McCain and Obama Statements on Abortion (from Baptist Press)

Michael Foust, assistant editor of Baptist Press, has compiled statements from Senators McCain and Obama relating to various issues including abortion here.

BARACK OBAMA

-- What Obama thinks about Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion (taken from his website): "Barack Obama understands that abortion is a divisive issue, and respects those who disagree with him. However, he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women's rights under Roe v. Wade a priority as President. He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in that case" (BarackObama.com).

-- What Obama thought about the 2007 U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the federal ban on partial-birth abortion: "I strongly disagree with today's Supreme Court ruling, which dramatically departs from previous precedents safeguarding the health of pregnant women. As Justice Ginsburg emphasized in her dissenting opinion, this ruling signals an alarming willingness on the part of the conservative majority to disregard its prior rulings respecting a woman's medical concerns and the very personal decisions between a doctor and patient. I am extremely concerned that this ruling will embolden state legislatures to enact further measures to restrict a woman's right to choose, and that the conservative Supreme Court justices will look for other opportunities to erode Roe v. Wade, which is established federal law and a matter of equal rights for women" (Obama campaign statement, April 18, 2007).

-- Obama answering at what point “does a baby get human rights?”: "I think that whether you're looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity is above my pay grade. But let me just speak more generally about the issue of abortion, because this is something obviously the country wrestles with. One thing that I'm absolutely convinced of is that there is a moral and ethical element to this issue. And so I think anybody who tries to deny the moral difficulties and gravity of the abortion issue, I think, is not paying attention" (Saddleback presidential forum, Aug. 16, 2008).

-- What Obama says about how his administration would approach the abortion issue: "I've made it ... clear that I will never back down from making sure that women have their reproductive rights here in this country. That's what's at stake in this election" (New York fundraiser, July 10, 2008). "The first thing I'd do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act (a bill that would overturn abortion restrictions and guarantee that abortion remains legal, even if Roe is overturned)" (Speech to Planned Parenthood, July 17, 2007).

-- What Obama thinks about John McCain's views on abortion: "Sen. McCain has made it abundantly clear that he wants to appoint justices like [Supreme Court Justices John] Roberts and [Samuel] Alito and that he hopes to see Roe overturned. I was proud to get Planned Parenthood's endorsement [this summer], but I have to say that when you look who's got a 100 percent rating from Planned Parenthood, and you've got another candidate [McCain] with a zero percent rating from Planned Parenthood, then it's not really a nail-biter [in deciding whom to support]. I stand by my votes against confirming Justices [John] Roberts and [Samuel] Alito" (Speech, July 10, 2008).

JOHN MCCAIN

-- What McCain thinks about Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion (taken from his website): "John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who understand that courts should not be in the business of legislating from the bench. Constitutional balance would be restored by the reversal of Roe v. Wade, returning the abortion question to the individual states. The difficult issue of abortion should not be decided by judicial fiat" (JohnMcCain.com).

-- What McCain thought about the 2007 U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding a federal ban on partial-birth abortion: "Today's Supreme Court ruling is a victory for those who cherish the sanctity of life and integrity of the judiciary. The ruling ensures that an unacceptable and unjustifiable practice will not be carried out on our innocent children. It also clearly speaks to the importance of nominating and confirming strict constructionist judges who interpret the law as it is written, and do not usurp the authority of Congress and state legislatures. As we move forward, it is critically important that our party continues to stand on the side of life" (McCain campaign statement, April 18, 2008).

-- McCain answering at what point “does a baby get human rights?”: "At the moment of conception." (Saddleback presidential forum, Aug. 16, 2008).

-- What McCain says about how his administration would approach the abortion issue: "I have a 25-year pro-life record in the Congress [and] in the Senate. And as president of the United States, I will be a pro-life president. And this presidency will have pro-life policies.... That's my commitment to you" (Saddleback presidential forum, Aug. 16, 2008).

-- What McCain thinks about Barack Obama's views on abortion: "In 2002, Congress unanimously passed a federal law to require medical care for babies who survive abortions -- living, breathing babies whom Sen. Obama described as, quote, 'previable.' This merciful law was called the Born Alive Infants Protection Act. Illinois had a version of the same law, and Barack Obama voted against it. At Saddleback, he assured a reporter that he'd have voted 'yes' on that bill if it had contained language similar to the federal version of the Born Alive Infants Protection Act. Even though the language of both the state and federal bills was identical, Senator Obama said people were, quote, 'lying' about his record. When that record was later produced, he dropped the subject but didn't withdraw the slander. And now even Senator Obama's campaign has conceded that his claims and accusations were false.... His extreme advocacy in favor of partial birth abortion and his refusal to provide medical care for babies surviving abortion should be of grave concern to reasonable people of goodwill on both sides of this issue" (John McCain weekly radio address, Aug. 23, 2008).

Presidential Candidates and the Human Life Amendment

The American Family Association (AFA) has released it's Voter Guide for the 2008 Presidential Primary. The outcry must have been mighty, because the AFA rewrote it and released it again. The specific issues are designed to highlight differences in the positions of the GOP candidates.

The first edition, which only included the top 6 Republican candidates, gave the candidates' positions on the Human Life Amendment (HLA) as an indication of whether they were pro-life. Only Mike Huckabee supports the HLA.

The revised version includes 7 GOP candidates looks at two criteria: overturning Roe v. Wade and federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. All the candidates except for Giuliani and McCain come down on the side of life on both issues. That's a change from earlier positions for Romney and Thompson.

While the first version of the Voters Guide could be misleading, as Huckabee appeared to be the only pro-life candidate, support for the Human Life Amendment is an important benchmark.

What is the pro-life strategy for ending abortion on demand in the US? In Phase 1, we work to restrict abortion as much as possible at all levels of government and to get judges who care about the original intent of the Constitution into office--especially on the Supreme Court. Then those judges overturn Roe vs. Wade by declaring restrictions that violate Roe to be constitutional. At that point abortion is still legal in nearly all states. The issue of abortion has been returned to the states, and some GOP candidates, such as Fred Thompson and Ron Paul, would stop federal involvement there.

In Phase 2, we work at both state and federal levels to restrict and ban abortion wherever possible, unhindered by Roe. Abortion will be banned with varying exceptions in many states, and still be legal in many others.

In Phase 3, we work to enact the Human Life Amendment to the Constitution to recognize the right to human life from the moment of fertilization.

Through all three phases, we must work to save individuals from the horror of abortion and to create a culture of life that views all human life as intrinsically valuable.

A constitutional amendment is not a federal intrusion into state authority--indeed most states must agree to it. So why is Mike Huckabee the only candidate of the top 6 GOP contenders to embrace the HLA?

If abortion is murder, why should we stop short of victory? On abortion there is no substitute for complete victory. While all Republican presidential candidates pledge to support good judges, I want a president who will lead as far as he can to the ultimate victory of life. I want a president who supports the Human Life Amendment. I realize the HLA won't happen for several more years, but I want a president who knows where we need to go, not one who is content to stop at Phase 1.

Wesley Wilson

Wesley Wilson is the President of Let Her Live, a nonprofit dedicated to saving babies by showing the beauty and value of life to women considering abortion. Please learn more about the Let Her Live pro-life billboard campaign. Donations are tax deductible.

Disclaimer: Let Her Live does not endorse or oppose any political candidates, and political views expressed on this blog represent only the personal views of their authors.

Ron Paul Views License as Liberty. Life Loses.

Although I've never agreed with Ron Paul's isolationist foreign policy, some of his answers at the Values Voter Debate on Monday evening should cause great alarm among pro-life and pro-family supporters. He showed a lack of understanding of true liberty, which explained his "No" answer on these two questions:

Bobby Schindler: My beloved sister Terri Schiavo was starved and dehydrated to death in the land of abundance while the world watched – because she was disabled and unable to speak for herself. Would you pursue or support legislation that would protect the cognitively disabled and vulnerable people from being dehydrated to death by having their food and water taken away?

Dr. Rick Scarborough: Will you agree to prosecute the broad range of illegal adult pornography rather that just the most extreme material, and prosecute all violators of federal obscenity law, including the new, so-called "white collar pornographers"?

(For a transcript of questions, see http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=57685)

How could Ron Paul--widely hailed as a pro-life candidate--refuse to support legislation to protect innocent life? He explained his reasoning (libertarian more than conservative) in his closing statement:

We cannot go to Washington to dictate to us how we improve our personal behavior. You don't dictate--you don't legislate virtue.... You do that from your family, your friends, and your neighbors, but not from the federal government.

We come back to a fundamental question: What is the role of government? I agree with Rep. Paul that our federal government has greatly exceeded its proper role. But the Bible teaches that God established government to restrain and punish evil. (See Genesis 9, Romans 13, and I Peter 2:13-14.)

Moreover, the liberty that Rep. Paul prizes was given to man by God at creation. God gave us the ability to decide our own actions. But God placed limits on those actions. True liberty exists only within the boundaries of morality. No porn addict can legitimately claim he is exercising freedom. He is a slave to his own sinful desires. Although governments cannot break that slavery--only the blood of Jesus does that--governments have the responsibility to curtail it as much as possible to restrain evil, promote good, and protect the innocent victims of pornography.

As Alan Keyes has said, "No one has the right to do wrong."

We don't want to take this idea to the extreme of having government dictating our faith, but we must understand that every law is an attempt to dictate someone's idea of virtue. It is wrong for Mexicans to flood our southern border to take advantage of our benefits without putting back into the system, so we made it illegal. It is wrong for other nations (or terrorists) to attack us, so we have a strong national defense. It is wrong to murder, so we have laws against it--unless you are not yet born or are disabled.

Before Monday, I thought Ron Paul was firmly pro-life, but now I know better.

Monday night he made it clear that he doesn't believe the government has any business protecting the disabled from "being dehydrated to death by having their food and water taken away."

So the list of announced presidential candidates with a clear and consistent pro-life record includes: Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, Sam Brownback, Tom Tancredo, John Cox, Alan Keyes, and Hugh Cort.

Wesley Wilson

Wesley Wilson is the President of Let Her Live, a nonprofit dedicated to saving babies by showing the beauty and value of life to women considering abortion. Please learn more about the Let Her Live targeted pro-life billboard campaign. Donations are tax deductible.

Disclaimer: Let Her Live does not endorse or oppose any political candidates, and political views expressed on this blog represent only the personal views of their authors.

Romney and Abortion

Those who trust Mitt Romney's current statements on his abortion position would do well to read Warner Todd Huston's article, Mitt Romney's Abortion Flip-Flop Not Like Ronald Reagan's.

Even if he is telling the truth that he was "personally pro-life" while going along with the pro-abortion agenda, he seems to lack the strength of conviction on this issue. I don't see how pro-life people can support Romney in the primary when candidates with clear pro-life records such as Mike Huckabee are strong contenders in this race.

Disclaimer: Let Her Live does not endorse or oppose any political candidates, and political views expressed on this blog represent only the personal views of their authors.

Wesley Wilson

Wesley Wilson is the President of Let Her Live, a nonprofit dedicated to saving babies by showing the beauty and value of life to women considering abortion. Please learn more about the Let Her Live targeted pro-life billboard campaign. Donations are tax deductible.

McCain, Giuliani Run, Can't Hide from Abortion Record

Senator John McCain recently made headlines by announcing that he believes Roe vs. Wade should be overturned. That's only a story because we didn't know which side of his mouth the Republican presidential candidate was going to speak from. But he was speaking in South Carolina, and he is on the campaign trail, so we can expect him to sound conservative.

McCain's voting record has been mixed on the abortion issue. He usually votes against abortion, but last year he voted to require taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research. And of course he led the "gang of 14" (including Republican Senators DeWine, Snow, Collins, Chafee, Warner, and South Carolina's own "Flimsy" Lindsey Graham) in a compromise with the Democrats to throw a few conservative judicial nominees under the bus in exchange for a chance to vote on other nominees.

Then there was the blatantly unconstitutional McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill that curtailed some forms of political speech close to an election.

The anti-Roe statement contradicted a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle in 1999. "I would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade, which would then force X number of women in America to [undergo] illegal and dangerous operations."

Meanwhile, Rudolph Giuliani equivocates about his long-standing support for abortion.

Both of these men hope we pay more attention to their rhetoric than their records.

Mitt Romney has at least been open about his past support of abortion and his recent conversion to a pro-life viewpoint. He currently takes a very clear position on abortion. But some pro-life people wonder if we can trust him.

Daniel mentioned pro-life candidates Brownback, Tancredo, and Cox in his presidential musings last week. Representative Duncan Hunter and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee are also solid pro-life candidates.

I think we have some good choices. Let's try to unite around the best and never let the rhetoric of McCain and Giuliani obscure their inexcusable records.

Wesley Wilson

Presidential Musings

I'm going to start off my comments here making use of Wesley's disclaimer. These comments do not represent the official views of Let Her Live. They are my personal ideas.

As a committed pro-lifer I am looking for a Presidential candidate who will lead on that issue. Other issues are important to me as well, but this one is non-negotiable.

So, I'm passing over Hillary, Obama, and Guliani without a second thought. McCain has not shone on the issue either.

Few Senators excel Sam Brownback on his record for life. He's disappointed many of us on other issues like illegal immigration. I haven't passed over him completely, but am looking for better options.

Tom Tancredo has lead on illegal immigration. That tells me he's willing to be a leader. Many in Washington aren't. I has a 0% rating from NARAL, which pleases me greatly. I haven't seen leadership on this issue from him yet, but he's one to keep watching.

John Cox speaks convincingly about committment to life, but I know nothing about him besides what he's said. I met him at the Stand Up for Life March in Columbia last month.

We will win this fight within a generation regardless of who wins the Presidency in 2008. But if we can elect a pro-life leader, we will win all the sooner.

Keep fighting! Keep praying!