to raise the child, then that child can be put up for adoption. Murdering the child in the name of eliminating discomfort of the rape victim fails to buttress morality. 2 wrongs do not make a right.
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
10:46 am
You should also not be so willing to interfere with the will of g-d.
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
10:48 am
intruder – you take grammar & vocab lessens from Obama? Obama “Law abiding citizens, whether they are illegal immigrants or naturalized citizens should not . . . ” A college degree does indicate brain capacity understanding, information processing and educational capacity.
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
10:52 am
jcon – you are not really this literally stupid are you? The belief that abortion is murder would indicate that those participating in the act are murderers, and indeed they are. The murder of the late term abortion doctor in Kansas could fairly easily be percieved by the perpetrator as an act of g-d. I personally did not weep for the abortion Dr. However, his murder was also evil. The ends do not justify the means, and I to not support utilitarianism.
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
10:54 am
TisP: What character are you talking about? Recreational fornication that leads to unwanted pregnancy, which in turn leads to the murder of the most vulnerable & innocent we have in society? What is more immoral – slavery or abortion?
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
10:56 am
John K – if it is not ironic, then is it hypocritical? How else do you explain this immoral position?
D-Boe
June 4th, 2010
10:57 am
These fools are for limited government until it comes to a woman’s body.
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
11:03 am
The privacy argument which is the foundation of the Supreme Court ruling that asserts that a genetically separate, temporary “parasite” that resides within a woman, can be summarily destroyed by that woman for convenience, is an error. Otherwise, the draft, which is summarily legal via its long term use, would also be unconstitutional. If the government can commander your body and expose you to bodily harm, it can certainly commander your body to prevent violence from being done. Therefore, the Roe V. Wade decision is an error.
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
11:04 am
If the ethical design of the American woman was such that abortion was rare, say in 1-5% of pregnancy, then most Americans would not kvetch. However, the annual rate of abortion is between 20 & 33%. It is being utilized as birth control for convenience.
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
11:06 am
The irony is that those who argue for abortion would not be able to do so if the procedure they support/advocate had been applied to them. Kapische?
John K
June 4th, 2010
11:07 am
The immoral position is dictating what a women is allowed to do with her body. And I see you mentioned adoption. How many have you adopted? Why aren’t our adoption agencies being put out of business by pro-lifers practicing what they preach. I hear “adoption not abortion.” It’s more like “don’t abort and leave the mother and child out in the cold.”
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
11:45 am
John K – so, it is immoral to say I can’t hunt you down and kill you? How friggin stupid are you? There is nothing immoral about the government preventing murder. You have a bad case of moral relativism, which is prevalent in woman and people raised by single women. Stop pretending you don’t understand that abortion is murder, and is morally repugnant. People do not constitute government to do for them what they have full capacity to do themselves. Unless of course you are a nanny-state paternalistic liberal. And the gross budget deficit we have run for the last 40 years indicates it is unsustainable.
John K
June 4th, 2010
11:52 am
You’re advocating for control of women’s bodies AND complaining about the nanny-state? LOL!!!!
John K
June 4th, 2010
11:58 am
Oh, and once again, since you must’ve missed it. How many kids have you adopted?
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
12:22 pm
You fail to think constructively, and also utterly miss the federal power of the military draft. The nanny state is what you advocate regarding “taking care” of a mother and her child after the birth of a child. IE, you think that an unmarried woman should replace the husband with a caring federal bureaucracy – lunacy. Simply banning abortion does not control a woman’s body – she is still in complete control. If she decides to fornicate recreationally, then she is fully aware of potential results – or are American women in reality that stupid & irresponsible? How is it relevant if I have adopted a child?
John K
June 4th, 2010
12:35 pm
That’s ok, if I were you I also wouldn’t want to admit I’m all talk-no action
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
12:39 pm
John – you are a smoke blowing schmuck. You also suffer from fuzzy thinking syndrome. You support the murder of innocent future humans. I don’t think you can advocate for anything more evil. Regarding this comment page – as opposed to what? How many abortions have you participated in?
Karen Handel snaps back at pro-lifers | Fresh Loaf
June 4th, 2010
12:54 pm
[...] gubernatorial candidate Karen Handel, if you haven’t already heard, is embroiled in a dust-up with Georgia Right to Life, the anti-abortion group that earlier this year pushed a heinous piece [...]
John K
June 4th, 2010
12:56 pm
I’m advocating choice, not abortions. What is your plan for the fetus post birth? A pat on your back? The look for more lives to control?
T Knight
June 4th, 2010
1:30 pm
As a woman, I am truly insulted when a man tries to tell me what to do with my body. I’ve never had an abortion, never would have one, but no man has the right to tell me what to do if I were faced with that horrible choice.
Mr. Grumpy
June 4th, 2010
1:31 pm
Paddy O–John K is telling you that you can’t take this high moral ground that says the abortion of an embryo is “murder” and then not address what to do about those unwanted children born into this world. Where’s your moral high ground when it comes to what happens to them? If GRTL advocates are so incensed by the “murder” of an embryo and are opposed to abortion under any circumstance, then they ought to be standing in line to adopt every child whose birth is not prevented by being aborted. It’s very easy to stand up and say “under no circumstance should any woman’s pregnancy be ended by an abortion,” and not go that extra distance and adopt children born into this world who are unwanted by the woman who carried that child to term. Why do you avoid answering John K’s fair question?
Droopy
June 4th, 2010
1:45 pm
Seems to be an argument on how many angels dance on the head of a pin…. What concerns me is what happens to these kids AFTER they’re born, especially those born into poverty… these unfortunates drop off the Christian lobbyists’ radar.
John Konop
June 4th, 2010
1:56 pm
Barnes has to be laughing at the GOP this election will be about jobs an education. Karen Handel is the best chance the GOP has and the fools on the hill are shooting at her. Gut level politics does not work with high unemployment and massive teacher lay-offs.
I am always cautious with people from the right and left who blindly know what is best for all!
GRTL NO exception rule on being PRO-LIFE!
Does that mean they are for tax payers paying for mandatory feeding for all the starving people in the world?
Does that mean they are for tax payers paying for mandatory healthcare for all the people who cannot afford it in the world?
Are GRTL calling for a ban on Intravaginal Insemination since eggs die in the process? Are you saying anyone who used this process to create life committed murder? What is the difference between IVI and stem-cell research that GRTL calls murder?
FultonRighty
June 4th, 2010
2:02 pm
to John K–you have a serious misunderstanding about adoption. There are about 2 million couples who would like to adopt. About 1.2 million abortions are done annually. About 6800 adoptions are completed that are from unmarried women entrusting their babies to people who are not their relatives. If you want to adopt a domestically born infant in this country, there are VERY few available.
There are older children, special needs children, sibling groups, etc. very available from the foster care system, however most of these children would probably be better parented by experienced parents. Infertility is not necessarily any prep for the bonding and other issues that kids out of foster care present.
We who are pro-life are absolutely committed to adoption as an excellent option for most unmarried unplanned pregnant girls/women. Adoption agencies are going out of business for lack of domestic birthmothers. International adoptions continue to grow, but the cost is very high to the agency as well as the prospective parents. Many if not most agencies are non-profit and need donations to stay in business, because they are committed to the birthmothers, regardless of whether she follows through with the adoption plan or not.
Think again, John K! The facts are not on your side of THAT argument.
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
2:58 pm
Mr. Grumpy – you full of it. It is not a fair question. To argue that abortion is moral because the children born are not unwanted – who is responsible for that? The Right to Life people? How about the girl who was pregnant? If you are not interested in children, don’t be fornicating. also, my understanding of adoption of babies, there is a long line – is that not correct? This is bait and switch, specious arguments from people who are ashamed that they advocate for the murder of the innocent. There is a solution – don’t fornicate, especially outside of marriage – or is that too high ground for moral relativists?
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
3:01 pm
Mr. Grumpy: I am not answering it because it is IRRELEVENT to the position that abortion is murder. What are you so vacillating about that position? Shame? Jaded?
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
3:04 pm
The honest solution is to reduce the amount of cheap premarital sex. But the government can not control that. It depends upon the character of the individual citizen. But by advocating choice (a nice word for saying I support the murder of the unborn – NOW, if you are not Christian, then you may not be an immoral hypocrit; however, if you are Christian, you have a serious deficiency in your faith), you are enabling cheap, recreational fornication – this is immoral, and as you can see, has lead to the murder of approximatlely 42 million future humans since 1973. Cause & affect.
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
3:05 pm
Also, I do see the medical need for abortion if the mother’s life is threatened.
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
3:07 pm
John K – this faux argument about control is precisely the example I gave before – does the government not have a law “controlling” me to prevent me from murdering you? The only control the government would have is a law “banning” abortion. That is not a great deal of actual control, is it? Compare the law banning abortion to the law creation the military draft – which one has more “control”?
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
3:08 pm
T Knight – how do you feel about a woman telling a man that he has to support her for so many years when they divorce?
John K
June 4th, 2010
3:14 pm
Sorry Righty,your point doesn’t hold up. There are children waiting to be adopted here in the US, just not as many Caucasian babies that those who are waiting want. (no, I’m not making this a race issue, that’s just fact).
It just really boils down to one fact: The pro-life’s desire to control women’s personal decision.
grizzybear
June 4th, 2010
3:17 pm
carol porter plays it safe only by sitting on the fence, she does not answer anything direct! she leans which ever way the wind blows!
Will Jones - Atlanta Jeffersonian Exegesis
June 4th, 2010
3:29 pm
For any patriots following this blog: The University of Virginia, founded by Thomas Jefferson, used to have an excellent database of his writings which could be thoroughly searched. It wasn’t exhaustive but it was extensive.
Virginia has now elected a Roman Catholic governor. The database has disappeared and been replaced by an enormously scaled down version “missing” the letter to Samuel Kercheval explaining why Rome is “the real Anti-Christ.”
It’s like watching a disease spreading across Our Nation with the Mafia-run Roman Catholic urban centers long gone.
Rome’s “Fifth Column” is pushing into the Heart of the South: the Black and White Baptists and Freemasons closest to the Spirit and blood that built America.
Paddy O is Rome’s frontman right here, suggesting that rape is “G-d’s will” and a conception from it “a holy benefit.”
Any question why America’s Founder called Paddy O’s masters “the real Anti-Christ” or why Roman Catholics want us to “unlearn” the prophetic, inspired wisdom which guided America’s anti-Roman Catholic, whig Founders away from the pedophile priesthood of Babylon?
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
10:46 am
If you are Christian (can not speak for Hebrews), you should believe that conception is a blessed event. The actual pregnancy should be viewed as a holy benefit from the evil of rape or incest. If the victim does not wish to raise the child, then that child can be put up for adoption. Murdering the child in the name of eliminating discomfort of the rape victim fails to buttress morality. 2 wrongs do not make a right.
———-followed by
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
10:46 am
You should also not be so willing to interfere with the will of g-d.
John K
June 4th, 2010
3:36 pm
oh, and the excuses for why there are children here that are not adopted is a poor cop out. Do you not believe these children are worthy of homes? Studies have shown that gay couples are more willing, and very capable of raising children with various issues. But many who are in the pro-life camp won’t let these couples adopt, preferring the children remain without a loving family.
T Knight
June 4th, 2010
4:01 pm
Paddy O…. anything we accumulated during our marriage I would expect to be equally divided. Is there a problem with that?
FultonRighty
June 4th, 2010
4:41 pm
John K where are you getting your info from??? Gay people are adopting, and there are thousands of people willing to adopt mixed race, African American and every other ethnicity of baby. The shortage of adoptive parents is in the older kid, special needs, sibling group, etc. out of foster care. Thankfully in Colorado and Georgia there are big initiatives developing in churches to support fostering and fostering to adopt.
My husband and i have 2 adopted kids, and talk with couples all the time frustrated by the impossibility of finding a baby to adopt, or who have great difficulty coming up with the money if there were one–agencies have to charge to cover the girls’ expenses whether they follow through or not with the adoption. Attorneys are expensive. Hospital care is expensive. Our church is doing some “scholarshipping” to help with that, but it is rare. The issue is NOT lack of adoptive parents; it is that so many girls/women are choosing abortion or fatherlessness for their babies.
ga female
June 4th, 2010
4:47 pm
Wake up you male hypocrates, I can easily tell you that 40-60% of the 35-55 year old White Females in this State have realy had an abortion. Sure they will not admitt it, they had a D&C or a miscarriage. But I will tell you that when you talk realistically among women friends and they one on one admit the truth, this is the truth.
There are more Women voters and although we do favor life, we give birth to children. We know the dramatic demands a pregnancy puts on someones body. No one could ever ask a women let alone a child to carry for 10 months a rapists child ( that is abuse). Women do not want anyone telling them what to do with their bodies or the bodies of their daughters.
These Rightwing nuts, who want less government intervention are such hypocrates, thinking the government should regulate a woman’s body or right to abortion and now to invitro reproduction. Lets out law Viagra, Cialas, and make sure insurance companies, especially Medicare and Medicaid do not pay for that.
I will now cross parties and Vote for Karen Handel. All these Republican men are worse than Sonny. Then We need Roy and Carol Porter to Win along with a Democratic sweep of all the rest of the races. The Republicans have destroyed Georgia in 7 years.
FultonRighty
June 4th, 2010
4:58 pm
to ga female– I sure agree with you about Viagra/Cialas coverage!!!!! But if abortion were good for your friends and no big deal, why do they not freely talk about it? Why is there any shame if all they got removed was no more significant than an appendix or tonsils? i.e. if there is no baby
And why do polls show that women are more pro-life than men? And why are some of the most ardent supporters of life women who have had abortions and women who have participated in them as nurses? There is help and healing for post-abortive women, and they are finally speaking out. see the video at http://www.silentnomoreawareness.org or http://www.toomanyaborted.com/?page_id=417
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
5:02 pm
T Knight – I would concur with your statement. You have credibility. Please continue to argue your perspective. I just do not agree this is a male – female problem. It is an ethical problem. Ask yourself: what is more evil – slavery or abortion? (both are wrong)
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
5:03 pm
Apparently, Will JOnes can not read a simple sentence – the rape itself is not of g-ds will. The conception of a child is. He seems to confuse the location of the vatican in Italy with the Italian mafia, but morons will make up fiction to support their theories.
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
5:05 pm
T. Knight – NO. But I know many woman who demand that the male “support them in the manner they have been accustomed to living in”. There is no foundation for this extortion (unless of course she is divorcing the male due to physical abuse). Even then, that support should terminate after 5 or so years.
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
5:07 pm
Another odd tenet of Catholicism is the free will basis, but the jealous will wallow in their bitterness.
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
5:11 pm
If I was running, I would not care for ga females vote. She advocates for the murder of the unborn – she is the mouthpiece of Lucifer – follow her lead at your own peril. She fabricates psuedo “abuse” (pregnancy) because of the emotional toll it will inflict on the rape victim. This is unfortunate, but not as harsh as being drafted and having lived through a year in Viet Nam, or four years fighting the German army. Perhaps women are the weaker sex.
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
5:13 pm
ga fem – I guess it is not surprising, that since she is voting democrat in the November election, she will strive to manipulate the republican primary. Strategic voting.
John Konop
June 4th, 2010
5:20 pm
THE GRTL ARE AGAINST:
Use of “parthenogenesis” (doubling the genetic complement of an egg without fertilization by sperm) to create new embryonic beings that can be grown in the laboratory and then dissected to provide “embryonic stem cell lines.”
WHICH CAN SAVE PEOPLE OR CURE MAJOR MEDICAL ISSUES:
AND THE GRTL ARE FOR:
Killing fertilized eggs to create a baby.
DO YOU GET THE PROBLEM?
YOU GUYS ARE PRO BS!
FultonRighty
June 4th, 2010
6:44 pm
John Konop: Huh????
Will Jones - Atlanta Jeffersonian Exegesis
June 4th, 2010
7:08 pm
G-d provides LIfe, Medicine and Science, healers and teachers and the miracles of sex, righteous sex, and divine marriage through which to bless individuals, families and nations.
Before modern medical science developed antiseptic, safe means to end conceptions created by Evil; unwanted; or, dangerous, G-d provided abortifacients http://www.ashtreepublishing.com/Book_Childbearing_Year_Herbal_Contraceptives.htm in Nature.
Why for thousands of years have ancient peoples found herbs from the field which properly administered abort fetuses safely, if not because G-d intended it as part of Creation?
Paddy O: “The actual pregnancy should be viewed as a holy benefit from the evil of rape or incest.
A satanic act visited on an innocent victim can produce “a holy benefit?” No wonder the Babylonian cult of male prostitutes King Jehosphat ejected from Jerusalem, which resettled on Vatican Hill in Rome teaming with Etruscan and Latin tyrants and assassins to perfect slave political science to become, as Jefferson said “an engine for enslaving mankind,” having institutionalized pedophilia and its concomitant homosexuality, promotes the anti-G-d lie of “Original Sin.”
Molestation of children, institutionalized “brothelization” of molested girls in Roman Catholic countries, assassination (”the Italian Solution), and myriad techniques now visited on the world, is stark, chilling evidence that Thomas Jefferson is a prophet.
Pay attention Georgia for this is G-d’s Country and we can rise again – Black, White, Jew and Gentile – the blood which built America is here in Georgia but we must recognize The Enemy Within and “deal” with it as divine Providence inspires.
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
7:29 pm
Will – your logic is off. You seem to concur that a conception is a blessing from g-d, but then seem to contribute the conception from a rape as an act of Satan. Thus, you seem to be conferring on Satan the blessing relegated to the one true G-d. I disagree. If conception occurs, it seems to me that it is g-d’s will, and thus should not be contravened by humanity. The act of abortion is evil. Now, your deeply held anti-papist attitude I can not help. But your argument is against the failures of humans in Catholicism. It can not be against the Church founded by St. Peter. Or are you a pharisee?
Paddy O
June 4th, 2010
7:32 pm
As stated earlier, one of the tenets of Catholicism is free will, and you must come the lord g-d of you own free will. The command of the will of a slave is no accomplishment. You also appear to violate the Commandment against idolatry when you raise Thomas Jefferson to the level of prophet.
Will Jones - Atlanta Jeffersonian Exegesis
June 4th, 2010
11:11 pm
Paddy O – Your ill-formed grammar and foreign manner show ignorance of or hostility toward American Exceptionalism. Do you openly deny you are a Roman Catholic priest, witting agent of the Anti-Christ in America?
There is but one Creator, G-d of the universe, with Whom Our Founders made covenant. As you reject their divine inspiration, and particularly Thomas Jefferson’s historically proven role as Our Prophet (which his extant writings corroborate for any reasonable, sentient person), the Creed’s three mottoes, full and sufficient for any historic, scientific, or theologic consciousness of Social Order, Reason, and the sovereign Individual’s relationship with divine Providence in the United States of America, is also rejected by you as a papist committed to the homosexual priesthood of Babylon’s “Earthy Evil:” The sick, satanic, and misogynistic views you express in keeping with the institution, culture, and false elite Our Founder recognized as “the real Anti-Christ.”
While successful in having run the global slave trade for 2,000 years, committing the Holocaust, and subverting Our Constitution through bribery, corrupt judges, assassination, false war, debasement of our currency and illegal immigration, your Roman masters and its “Fifth Column,” America’s “Enemy Within,” shall never manage to kill G-d Almighty, the Spirit of the American People, as its catechism insanely projected onto the Jews for so many centuries, and will soon, in fact, be “cast into the Pit” by the outraged American People once the truth of the Anti-Christ (”Amalek” to true Jews) is politically, socially, economically, and religiously fully understood.
Come out of Babylon or be accursed.
Death for Treason and May G-d Bless America once more.
Rome out, NOW!
SWGA Politics » Karen Handel Vs Georgia Right To Life
June 5th, 2010
7:32 am
[...] the last couple of days, a war has emerged between former Secretary of State (and current Governor candidate) Karen Handel and Georgia Right [...]
Paddy O
June 5th, 2010
12:19 pm
Will – you are a pontificating BS artist. YOu have violated one of the ten commandments, so the rest of your rant must be considered as manipulation, which you clearly attempted in previous statements. The Catholic Church was founded by whom? And whom did the son of G-d state “I will build my rock on?” Most of the slave trade was run by the British & Dutch – neither of whom was aligned with the Church. Most Germans are Lutheran, and many are Norse oriented, so how does the RC Church get stuck with that holocaust? As stated, those who run amok violating blatantly one of the 10 commandments can not be perceived as having any credibility. If you were molested by a Priest, I am sorry and will pray for you. But do not confuse the shortcomings of humans exercising the RC Church business with the institution itself. My understanding of Jefferson, and most of the founding fathers, is that they would be considered “unitarians” in this day & age. Most would say that unitarians are not typical Christians, as they do not respect the trinity. Also, under my historical knowledge – there is a broad chasm in the space-time continuum between Babylon, it’s destruction, and the rise of Christianity. Does this not fit in your reality of bias and hate?
Paddy O
June 5th, 2010
1:35 pm
You should contemplate that Christians are simply “enhanced jews”; which is why so many scholarly pursuits refer to the “judeo-christian” philosophy.
Paddy O
June 5th, 2010
1:35 pm
However, my understanding of hebrewism is that there is no hell, and no Satan.
Paddy O
June 5th, 2010
1:36 pm
The Catholic Church also considers Christian faiths that have no connection to the apostolic origin of Christianity to lack authenticity – but that is a religious bicker.
T Knight
June 5th, 2010
2:58 pm
Paddy O…. we are closer in thought than you think. I am a woman and a mother. Under no circumstances would I ever give any credibility to GRTL or any other RTL group. They represent an extreme, unrealistic, head in the sand, judgemental, group of so called religious people. In their world, a woman and her body are property. Ray McBerry gets their approval? Please explain how anyone in their right mind can give a pedophile a political endorsement while denying Mrs. Handel an endorsement because she’s had IVF and she’s a “barren woman”.
John Konop
June 6th, 2010
7:51 am
Dan Becker and the GRTL attacking Karen Handel and other woman who have medical issues having kids to win an election demonstrates a new level of NO CLASS!
Dan Becker and the GRTL Platform:
Help create miracle for woman with IVI is murder
Help save a person and or cure a disease with stem-cell research is murder
Force 13 year old girls who are rape victims to have children or charge them with murder
Barnes will have a field day with this issue in the general.
Will Jones - Atlanta Jeffersonian Exegesis
June 6th, 2010
8:44 am
John Konop, a “Republican,” in good-standing in the Roman Anti-Christ’s Gay Old Pervert party, wants Barnes as the Democratic candidate for governor. “Smart” guy…but not a good Georgian.
Come out of Babylon, Georgia, let’s go with DuBose Porter and his Perfect Example of Georgia’s Finest as Lt.Gov, for the WIN!
Paddy O
June 8th, 2010
9:58 am
T Knight – you may be correct. The GRTL should never have given any type of endorsement to McBerry. The evidence of his inappropriate relationship with a student is fairly convincing. You would think he would consider himself unqualified for any publicly elected position. I would vote for Porter – but if Chapman gets the nomination, I will probably vote for him. I just understand GRTL position. If you believe conception is a blessing from the lord g-d, then even if it occurs due to rape or incest, it should not be aborted – why should the future child suffer death? 2 wrongs do not make a right. However, if the mother’s life is medically threatened, then abortion is a reasonable option. But then, the mother should also have a hysterectomy (sp).
The Return of Your Daily News Links (and witty side notes) « Columbus, Georgia: Theresa Style…
June 8th, 2010
12:03 pm
[...] running for governor with the exception of Karen Handel. You can read Jim Galloway’s “Political Insider” column from the AJC and the full press release from the Handel [...]
Is it Just Me… «
July 10th, 2010
2:28 pm
[...] Georgia Right to Life picks a fight with Karen Handel [...]
Say Anything › Blog for Democracy
July 15th, 2010
4:29 pm
[...] she makes clear her support for benefits for domestic partners, and equivocate as she might about her support for abortion rights under certain circumstances, when it comes to social issues, the real Karen Handel is, dare I say it, [...]
Georgia On the Mind | Progressive Fix
July 16th, 2010
3:54 pm
[...] And all the candidates are hard-core conservatives on cultural issues, though Handel got into a fight with Georgia Right-to-Life by opposing its proposal to restrict IV fertilization [...]
Doug Venice
July 22nd, 2010
10:53 pm
Whether GRTL worded their concerns correctly or not, Handel is clearly NOT pro-life. Her own flyers say she makes exceptions for rape, incest, or where the life of the mother is at risk. Once you add that third one, the value of the kid is not completely subjective and there are plenty of doctors willing to claim the mother’s life is at risk if she wants to get rid of the child.
Handel was the ONLY candidate out of the top 4 on Tuesday that claimed pro-life and then added on all those exceptions. Nathan Deal is a much better candidate and has my support.
Palin to Make Georgia Campaign Appearance - The Caucus Blog - NYTimes.com
July 30th, 2010
6:08 pm
[...] also been endorsed by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, has seen her anti-abortion bona fides challenged by Georgia Right to Life, an anti-abortion group, during the campaign. Meanwhile, Mr. Deal, who is [...]
Georgia’s worrisome intramural fight over abortion | Kyle Wingfield
August 27th, 2010
7:01 pm
[...] defends its stance as “the 21st-century demands of being pro-life,” a tacit acknowledgment that one exception hasn’t always been the rule. For decades after the [...]