Shame On You, Mike Braun!

After weeks of pressure from Washington, D.C., Indiana Governor Mike Braun has announced a special session of the Indiana General Assembly to push forward the idea of redistricting Indiana mid-decade to weaken the influence of Indiana Democrats

Democrat candidates received 40% of the vote for both U.S. President and Indiana Governor in 2024. That 40% is already vastly underrepresented at both state and federal levels. 20% of the Indiana General Assembly is Democrat and 20% (2 of 9) of Indiana's U.S. representatives. Neither Indiana senator is a Democrat.

I have heard all my life that "Cheaters never prosper." This is blatant cheating. The current legislature has no authority to redistrict the state. The Indiana constitution says:

Section 5. The General Assembly elected during the year in which a federal decennial census is taken shall fix by law the number of Senators and Representatives and apportion them among districts according to the number of inhabitants in each district, as revealed by that federal decennial census. The territory in each district shall be contiguous. (History: As amended March 14, 1881; November 6, 1984).

The General Assembly did its job following the 2020 census. There is no authority and no precedent for a mid-decade General Assembly to set aside that work and redistrict at the cost of Indiana taxpayers.

Will cheaters prosper in this new era of government? I will do everything in my power to make sure they don't.

Shame on you, Mike Braun, for trying to drag Indiana into this cheating scheme!! And shame on the Indiana legislators who are going along with it!

https://apnews.com/article/indiana-redistricting-special-session-braun-63f3447efcc34529dfc363a96a763b6e#

The Abortion Issue

One strategy the Republican party has used to secure the loyalty of committed Christians is to advocate for a complete ban on abortion (and to label Democrats as "baby killers").

The cry goes out, "We must protect unborn babies!" This appeals to people who paint all abortions with the same brush, as infanticide by selfish women who want to enjoy sexual freedom without facing the consequences. From this viewpoint, the Democrat message is, "Have fun! Don't worry about getting pregnant! You can just get rid of the problem."

Let's look at this more closely. There are at least three types of abortions. 

   a. spontaneous -- the fetus is expelled by the woman's body prior to full development. (Is this an act of God?)

   b. elective -- a woman who finds herself pregnant requests that the pregnancy to be terminated. This generally happens as soon as possible after the pregnancy is confirmed so the woman can get on with her life with as little discomfort as possible.

   c. medical issues -- early delivery of a baby because of severe health issues involving either the mother or child. These are the late-term abortions that get so much press. Women in this last group have accepted, even embraced and celebrated the pregnancy until something dreadful changes their course. This dreadful thing comes in many forms and each case needs careful counsel by professionals.

Anti-abortion laws tend to be a blunt force solution aimed at women in the second group, but they also affect those in the first and last groups. Offering medical care to those experiencing some form of spontaneous abortion can be a liability under strict anti-abortion laws. Inducing labor for a fetus that has died in utero or been shown to have abnormalities incompatible with life is also a liability. Sacrificing the life of the baby in order to save the mother is a tragedy for all involved, as is sacrificing the mother's life in order to save the baby. These scenarios involve excruciating choices far more complex than any law can anticipate.

A recent advertisement for a pregnancy test shows the relief women experience when seeing their results. As viewers, we are not shown the results and don't know which women are overjoyed by a negative result -- 'Whew! I'm not pregnant!" -- and which are overjoyed by a positive result -- "I'm pregnant! How wonderful!" Nor do we see the tears when the result is the opposite of what is hoped for. But we get the message that pregnancy is a big deal! Barring complications, it is the beginning of nine months of major physical changes followed by the bittersweet trauma of childbirth and the emergence of a helpless human baby bearing the combined DNA of both partners.

It interests me when people say, "If a woman gets pregnant and doesn't want the baby, she should simply give it up for adoption." This is where cultivating empathy can help us. This choice requires the woman to set aside nine months of her life nurturing and birthing a baby she doesn't want or is maybe unable to care for. How will she explain to her family, friends, coworkers, and curious bystanders the circumstances of her pregnancy and her choice to give the baby away? Instead of explaining, will she drop out of life and "disappear" when her condition can no longer be hidden? Will she then let go of the baby she has birthed at such cost as though she were simply a surrogate? Few of us have walked that road. Can we imagine what it is like to do so? This "simple" solution is far more costly than we often acknowledge.**

One aspect of unwanted pregnancies that isn't often addressed is the fact that there is always a man involved. 100% of the time! No exceptions! That man may be a romantic partner or spouse, an acquaintance, a relative, or a stranger -- welcome or not -- but he is always present for the conception and is often more focused on his own desires than on whether the woman he is with would like to give birth to a child if he impregnates her. He is likely physically stronger than she is. We like to think unwanted pregnancies are the result of poor choices on the part of the pregnant woman, but how free is she to make good decisions in light of her relationship with and possible subjugation to the man?

What we need are better ways to avoid the NEED for abortion. The traditional Republican solution has been abstinence. Women who don't engage in sexual activities don't end up pregnant. This has not proven to be an effective method to avoid unwanted pregnancies, however. The human sex drive is incredibly strong!

The Guttmacher Institute reports that the U.S. abortion rate has increased slightly since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, even though many states now have strict laws against abortion. That number doesn't include illegal (unreported and unregulated) abortions. It seems to me that we really need to move beyond laws limiting access to safe and legal abortions and focus more on ways for young women to avoid unwanted pregnancies. After all, what woman would choose having her insides scraped out as her preferred method of birth control if she had a less risky and invasive alternative at hand?

As a Christian from the Baby Boomer generation, I value marriage and sexual fidelity, but I know many in our nation make different choices in terms of sexual relationships than I do. Expecting the risk of pregnancy to rein in people’s passions has resulted in far, far too many unwanted pregnancies and resulting abortions, particularly since men often push for and even demand sex while women are the ones who end up pregnant. A vote to ban abortion does not lead to greater morality. What it does is disproportionately punish impoverished and oppressed women who have less independence and access to all forms of birth control by forcing them to bear babies against their will while those with more resources enjoy sexual freedom. That is not righteousness on the part of those passing laws (which seldom effect their own lives). Nor is it the path to every child being welcomed and treasured by their parents. It is oppression of poor women. 

As a follower of Jesus Christ, I want to vote for the oppressed to be set free not further oppressed. (See Luke 4:18) How can we legislate less and care more for the well-being and freedom of every woman, rich or poor, to choose if and when she will lovingly welcome an infant into her arms? How can we best make sure that every newborn baby is enveloped in love?

——- **If you would like to step into the story of a pregnant teenager and the difficult choices she faces, I recommend the movie "Juno" from 2007. It is rated PG-13 and currently available on Hulu. A good book from the Christian fiction shelves is The Atonement Child by Francine Rivers.

The Making of a Christian Democrat

Becoming a Republican

When I first registered to vote at age 18 in 1976, I was surprised to be asked what party I wanted to join. After a flash of panic, I remembered my parents were Republicans. That must be our party. 

It took several more years to gain enough knowledge about the respective platforms of Republicans and Democrats to feel a true sense of loyalty to one party over the other. Democrats were in favor of social programs to share the wealth. The idea was to tax people in proportion to their income and provide support to those less willing or able to find and keep a job. In contrast, Republicans valued individualism and low taxes. Each citizen needed to support themselves and their family, pulling themselves up by their bootstraps, if necessary. Republicans were willing to fight for our freedom. Republicans had strong moral values and respect for law and order. Yes, I could sign on to that. It was obviously the best fit for a Christian like me.

Evolving views

Despite being a card-carrying Republican, I wasn’t one to vote “straight ticket” over the years, often splitting my ballot. After all, Indiana Democrats such as Evan Bayh, Indiana’s governor from 1989-1997, tended to land on the conservative end of their party on social issues. However, it wasn’t until Barack Obama came along in 2008 that I first cast my ballot for a Democrat to be President of the United States. That choice had less to do with well-studied political views than simply liking what Obama had to say and how he said it. And I liked the idea of electing a Black man as President. That year, Indiana’s electoral votes went to Obama. Looking back from 2025, it’s hard to believe Indiana went blue in 2008, but I was part of it.

After voting for Obama again in 2012, I was less Republican than I had ever been. It didn’t take much exposure to Donald Trump to decide I would not be voting for him. I was shocked when he won not only the Republican nomination in 2016, but enough electoral college votes to move into the White House. I was even more startled to learn that friends and family I thought shared my values voted for him. Over time, many became passionate defenders of him. I have seen people from less conservative areas suggest that voting for Trump is a sign one isn’t a “real Christian” (while my more conservative friends and neighbors often have the opposite view), but these were indeed “real Christians” — pastors, church leaders, people who study the Bible and know it well, committed followers of Jesus Christ. I couldn’t understand it.

When, after a four-year respite under Joe Biden, Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2021, I realized that I no longer wanted to be associated with the Republican party. If Republicans support what Trump stands for even after lengthy exposure to his bully tactics, I need to find a new party. But am I ready to call myself a Democrat?

Considerations

One motivation to reconsider my politics was observing how the Republicans have changed over the years to the point where they support the policies of the current administration. We are far from the days when President George W. Bush talked about “compassionate conservatism.” 

Another consideration is how I have changed over the years. I am no longer convinced that people who have better jobs or more money are somehow of better moral character than those who have less. I have realized that not everyone has bootstraps with which to pull themselves up. In short, I have more empathy for those who have been pushed aside by society. I care about those who struggle to catch up from a disadvantaged starting place. The idea of offering such people tax-funded assistance has a lot more appeal to me than it once did.

Another attractive aspect of the Democrat party is how much more diverse its leaders are in gender, religion, and cultural heritage. DEI – diversity, equality, and inclusion – has become a concept openly rejected by Republican leadership. But I want to be inclusive. I love the diversity I find in all of creation, including within humanity. I regret the fact that some people have fewer open doors in their lives than others based on differences having to do with gender, socioeconomic level, culture, skin color, country of origin, age, sexual identity, or disability.

In recent days, empathy has been described as a weakness and even a sin by some Republicans. But I actively cultivate empathy in my own life by exposing myself to the stories of people not like me through books, movies, social media, and a variety of cultural experiences. I am willing to walk into those stories to become more aware of views other than the one being born white in rural America gives me. I still discover prejudices within myself, but I am trying to set them aside rather than embracing them.

Does that make me a Democrat in our two-party system? This is a question I have wrestled with as Trump’s second term has threatened the very foundations of the American experiment.

Faith and politics

Republicans like to think of themselves as the Christian party, based, as much as anything, on being against abortion and homosexuality, but Jesus never addressed either issue. Instead, he called us to a life of love and compassion. He reached out and drew in people whom others excluded. He treated women as worthy partners in conversation. He asked questions and listened to people. He touched the untouchable. He offered healing rather than harm. He told us there is blessing in being merciful, in being peacemakers, in humility. He called us to a life of generosity; to give food to the hungry, care for the sick, and welcome the stranger. He offered grace to those others pushed aside.

It is not in spite of my Christian values that I can no longer be associated with the Republican party, but because of them. Compassion and grace toward the poor and oppressed are virtues I seek to cultivate, not devalue.

It took a while to get here, but I truly believe that, as a whole, the Democrat party values are more “Christian” than those of the Republican party. That doesn’t always come through in individual leaders. Power and authority in this world have never meshed well with the values of the Kingdom of God. And I know many good Christian people remain loyal to the Republican party. Still, I feel like the pressure on the Republican side is to be less compassionate, less merciful, to emphasize the “Thou Shalt Not” of the Ten Commandments while pushing aside as weak and impractical Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, whereas the pressure on the Democrat side is more toward the compassion and generosity Jesus taught.

Beyond the question of which political party in the U.S. is a better fit for me as a follower of Jesus Christ is the question of whether I should align myself with any nation or political structure in this world. IF I am going to do that, however, I want to choose the one I feel has a better grasp of Christian values. And right now, I am convinced the values of the Democrat party better reflect the life of mercy, compassion, and grace to which Jesus calls us.