StemCell Therapy

The proposed new platform for the Republican Party of Iowa touches on abortion, agriculture, budgeting, business, criminal justice, education, elections, energy, environment, family values, foreign policy, government, gun rights, health care, homeland security, human services, immigration, marriage, religious freedom, the Republican Party, right to work, taxation and transportation.

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad said most people dont read the platform, which is controlled by the most ardent activists. The candidates stances are more important, he said.

At the end of the day, the platform is a grassroots a document as developed by the delegates, Branstad told the Des Moines Register Tuesday. But whats more important, in my mind, is the candidates that really articulate their stand on the issues. Thats really the important thing and thats what goes to the voters. Most people dont read the party platforms and you can take either party platform and you find that parties tend to be controlled by the more ardent left or right and that doesnt really reflect where the candidates are going to come down.

Heres the proposed 2012 platform, which delegates will vote on Saturday during the state convention in downtown Des Moines:

Preamble: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.

As Republicans, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and are never deprived of property or forced to sacrifice ones values for the benefit of others. We believe that respect for individual rights is the essential precondition for a free and prosperous world, and that only through freedom can peace and prosperity be realized. Consequently, we defend each persons right to engage in any activity that is peaceful and honest, and welcome the diversity that freedom brings. We defend the right of each individual to be free and to follow their own dreams in their own ways, unless the exercise of their freedoms infringes upon the valid rights of others.

In the following pages we have set forth our basic principles and enumerated various policies derived from those principles. Let it be clear that these specific policies are not our end goal. Our goal is nothing more nor less than a world set free, and it is to this end that we stand together.

Where two planks might seem to be contradictory, the platform should be interpreted as favoring the goal of the plan providing the least government while protecting basic rights and responsibilities of individuals. Some planks may appear redundant or in conflict, but upon closer evaluation you should see that sufficient nuance exists to include each plank. Any redundancy from one section of this Platform to another was deliberately adopted for emphasis and because government actions often impact more than one area of life. All planks should be read and understood in the context of related issues, events, and circumstances.

Other planks are supported as possible steps toward the goal of limited, responsible, Constitutional, Republican Government. It has taken many years to move away from Constitutional Government and it is unlikely that we will be able to return to the vision of our illustrious Founding Fathers overnight.

A Right to Life 1.1 We believe in the sacred gift of life from conception to natural death. On day one a babys genetic code and DNA are formed. That is the beginning of life. We affirm that the unborn child is a living human being, with rights separate from those of its mother regardless of gestational age or dependency. 1.2 We oppose infanticide, euthanasia, and assisted suicide. 1.3 We advocate the appointment of judges who respect the sanctity of life and who understand their limited role in government. 1.4 We disagree with Roe vs. Wade and Doe vs. Bolton as settled law. Under the Tenth amendment, these Supreme Court decisions have no authority over the states. 1.5 We support a personhood amendment to the US Constitution that states, Personhood and life begins at Conception and that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, and property, according to the 14th amendment with-out due Process of Law and shall hold all officials accountable to enforce it. 1.6 We oppose the use of public revenues for abortion, and call for elimination of government funding for all organizations, such as Planned Parenthood, which advocate or support abortion. 1.7 We support a ban of RU-486 (morning after pill) and all abortion-inducing drugs. 1.8 We support legislation requiring a parent or legal guardians consent before an abortion or any reproductive surgery is performed on a minor child. 1.9 We believe in conscience-clause legislation so that no physician, pharmacist, or other health care provider can be penalized for refusing to prescribe, dispense, or participate in the procurement of abortion or anything contrary to the conscience of the health care provider. 1.10 We support an Iowa Womans Right to Know Law requiring informed consent including a three day waiting period with a mandatory ultrasound before any elective abortion services may be provided. Informed Consent means that abortionists must offer to the pregnant woman, prior to the abortion, complete factual information about the complications of abortion, the biological development of the unborn, fetal pain, and the availability of alternatives to abortion. 1.11 We call for confidential statistical reporting of abortion procedures to the State Health Department by all doctors and health facilities performing abortions. 1.12 Facilities performing abortions should be subject to the same health and safety standards as hospitals. 1.13 We call for the end of tele-med abortions. 1.14 We support legislation that would prohibit organizations, such as Planned Parenthood, from entering public school facilities for the purpose of promoting abortion. 1.15 We call for banning partial birth abortions. 1.16 We support agencies that do not refer for or perform abortions and encourage Positive Alternatives, for pregnancy counseling. We support adoption and aid to unwed mothers during pregnancy. All funding must come from the private sector. 1.17 We support the use of non-embryonic stem cells to advance modern medical research. We oppose somatic cell nuclear transfer (human cloning), embryonic stem cell research, human fetal-tissue research from induced abortions, and the commercial use or sale of fetal parts. 1.18 We oppose the selling, brokering, or marketing of fetal and aborted tissue. We oppose the use of aborted fetal tissue in vaccines. This should be illegal.

See the original post:
Iowa governor downplays GOP party platform; here's the whole document

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