Condoleezza Rice on Abortion

Secretary of State

Mildly pro-choice, with many restrictions

On abortion, Rice is "mildly pro-choice." While she opposes late-term abortions and Medicaid payments for abortion and wants parental notification and consent where a minor is involved, Rice supports the basic libertarian idea that it is up to a woman to decide whether to have an abortion, and she is against getting the government involved.

Rice identifies strongly with President Bush's "view that we have to respect and need to have a culture that respects life." "We have to try and bring people to have respect for [the culture of life,]" she says, "and make [abortion] as rare a circumstance as possible." On the issue of federal funding for abortion, she comes down against it "because I believe that those who hold a strong moral view on the other side should not be forced to fund it."

Source: Condi vs. Hillary, by Dick Morris, p. 61-62 &179 Oct 11, 2005

We need a culture that respects life

I'm very comfortable with the president's view that we have to respect and need to have a culture that respects life. This should be an issue pretty infrequently because we ought to have a culture that says that, 'Who wants to have an abortion? Who wants to see a daughter or a friend or a sibling go through something like that?' We have to respect the culture of life and we have to try and bring people to have respect for it and make this as rare a circumstance as possible. Source: Washington Times, on www.4condi.com, "Issues" Mar 11, 2005

Libertarian on abortion; don't force views on others

I've called myself at times mildly pro-choice. I'm kind of libertarian on this issue, and meaning by that that I have been concerned about a government role in this issue. I'm a strong proponent of parental choice, of parental notification. I'm a strong proponent of a ban on late-term abortion. These are all things that I think unite people and I think that that's where we should be.

What I do think is that we should not have the federal government in a position where it is forcing its views on one side or the other. So, for instance, I've tended to agree with those who do not favor federal funding for abortion, because I believe that those who hold a strong moral view on the other side should not be forced to fund it."

Source: Washington Times, on www.4condi.com, "Issues" Mar 11, 2005

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