COMMENTARY | As the GOP comes closer to selecting a candidate to run against President Barack Obama in the 2012 election, there are still some questions that need to be addressed. I have one question for each of them that I don’t feel have been sufficiently addressed.
Question for Rick Santorum:
You’ve made your religious convictions very clear, along with your doubts about the religious beliefs of others. If elected president, how would you be able to uphold separation between church and state without contradicting your own moral stances?
As President, Santorum would not just be making decisions that affect ultra-conservative Christians, but people of all faiths. If he is unable to provide a convincing answer that makes it clear that he does understand the boundaries between church and state, it may be a good indicator that if he were President, those lines would become very blurred.
Question for Ron Paul:
You claim that in all your years as an obstetrician, you never dealt with a case in which an abortion was necessary to save the life of a mother. If you had found yourself treating such a patient, would you have refused to recommend that she have an abortion?
During the entire span of his career, Paul says he never had to deal with the issue. It’s not such a rare occurrence that such things never happen, so it would be fair to ask what he would have done in that situation. If a pro-life stance doesn’t include the life of a mother, such as with Rick Santorum’s stance that there should be no abortions for any reason, it’s not really fair to call it pro-life.
Question for Newt Gingrich:
You’ve avoided questions about your ex-wife and her claim that you asked for an “open marriage” which would have entailed pursuing relationships with other women while you were married. Would you be willing to address this issue if faced with decisions that affect other people’s rights to redefine or defy “traditional marriage”?
Gingrich doesn’t support same-sex marriage, but an open marriage is just as untraditional. But if his ex-wife’s allegations are true, it’s worth finding out why exceptions to the rules of “tradition” should be made for some situations (such as philandering) and not others, such as gay marriage.
Question for Mitt Romney:
You have said that, if elected President, you would not make decisions as a Mormon. How would you ensure that your religious beliefs didn’t interfere with your decision-making? On what issues can you foresee having to contradict your spiritual beliefs in order to do what was right for the country?
It’s fair to wonder whether Romney can successfully separate his beliefs from the decisions he makes as President without ostracizing himself from the church. And if he did find that the church disapproved of his decisions, could he remain true to the principles of separation of church and state without hesitation?