In 2004, unbeknownst to most IL GOP state convention delegates who weren't able to or didn't attend the state convention platform committee hearings held on Friday of the 2004 state convention, they voted to accept on Saturday an IL GOP platform missing a whole section from the 2000 version.
Joe Behnken, a convention delegate from the 12th CD who has been appointed to the platform committee, suggests the following be added back in to the platform this year. It would be placed back where the section was in 2000, immediately after "Our Party's Philosophy":
HUMAN RIGHTS
The right to life is a fundamental human right, and though abortion continues to be a divisive issue, we stand in opposition to taxpayer funding of abortions. We commend the efforts of those individuals and religious and private organizations that are providing positive alternatives to abortion by meeting the physical, emotional and financial needs of pregnant women and offering adoption services where needed. We stand with and support these organizations that are fighting to overthrow Roe vs. Wade and or change the US Constitution reverting the abortion issue back to the states. The Republican Party of Illinois supports those measures which, consistent with traditional moral principles and constitutional values, extend protection and respect for the unborn.
Additionally, we deplore discrimination because of a person’s disability. This issue has vast implications, for medical ethics, family autonomy, and civil rights, but we find no basis in law or medicine or ethics for denying necessities to an infant because of the child’s disability.
We stridently oppose the growing trend among colleges and universities to adopt misguided, “politically correct” speech-restrictive disciplinary codes. The marketplace of ideas of the university community should, indeed, be the last place ideas or opinions are suppressed.
The Republican Party of Illinois recognizes that the law must vigilantly protect the rights of minorities. We applaud efforts aimed at recruiting and educating minorities and creating opportunities for qualified applicants.
Here's a link to the 2004 IL GOP platform. Do you agree this wording should be added back in?
