God and Hillary Clinton: A Spiritual Life, by Paul Kengor, published Sept. 18, 2007: on Abortion

Al Gore: US should not seek international right to abortion

On Aug. 25, V.P. Gore stated definitively that the US “has not sought, does not seek, and will not seek to establish an international right to abortion. Typically, such an emphatic statement would have resolved the matter. However, this Vatican did not trust this administration. In an extraordinary counter-response, the pope’s spokesman accused Gore of bad faith, stating, “The draft population document, which has the US as its principal sponsor, contradicts, in reality, Mr. Gore’s statement.” The Vatican rarely mentioned a politician by name; singling out “Mr. Gore” was highly uncharacteristic.

Bill Clinton: 1980s: pro-choice since Bible defines life starting at birth

Vaught was one of the leading abortion opponents among Little Rock clergy, but he said he shared some of Clinton’s ambivalence, having personally witnessed “some extremely difficult” pregnancies. He was not convinced that the Bible forbade abortion in all circumstances.

The minister went to his Bible to reconsider, after which Vaught determined that in the origina Hebrew, “personhood” stemmed from words translated as “to breathe life into.” Thus, he averred, the Bible would define a person’s life as beginning at birth, with the first intake of breath. He reportedly told the governor that this did not mean that abortion was right, but he felt one could not say definitively, based on Scripture, that it was murder.

In all of his discussions about abortion thereafter, Clinton relied on his minister’s interpretation to bolster his pro-choice position.

Hillary Clinton: 1974: pro-choice fervency not based on any personal abortion

Harrison is quick to point out that Hillary never saw him for an abortion. Harrison says he met Hillary simply as a result of her yearly ob-gyn exam.

This is an important point, since it would mean that Hillary’s support does not stem from a personal experience in which she had the procedure. Rather, Harrison estimates that a reason for her pro-choice stance is that she is a product of an age “where she would have had friends who had illegal abortions. I am sure that was part of it.”

Harrison says that when he met Hillary, she was already steadfast in her support of Roe v. Wade. He sees her upbringing as a Methodist as no reason to believe she would be against abortion. “Hillary is a Methodist. The Methodist Church is very strongly pro-choice.”

Hillary Clinton: 1993 health plan included RU-486 & widely available abortion

The first lady allowed for a “conscience exemption” in which doctors and hospitals would not be forced to perform abortions. Pro-lifers were relieved; still, they could not fathom that their tax dollars might be used to find what they saw as the deliberate destruction of innocent human life.

Mrs. Clinton’s words also ignited fears among moderate and conservative Christians over the availability of the abortion pill, RU-486, under her health care plan. One of her husband’s first acts in office was to push the pill to market through an expedited FDA approval process that was criticized by pro-lifers as allegedly too quick for the safety of the women who would take the pill.

Hillary Clinton: 1999: keep abortion safe, legal & rare into next century

Old Testament: Biblical "personhood" defines life starting at birth

Vaught was one of the leading abortion opponents among Little Rock clergy, but he said he shared some of Clinton's ambivalence, having personally witnessed "some extremely difficult" pregnancies. He was not convinced that the Bible forbade abortion in all circumstances.

The minister went to his Bible to reconsider, after which Vaught determined that in the origina Hebrew, "personhood" stemmed from words translated as "to breathe life into." Thus, he averred, the Bible would define a person's life as beginning at birth, with the first intake of breath. He reportedly told the governor that this did not mean that abortion was right, but he felt one could not say definitively, based on Scripture, that it was murder.

In all of his discussions about abortion thereafter, Clinton relied on his minister's interpretation to bolster his pro-choice position.

Rudy Giuliani: 2000: ran against Hillary as a pro-choice candidate

In May 2000, shortly before the primary, the political situation for Republicans hit a snag when a diagnosis of prostate cancer forced Giuliani out of the race