This is an interesting case of vertical memetic transmission, but
the real question is not whether the effect exists (just look at
how many effective religions encourage many offspring-
Catholicism springs to mind, but it is a widespread
characteristic), but whether it's strong enough to affect the net
shifts and defections of conservatives & liberals (In memetic
terms, which is stronger now, horizontal or vertical
transmission? Historically, vertical was but we are not in
historically periods anymore.).  I'd personally say the shift
from liberal to conservative is due more to less aggressive
proselytizing on the left's side, and its incoherence (due to
diversity- there are way more differences between groups than on
the right side of the equation).  Just my opinion.
~Maru
--- Joseph Riggs <josephriggs@lycos.com> wrote:
<snip>
> 
> Something else to ponder, just as a curious side note.  The
> Wall Street Journal's on-line editorial page likes to refer to
> what it calls the "Roe Effect".  The basic idea behind it is
> that since liberals are more in favor of abortion, they're more
> 
> likely to abort children before they're born, while
> conservatives are more likely to carry them to term.  That
> suggests that more children are born in conservative families
> than in liberal families, and since people often have a
> political outlook 
> that's similar to that of their parents, the suggestion is that
> any population that allows abortion will gradually shift to a
> more conservative, anti-abortion mood (albeit very slowly). 
> 
> So one could make the argument that in a very real way, Bush's
> anti-gay marriage views and his anti-abortion views played a
> role in his win, albeit one in a very indirect way (since
> abortion has been legal for a few decades now).
> 
> Something to debate at your leisure.  I don't know that there's
> any real research to support it or disprove it.
> 
> 
> junior
> 
> -- 
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