The Associated Press: on Abortion
George P. Bush:
At anti-abortion rally: "I'm pro-life"
George P. Bush's new job as Texas land commissioner has nothing to do with abortion, and it lacks any authority to funnel public dollars to private schools. But after barely 30 days in office, he's already headlined high-profile rallies on both issues.
The newest Bush in politics has wasted no time becoming a leading voice for top conservative causes and seizing the spotlight in a state already full of powerful Republicans."These conservative ideals--being pro-life and promoting school choice--are
a matter of principle for me," Bush said in a statement. "And just as I did during my campaign, I will continue to advocate on behalf of these deeply held values."
His first public appearance as land commissioner came at an anti-abortion rally where
1,500 people thronged the same Capitol grounds. A spokesman for the Texas Alliance for Life, which organized the event, said Bush's team approached his group "and asked if there was some way he could help."
Source: Will Weissert on Associated Press, "Conservative Spotlight"
Feb 5, 2015
Joe Donnelly:
God would never intend for rape to happen
Mourdock says when a woman is impregnated during a rape, "it's something God intended." Mourdock was asked Tuesday during the final minutes of a debate whether abortion should be allowed in cases of rape or incest.He replied: "I think even when life
begins in that horrible situation of rape, that's something God intended to happen."
In response to Mourdock's comment, Democratic candidate Joe Donnelly said after the debate that he doesn't believe "my God, or any God, would intend that to happen."
Source: Associated Press on 2012 Indiana Senate debate
Oct 23, 2012
Richard Mourdock:
God at work when rape leads to pregnancy
Mourdock says when a woman is impregnated during a rape, "it's something God intended." Mourdock was asked Tuesday during the final minutes of a debate whether abortion should be allowed in cases of rape or incest.He replied: "I think even when life
begins in that horrible situation of rape, that's something God intended to happen."
In response to Mourdock's comment, Democratic candidate Joe Donnelly said after the debate that he doesn't believe "my God, or any God, would intend that to happen."
Source: Associated Press on 2012 Indiana Senate debate
Oct 23, 2012
Paul Broun:
Evolution & embryology: lies straight from the pit of hell
Georgia Rep. Paul Broun said in videotaped remarks that evolution, embryology and the Big Bang theory are "lies straight from the pit of hell" meant to convince people that they do not need a savior.The Republican lawmaker made those comments during
a speech Sept. 27 at a sportsman's banquet at Liberty Baptist Church in Hartwell. Broun, a medical doctor, is running for re-election in November unopposed by Democrats.
"God's word is true," Broun said, according to a video posted on the church's
website. "I've come to understand that. All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and Big Bang theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of hell. And it's lies to try to keep me and all the folks who are taught that from
understanding that they need a savior."
Broun, who is a physician by training, sits on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. It's important to stress that the setting for his remarks is religious in character rather than political.
Source: Associated Press
Oct 6, 2012
Joe Kyrillos:
Supports parental notifications and waiting periods
The Menendez campaign has accused Kyrillos of changing his position on abortion rights--he says he supports them but marked "pro life" on a questionnaire last year--and wanting to overturn popular portions of the Affordable Care Act.
The campaign has pressed for women's votes, noting that Mr. Kyrillos declined to vote on a resolution supporting an equal-pay act.
Mr. Kyrillos, more velveteen and affable, does not come off as an extremist.
He said that he was unfamiliar with the questionnaire, but that he supported parental notifications and waiting periods for abortions--positions, he said, most voters also support.
At the debate on Thursday,
Kyrillos declined to answer when asked if he would support a Supreme Court nominee who would most likely vote to overturn the law barring federal recognition of same-sex marriage. He said only that he would give a fair hearing to a president's nominees.
Source: Associated Press on 2012 N.J. Senate debate
Oct 5, 2012
Charlie Crist:
Tea Party is too extreme on outlawing abortion
Crist repeatedly mocked the tea party movement while attacking Rubio, calling him an extremist for wanting to outlaw abortion. "You haven't been drinking the Kool-Aid, my friend, you've been drinking too much tea and it's just wrong," Crist told
Rubio."I think it's always funny to listen to the governor attack me for the positions he himself held just six months ago, when he was trying to be the biggest conservative in the world and win the Republican primary," Rubio said.
Source: Associated Press coverage of 2010 Florida Senate Debate
Oct 6, 2010
Bob Conley:
Catholic background gives him “sanctity of life” views
Conley says his Catholic background has given him “sanctity of life” views that apply equally to fetuses and innocent Iraqis and contends the GOP does not own traditional Christian values.“That party can go to the devil,” Conley said. “There’s a big
myth out there that there aren’t pro-Life Democrats. In the South generally, but especially in the state of South Carolina, you can’t go out and attack traditional Christian values, traditional Christian morals and expect to carry the day.”
Source: By Seanna Adcox, Associated Press
May 31, 2008
Jim Pederson:
Supports abortion right, but also abstinence & contraceptio
Pederson released a new ad that accused Senator Kyl of opposing abortion even in cases of rape or incest. Pederson supports a women’s right to have an abortion, and he said he approves of education programs about abstinence and contraception for
school children. But the Democrat said he opposes late-term abortions “with the exception of the life or health of the mother.”
Source: Chris Kahn, Associated Press, on AOL News
Oct 10, 2006
Jan Ting:
Personally opposes abortion, but not an issue for Congress
O’Donnell, known for her opposition to premarital sex and abortion, tried unsuccessfully to pin down Ting on whether he thinks abortion is wrong. Ting has said he supports parental notification and opposes late-term abortions, but that the issue
generally is one for the Supreme Court, not Congress. “I am personally opposed to abortion,” said Ting, adding that his father taught him that when adults argue passionately, it’s likely that some element of truth can be found on both sides of the issue.
Source: Randall Chase, Associated Press, on NewsZap.com
Sep 5, 2006
Stephen Laffey:
Roe v Wade is settled law; but restrictions ok
In some ways, Laffey is a social conservative. Unlike Chafee, he opposes abortion. But he says Roe v. Wade is settled law and abortion is a question for the courts. He supports placing restrictions, like parental notification, on abortion.
Source: M.L. Johnson, Associated Press, in Boston Globe
Apr 29, 2006
Stephen Laffey:
Undecided on stem cell research
Laffey said he wants to see more data before making up his mind on whether to support embryonic stem cell research, something critics see as destroying human life but supporters believe holds the promise of dramatic medical advances.
Source: M.L. Johnson, Associated Press, in Boston Globe
Apr 29, 2006
Samuel Alito:
States can require women seeking abortions to notify spouses
Alito, a Catholic, is opposed to abortion, his 90-year-old mother forthrightly told reporters in New Jersey. As a judge on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia, he voted in 1991 to uphold a Pennsylvania law that included a provision
requiring women seeking abortions to notify their spouses. That case went to the Supreme Court, where justices used it to reaffirm Roe v. Wade. O’Connor was an architect of the decision that struck down the spousal notification requirement.
Source: Associated Press
Oct 31, 2005
Samuel Alito:
Oppose publicly funded abortions for rape and incest victims
In 2000, Alito was among the judges who ruled that a New Jersey law banning late-term abortions was unconstitutional, following high court precedent. He wrote a careful decision that said his vote was compelled. In 1995, he voted to invalidate
Pennsylvania restrictions on publicly funded abortions for women who are victims of rape or incest. The state wanted the women to have to report the crime to police first, but Alito joined another judge in finding that federal policy trumped state rules.
Source: Associated Press
Oct 31, 2005
Mitt Romney:
Anti-abortion views have “evolved & deepened” while governor
When he ran for governor in 2002, Romney pledged not to change the state’s abortion laws, despite his personal opposition. But his veto Monday of an emergency contraceptives bill & his comments in recent months have fueled speculation among critics that
Romney is hardening his opposition to abortion and other sensitive social issues to gain support from GOP conservatives. Romney says his anti-abortion views have “evolved and deepened” since he took office, colored in part by the debate over embryonic
stem cell research. “In considering the issue of embryo cloning and embryo farming, I saw where the harsh logic of abortion can lead--to the view of innocent new life as nothing more than research material or a commodity to be exploited,” Romney wrote
in an opinion piece in Tuesday’s Boston Globe. He also said he believes each state should decide whether to allow abortion, rather than having the “one size fits all” precedent of Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court case that legalized abortion.
Source: Associated Press on NewsMax.com
Jul 27, 2005
Mitt Romney:
Vetoed emergency contraception for rape victims
Massachusetts’ Legislature is overwhelmingly Democratic, and Romney’s first term as governor barely touched on the issues dear to social conservatives until recently. In May, Romney vetoed legislation to expand stem cell research because it allowed
the cloning of human embryos for use in stem cell experiments--a practice Romney said amounts to creating life in order to destroy it. The Legislature overrode the veto.
His veto of the emergency contraception measure is also likely to be overridden.
That bill requires hospital emergency room doctors to offer the medication to rape victims, and would make it available without prescription from pharmacies.
Romney is on a list of possible contenders for the White House in 2008. Others include Sens.
John McCain of Arizona, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, Sam Brownback of Kansas and George Allen of Virginia, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Source: Associated Press on NewsMax.com
Jul 27, 2005
John Roberts:
Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided
As a lawyer in the administration of President Bush’s father, he helped write a Supreme Court brief that said, “We continue to believe that Roe (v. Wade) was wrongly decided and should be overruled.”
Source: The Associated Press
Jul 19, 2005
Betty Castor:
Abortion is a personal matter that should not be interfered
Q: Do you favor any restrictions to abortion?CASTOR: I believe we should work to reduce the number of abortions, but I am concerned about government dictating personal decisions that should be made between women, their families and their doctors.
Government should not interfere in private decisions on personal matters such as abortion.
MARTINEZ: I have a deep respect for life and that respect will guide my voting in the Senate. I believe life begins at conception. I am opposed to abortion.
Source: Florida Senate Debate, Q&A by Associated Press
Oct 24, 2004
Mel Martinez:
Opposed to abortion--life begins at conception
Q: Do you favor any restrictions to abortion?CASTOR: I believe we should work to reduce the number of abortions, but I am concerned about government dictating personal decisions that should be made between women, their families and their doctors.
Government should not interfere in private decisions on personal matters such as abortion.
MARTINEZ: I have a deep respect for life and that respect will guide my voting in the Senate. I believe life begins at conception. I am opposed to abortion.
Source: Florida Senate Debate, Q&A by Associated Press
Oct 24, 2004
Joseph Lieberman:
Day 1: Repeal the Bush restrictions on stem cell research
Q: After the inauguration, what would be your first action as president?A: Not long ago, I met a man whose son has Canavan’s disease. He told me that stem cell research carried the promise of a cure -- but that the Bush administration was blocking
that research from happening. These restrictions aren’t compassionate. They’re not fair. They’re cruel. On the first day I enter the Oval Office, I will repeal the Bush restrictions on stem cell research.
Source: Associated Press policy Q&A, “DAY 1”
Jan 25, 2004
Rick Santorum:
There is no federal right to privacy
Q: Your view on the right to privacy?A: The undermining of the fabric of our society all comes from this right to privacy that doesn't exist in the US Constitution. This right was created in Griswold--the contraceptive case--and abortion. And now
we're just extending it out. Whether it's polygamy or sodomy, all of those things are antithetical to a stable, traditional family. The idea of the "right to privacy" is that the state doesn't have rights to limit individuals' passions. I disagree with
that. There are consequences to letting people live out whatever passions they desire. And we're seeing it in our society.
Q: Would a President Santorum eliminate a right to privacy?
A: The right to privacy was created in a law about individual
passions. And I don't agree with that. So I would put it back to the democratic process. If NY doesn't want sodomy laws, if NY wants abortion, fine. I wouldn't agree with it, but that's their right. But I don't agree with the Supreme Court coming in.
Source: Associated Press in USA Today: Santorum Interview
Apr 23, 2003
Rick Perry:
Abortion only for rape, incest, or maternal health
Rick Perry said he believes abortion should be legal only in cases involving rape or incest or when carrying a pregnancy to term would threaten the woman’s life.
Source: Associated Press on FoxNews.com
Jun 25, 2002
Tony Sanchez:
Devout Catholic, but favors abortion rights
The Catholic diocese in which Tony Sanchez grew up has banned him from speaking at church facilities because of his position favoring abortion rights. Asked whether the Catholic church is wrong in its opposition to abortion,
Sanchez paused and said, “That’s a very difficult question. But I think the only thing that is really important to me is how I think about abortion. I consider myself a devout Catholic. I don’t feel I’m wrong in my position,” he added.
Source: Associated Press on FoxNews.com
Jun 25, 2002
George W. Bush:
No funds to international groups that offer abortion
President Bush has decided to block U.S. funds to international family-planning groups that offer abortion and abortion counseling, a White House official said Monday. The action, which reverses a Clinton administration stance, will be among the first
policy moves of the new Republican administration and was leaked on the same day that abortion opponents staged their annual march on Washington. “The president does not support using taxpayer funds to provide abortions,” Bush’s press secretary
said, refusing to speculate on any final decision to reverse the Clinton administration’s position. U.S. funds to international groups that support abortion had been blocked by former Presidents Reagan and Bush, in what became known as the Mexico City
policy because it was announced by Reagan at a 1984 population conference there. President Clinton, an abortion-rights supporter, had restored funding two days after he became president in 1993.
Source: Associated Press
Jan 22, 2001
Rick Lazio:
No funding for abortion; but don’t criminalize it
Lazio opposes late-term abortions (called partial-birth abortions by critics) and has voted against government funding for abortions for poor women on Medicaid, women in prison and women in the military. “I do not want to criminalize abortion,” Lazio
said in an upstate campaign swing Monday. “On the other hand, I want to make it rarer and I don’t think just because we have a right, that we need to subsidize that right.”
Source: Associated Press
May 25, 2000
Al Gore:
Honor women by honoring their right to choose
“One of the ways we honor women is to honor the choices they make,” Gore told a group of women activists. “I want you to know that I will ensure that a woman’s right to choose is preserved and protected.”
Source: Associated Press, in The Enterprise (Brockton MA), p. A9
Jan 4, 2000
Donald Trump:
Favors abortion rights but respects opposition
Trump clarified his views on abortion, saying he favors abortion rights, but respects those who oppose his position. “I believe it is a personal decision that should be left to the women and their doctors,” he said.
Source: Pat Eaton-Robb, Associated Press
Dec 2, 1999
John McCain:
Wants Roe vs. Wade made irrelevant, but would not repeal it
McCain said, “I’d love to see a point where Roe vs. Wade is irrelevant, and could be repealed because abortion is no longer necessary. But certainly in the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of Roe vs. Wade, which would then
force women in America to [undergo] illegal and dangerous operations.” A spokesman said that McCain “has a 17-year voting record of supporting efforts to overturn Roe vs. Wade. He does that currently, and will continue to do that as president.”
Source: Ron Fournier, Associated Press
Aug 24, 1999
John McCain:
Opposes partial-birth abortions & public financing
In a letter to the National Right to Life Committee, McCain detailed a long anti-abortion record, including his sponsorship of the effort to overturn President Clinton’s veto of a bill banning late-term procedures called “partial birth” abortions. He
also has opposed public financing of abortions, except in cases of rape, incest or a threat to the mother’s life.
Source: Ron Fournier, Associated Press
Aug 24, 1999
Orrin Hatch:
No litmus tests: no one issue should define appointments
Hatch, a sharply conservative foe of abortion who heads the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Sunday he’d impose no “litmus tests” on his judicial nominations if he wins the White House. “I don’t think any self-respecting Republican candidate should bind
himself or herself to any litmus test issues. Anybody who says they’re going to deprive a loyal, dignified, decent Republican or Democrat from serving their country because of any one issue is wrong.”
Source: Mike Glover, Associated Press
Jul 25, 1999
Gary Bauer:
Cut funding for Planned Parenthood
Bauer would cut government funding for Planned Parenthood.
Source: Associated Press
Jul 11, 1999
Dan Quayle:
Overturn Roe v. Wade; litmus test for appointments
I continue to support an amendment to overturn Roe vs. Wade today. Those I select for the most critical positions in government, including my running mate or nominees to the Supreme Court, will share it.
Source: Associated Press
Jun 14, 1999
George W. Bush:
Would support - but not pursue - a pro-life Amendment
Bush has said he is opposed to abortion and would support a constitutional amendment making the procedure illegal - except in cases of rape, incest and when the woman’s life is jeopardy. But he also says Americans don’t support the measure, thus there is
no need to pursue it. But he would not require his Supreme Court nominees to pass an anti-abortion ‘litmus test.’
Source: Associated Press
Jun 14, 1999
John McCain:
Nominate justices based on experience, and values
On the issue of nominating Supreme Court justices based on an abortion litmus-test, “McCain has said that he will nominate justices based on their experience, and those who share his values,” said a spokesman.
Source: Associated Press
Jun 14, 1999
Lamar Alexander:
Supreme Court should interpret Constitution literally
On appointing pro-life Supreme Court justices: “He would appoint judges who share his philosophy” and would “interpret the constitution the way it was written,” said Alexander’s political director.
Source: Associated Press
Jun 14, 1999
Steve Forbes:
Supports litmus test for Supreme Court appointments
On nominating pro-life Supreme Court justices: “I believe you should appoint justices on matter of principle. One of those principles is belief in the sanctity of life.”
Source: Associated Press
Jun 14, 1999
Page last updated: Feb 15, 2019