Everywhere I go, people commonly ask about my stance on abortion and the 2nd Amendment.
Here's how I fielded the two hot button issues of abortion and guns at a recent town hall, as reported this morning in the Daily Mining Gazette. Read the DMG's article in-full, and if you like what you've read, I would greatly appreciate your support and contribution to my campaign.
MAR 17, 2022 - Garrett Neese, Daily Mining Gazette
HOUGHTON, Mich. — ...Lorinser fielded questions on a number of hot-button issues. On abortion, he described himself as "pro-life" (supporting childhood education and health care), "pro-choice" (supporting Roe v. Wade and the Constitutional right to privacy), and anti-abortion (not supporting late-term abortions).
"It's a very difficult decision that will stay with you for your lifetime," he said. "I wish most people were not forced with that choice."
Abortion should be reduced through birth control, education, and family planning, Lorinser said.
He supports Planned Parenthood, calling it "necessary reproductive medical care."...
Asked about gun control, Lorinser did not endorse a specific policy, but used the topic as an example of how he would engage people in more productive discussions. Everyone can agree gun violence is a problem, he said; they can also agree there should be a balance between having as much individual liberty as possible and the civic virtue of living under laws.
"We've got to get back talking, and right now we're just throwing out solutions that one side rejects completely, and one side accepts," he said. "And all they're saying is, 'When I get the majority, I'm going to force it upon you.' That's probably not the way to pull a nation back together."
WHAT IT ALL MEANS
Women's Health
I am an advocate of life and a proponent of choice, privacy, and individual liberty. I will support proven measures to reduce abortion.
Advocating for life means:
Supporting children before and after birth
Programs that assist working parents
Increasing access to affordable education from Pre-3 on
Affordable and accessible childcare
Addressing childhood poverty
Improving and promoting adoption services and foster programs
Universal healthcare
Protecting choice means:
Upholding Roe V. Wade
Supporting reproductive services
Family planning/contraception
Providing access to safe and legal abortion
Protecting a woman's right to privacy
Proper sex education based on consent
Very often, religious beliefs are the foundation of anti-abortion views, and my or your religious beliefs should not be the basis for the laws of our country.
I can personally advocate for life and politically be pro-choice. These two positions are not mutually exclusive. In the end, the government should not serve as the decider on a woman's medical decisions or religious beliefs. The government should recognize our individual freedoms, our right to privacy, and leave these extremely personal medical decisions up to the individual.
If the goal is abortion prevention, making it illegal is ineffective. It only makes it more dangerous. Comprehensive sex education and affordable and accessible birth control are proven to work.
2nd Amendment & Gun Violence
The culture of hunting and sport in Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula is strong. I support the 2nd Amendment and will protect an individual's liberty and right to bear arms.
At the same time, we must address gun violence as a national health epidemic.
About Dr. Lorinser
For his entire career, Dr. Bob Lorinser (D-MI1) has dedicated his life to the service of his community and country.
After receiving three advanced degrees (Medical Doctor, Masters of Social Work, and Masters in Public Health), Dr. Lorinser worked as a social worker in a Veterans Affairs Hospital and as a physician with the Indian Health Service, serving the Navajo Nation. In 1989, he found his home in Michigan's First District, where he practiced family medicine for three decades.
Dr. Bob joined the U.S. Department of State's Foreign Services in 2011 to serve as a diplomat and Regional Medical Officer. The Lorinsers served the United States for ten years, with tours in Pakistan, South Korea, Afghanistan, Morocco, and Iraq.
When he returned to the states in 2020, Dr. Bob offered his services as Medical Director of Marquette County Health Department. He and his wife of 40 years, Peggy, live in Gwinn and have three children and four granddaughters.
Dr. Bob Lorinser hopes to serve and represent constituents in Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. He is unopposed in the Democrat primary and poised to face Rep. Jack Bergman (R, Acme) in the general mid-term election this November. For more information, visit VoteDrBob.com.