Political Action & Abortion
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The objective of political action by an elected representative should be to serve the public interest, but this does not make it easy to decide a course of action on a given issue because different people have different definitions for what constitutes the public interest. This is the problem facing Bob Griffin, and it involves an issue--abortion--that is highly controversial, with different segments of the public ranged on both sides of the issue and with each clamoring for attention and action on their behalf. On one level, the legislator must decide what he believes is in the public interest. On another, though, the question often becomes whether the legislator should do what he or she believes is best for the public interest or ask the public and follow its lead, even if that goes against what he or she believes to be right and even knowing that public opinion is fickle. Bob Griffin's choice should not be as difficult for him as it seems to be. While it is true that the legislature is expected address issues of public import and not to be afraid to do the job assigned to it, it is also true that allowing the people to decide through a referendum can be a good way of assuring that the majority view is heard and that the minority is also allowed to air its views fully and to try to put its program into action. Griffin is being asked to remove the abortion issue from the legislative calendar and to allow the referendum process to decide the matter. Under these cir
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e people" (Storing 54). It might seem that legislators checking the prevailing wind before voting would be seen as responsive to the people, and yet another view would be that these are legislators who are not making use of their own abilities and moral sense but who are avoiding doing so by taking a poll. Americans have this ambiguous response to their legislators. On the one hand, groups with a passionate agenda will threaten dire consequences if their demands are not heeded; on the other hand, many complain about a leader like Bill Clinton who seems to determine his core beliefs on the basis of polls rather than morality or rational analysis.
Even as we consider the reasons why legislators might act or refuse to act, we have to consider why the people act, for a referendum has dangers for the long-term public interest as well. The passions of the people can be inflamed so that they rise up and demand some change that might make them feel good in the short term but that could prove troublesome in the long run. Currently, there is a debate about how to pass laws to protect celebrities from unwanted photographers. Such legislation is an emotional response to the death of Princess Diana, but it is never good to allow such a
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1400
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)
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