Success of GOP platform would harm Jewish interests

In regard to the JTA article in the Sept. 5 Chronicle: “GOP platform supports Israel, wants all abortions banned”:

The Jewish supporters of Republican nominee Sen. John McCain are giving him a free pass on matters of crucial interest to Jews. The Republican platform addresses the concerns of fundamentalist Christians, on whom McCain is relying to propel him to the presidency.

Yet Judaism differs from Christianity in many ways, and the success of this platform would damage Jewish interests. It would prevent access to abortion even when Jewish law requires it to save a woman’s life. It would ban embryonic stem-cell research, to which there is virtually no Jewish opposition.

It encourages “voluntary” prayer in public schools — and that doesn’t mean putting on tefillin. It would require teaching creationism as an “alternative” in science classes — right here in the suburbs, not just in rural Alaska. And it opposes McCain’s previously stated views on immigration and global warming.

The platform does express support of Israel, but both major political parties and their presidential candidates share that position.

We’re told that McCain’s views differ from his party’s platform, but he didn’t want to “upset leaders of the party’s conservative base.” If McCain can’t or won’t stand up for his principles now, why should we expect him to do better as president?