2014 MT Senate debate: on Abortion


Amanda Curtis: 100% pro-choice voting record

NARAL Pro-Choice America and NARAL Pro-Choice Montana issued a statement congratulating the Montana Democratic Party for having made "a strong choice in nominating Amanda Curtis as the next Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate." Curtis, we learn, "has a 100% pro-choice voting record with NARAL Pro-Choice Montana."
Source: LifeNews.com on 2014 Montana Senate race Aug 20, 2014

Champ Edmunds: Human life begins at conception

Question topic: Human life begins at conception and deserves legal protection at every stage until natural death.

Edmunds: Strongly Agree

Question topic: Should abortion be allowed under extenuating circumstances? If so, what circumstances?

Edmunds: I am not sure what circumstance would justify killing a baby.

Source: Faith2Action iVoterGuide on 2014 Montana Senate race Jul 2, 2014

Steve Daines: No exceptions for rape nor incest, but no criminalization

A TV ad in Montana says Rep. Steve Daines--who opposes abortion rights--"proposed making women criminals for having an abortion." But the bill that the ad cites as evidence expressly bars "the prosecution of any woman for the death of her unborn child."

The ad was released May 20 by Montana Sen. John Walsh's campaign. The two men differ greatly on the issue of abortion: Walsh supports abortion rights, and Daines opposes abortion even in cases of rape and incest. This ad, titled "Melissa," features a woman who says she was raped as a 14-year-old girl and feels insulted by Daines. Melissa says, "Daines sponsored a bill to make abortion illegal for victims of sexual assault. He's even proposed making women criminals for having an abortion."

It's true that Daines "opposes abortion in all instances except life of mother," as his spokesman told us. But the ad goes too far. He has not "proposed making women criminals for having an abortion."

Source: FactCheck.org AdWatch on 2014 Montana Senate race May 22, 2014

John Walsh: Opposes extremism like declaring life begins at conception

Walsh called Daines an extreme opponent of abortion rights, saying he opposes abortion even in cases of rape or incest and co-sponsored a bill Walsh said would ban abortion and outlaw birth-control pills.

Walsh also noted Daines' support of HR 1091, which declares that human life begins at conception and extends the rights of equal protection under the 14th Amendment to "each born and preborn human person." The bill was introduced a year ago and has seen no action in a House subcommittee.

Source: Ravalli Republic on 2014 Montana Senate race Mar 9, 2014

John Bohlinger: 2001: Supported Fetal Protection Act & partial-birth ban

Democratic Senate candidate John Bohlinger supported some legislation to restrict abortion rights in Montana but has votes that don't match his rhetoric.

Bohlinger wrote on his Facebook wall that he "consistently voted for a woman's right to choose" while a state legislator, according to The liberal Montana blog Intelligent Disconnect. That blog argues that isn't true, pointing to a low lifetime score from the NARAL Pro-Choice Montana group and a number of votes he took in the legislature. Bohlinger, who served as a Republican in the statehouse and alongside Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) before switching parties for this campaign, voted for the "Fetal Protection Act" in 2001, as well as for laws to ban partial-birth abortion and for parental consent requirements for teenagers to be able to get abortions in Montana.

Source: C.Joseph in The Hill, on 2014 Montana Senate debate Nov 12, 2013

John Bohlinger: Supreme Court decided the issue; state cannot overturn it

[When running at the state level as a Republican], a legal complaint Bohlinger filed disputed a claim from a GOP primary opponent that he was "for abortion": "I have never stated I was for abortions. Abortion is a poor choice, we should prevent the pregnancy or work for adoption. The abortion question does not belong in the Montana Legislature, because the US Supreme Court has ruled that in this country, abortions are legal. In spite of what we may personally think about the question, the Montana Legislature will not be able to overturn a Supreme Court decision," he wrote in the legal filing.
Source: C.Joseph in The Hill, on 2014 Montana Senate debate Nov 12, 2013

  • The above quotations are from 2014 Montana Senate debates.
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Abortion.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by John Bohlinger on Abortion.
  • Click here for more quotes by John Walsh on Abortion.
Candidates and political leaders on Abortion:

Retired Senate as of Jan. 2015:
GA:Chambliss(R)
IA:Harkin(D)
MI:Levin(D)
MT:Baucus(D)
NE:Johanns(R)
OK:Coburn(R)
SD:Johnson(D)
WV:Rockefeller(D)

Resigned from 113th House:
AL-1:Jo Bonner(R)
FL-19:Trey Radel(R)
LA-5:Rod Alexander(R)
MA-5:Ed Markey(D)
MO-9:Jo Ann Emerson(R)
NC-12:Melvin Watt(D)
SC-1:Tim Scott(R) 		Retired House to run for Senate or Governor:
AR-4:Tom Cotton(R)
GA-1:Jack Kingston(R)
GA-10:Paul Broun(R)
GA-11:Phil Gingrey(R)
HI-1:Colleen Hanabusa(D)
IA-1:Bruce Braley(D)
LA-6:Bill Cassidy(R)
ME-2:Mike Michaud(D)
MI-14:Gary Peters(D)
MT-0:Steve Daines(R)
OK-5:James Lankford(R)
PA-13:Allyson Schwartz(D)
TX-36:Steve Stockman(R)
WV-2:Shelley Capito(R) 		Retired House as of Jan. 2015:
AL-6:Spencer Bachus(R)
AR-2:Tim Griffin(R)
CA-11:George Miller(D)
CA-25:Howard McKeon(R)
CA-33:Henry Waxman(D)
CA-45:John Campbell(R)
IA-3:Tom Latham(R)
MN-6:Michele Bachmann(R)
NC-6:Howard Coble(R)
NC-7:Mike McIntyre(D)
NJ-3:Jon Runyan(R)
NY-4:Carolyn McCarthy(D)
NY-21:Bill Owens(D)
PA-6:Jim Gerlach(R)
UT-4:Jim Matheson(D)
VA-8:Jim Moran(D)
VA-10:Frank Wolf(R)
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Page last updated: Dec 06, 2018