Kneeland Timothy W. - Todays Social Issues

Copyright 2016 by ABC-CLIO, LLC

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Kneeland, Timothy W., 1962- author.

Title: Todays social issues : Democrats and Republicans / Timothy W. Kneeland.

Description: Santa Barbara, California : ABC-CLIO, 2016. | Series: Across the aisle | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015051075 | ISBN 9781610698351 (hardback) | ISBN 9781610698368 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Democratic Party (U.S.) | Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- ) | Political partiesUnited StatesPlatforms. | BISAC: POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Process / Political Parties. | POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Ideologies / Democracy.

Classification: LCC JK2316 .K64 2016 | DDC 324.273/13dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2015051075

ISBN:978-1-61069-835-1

EISBN: 978-1-61069-836-8

201918171612345

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Both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party claim that they have the best interests of the nation and its people at heart, and they are equally adamant that they have the best policy solutions to address Americas problems and challenges. This volume in ABC-CLIOs Across the Aisle series examines the proposals and positions of the two partiesfrom profound disagreements to areas of common groundin the realm of social policy.

Todays Social Issues: Democrats and Republicans sorts through the rhetorical clutter and partisan distortions that typify so many disputes between Republicans and Democrats in the 21st century in order to provide an accurate, balanced, and evenhanded overview of the parties respective policy positions and attitudes on the most important and divisive social issues in the United States. Coverage also details instances in which the rhetorical positions staked out by Democrats and Republicans are inconsistent with their voting records and policy priorities.

Finally, in addition to explaining the differences between the two parties on todays hot-button social issues, this volume also documents significant differences of opinion within the parties where present. After all, neither Republicans nor Democrats march in complete lockstep on a wide range of issues, from immigration to legalizing marijuana to sentencing reform. Nor do the policy positions of Republican and Democratic politicians always reflect the views of Republican and Democratic voters.

Throughout this volume, the text features actual quotes from conservative and liberal party leaders, think tanks, and media figures, public opinion poll results, and other valuable, authoritative information to enhance its coverage. This information serves as the foundation for the volumes summaries of the philosophies and records of the two parties in such diverse realms as abortion, gun control, the death penalty, the minimum wage, reparations, unions, income inequality, and privacy rights.

Each essay in Todays Social Issues: Democrats and Republicans begins with an At a Glance summary of the prevailing sentiments and policies of the two parties on the issue being discussed. This section also includes reader-friendly bullet points listing the most important views of each party.

Each essay then provides an Overview section on historical trends, events, and attitudes displayed by both Republicans and Democrats regarding the issue in question. This section explores party attitudes toward key pieces of legislation, details their political alliances, and tracks evolutions in party thought over time.

From there each essay moves into a deeper exploration of the history and attitudes of the two parties on the social issue in question. Every essay features two special sectionsone devoted to the Democratic record on the issue, the other concerned with the Republican record. As with the At a Glance and Overview sections, these sections are carefully crafted to provide both an accurate and an impartial overview of the parties respective positions.

Every essay in this collection is further supplemented with sidebars featuring illuminating excerpts from speeches, court decisions, and editorials from liberal and conservative presidents, senators, pundits, and justices on the issue being studied. Each essay then concludes with a helpful Further Reading section to direct users to other information sources. The collection is also enhanced with a helpful Glossary of social policy terms, programs, and organizations mentioned in the book, as well as a comprehensive Bibliography.

The abortion debate divides Democrats and Republicans over three critical issues: the right to privacy, the right to life, and how to regulate abortion without creating an undue burden on women. Most Democrats believe that a woman has a fundamental right to privacy and that her choice of whether or not to terminate her pregnancy is one she alone should make. The great majority of Republicans believe that abortion on demand terminates the life of an unborn child and should be outlawed or strictly regulated.

Are pro-life.

Believe they need to protect the right of unborn infants by restricting abortions.

Oppose abortion on demand.

Reject the Courts decision in Roe v. Wade.

Support the so-called Hyde Amendment that bans the use of federal funds for abortion.

Want a pro-life amendment to the Constitution to ban abortion.

Want to pass legislation to mandate waiting periods with counseling for women seeking abortions.

Seek to protect the right of people to have free speech that opposes abortion.

See themselves as champions of women and families.

Often have the backing of conservative and evangelical voters.

Are pro-choice.

Believe that a woman has a fundamental right to control medical decisions about her own body.

Believe that the right to privacy includes the right to choose whether or not to have children.

Support Roe v. Wade as the law of the land.

Oppose a Human Life Amendment to the Constitution that would ban abortion.

Oppose attempts to end the funding of family planning activities and abortion overseas.

Support a Freedom of Choice Bill that protects a womens right to choose.

Seek legislation to protect medical staff and women entering and leaving abortion clinics.

See themselves as champions of a womans right to choose.

Often have the backing of feminist groups.

The issue of whether a woman should have the legal right to voluntarily end her pregnancy through abortion has increasingly divided the two major political parties since the Supreme Court legalized abortion in 1973 with its