The Los Angeles Times: on Abortion
Barbara Boxer:
Don't go back to criminalizing women and doctors
One of the sharpest exchanges occurred when the candidates were asked about abortion. "If my opponent's views prevailed, women and doctors would be criminals, they would go to jail. Women would die, like they did before Roe v. Wade," said Boxer, a fierce
critic of restrictions on existing abortion rights.Fiorina reiterated her support for overturning the Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion, but said, "The most important issue right now in this election is the creation of jobs."
Source: Los Angeles Times coverage of 2010 CA Senate Debate
Sep 2, 2010
Carly Fiorina:
Overturn the Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion
One of the sharpest exchanges occurred when the candidates were asked about abortion. "If my opponent's views prevailed, women and doctors would be criminals, they would go to jail. Women would die, like they did before Roe v. Wade," said Boxer, a fierce
critic of restrictions on existing abortion rights.Fiorina reiterated her support for overturning the Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion, but said, "The most important issue right now in this election is the creation of jobs."
Source: Los Angeles Times coverage of 2010 CA Senate Debate
Sep 2, 2010
Carly Fiorina:
Embryonic stem cell research ok if not created for purpose
On Stem-cell research: Fiorina said she felt comfortable allowing federal funding to go to research using adult stem cells, as well as embryos that would have been destroyed otherwise. "It is when embryos are produced for the purposes of destruction,
for the purposes of stem cell research that I have a great deal of difficulty," she said. Boxer did not address the question, which was directed to Fiorina.
Source: Los Angeles Times coverage of 2010 CA Senate Debate
Sep 2, 2010
Dianne Feinstein:
Trump's Supreme Court nominee could end Roe v. Wade
Feinstein emphasized her position as the highest-ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee. She told them she will play a pivotal role in confirmation hearings for President Trump's nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh.
Feinstein warned that the appointment could lead to the end of Roe vs. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that guaranteed women nationwide the right to an abortion.
Source: Los Angeles Times on 2018 California Senate race
Jul 14, 2018
George W. Bush:
Every child born and unborn ought to be protected
Bush opposes abortion except in cases of rape, incest or to save the mother's life. He'll try to seem non-threatening, respecting others' views without backing off his long-held "pro-life" position. He previously had said he would not demand that his
Supreme Court nominees be anti-abortion. It's even conceivable he'll choose a running mate who supports abortion rights, Bush said. "I'm going to talk about the culture of life," he continued. "I've set the goal that every child born and unborn ought
to be protected. But I recognize [that many] people don't necessarily agree with the goal. People appreciate somebody who sets a tone, a tone that values life, but recognizes that
people disagree." He pointed out that those gun-toting killers at Columbine High School did not value life; they "devalued" it.
Source: George Skelton, Los Angeles Times
Jun 5, 2000
John Ashcroft:
Restricting abortion has been a hallmark of his career
John Ashcroft has struggled to balance his public life against his private faith-the need, as he once wrote, "to invite God's presence into whatever I'm doing, including politics." If Ashcroft is confirmed as attorney general, nowhere will that balancing
act be more critical than in the debate over abortion. The son of a Pentecostal minister and a champion of the religious right, Ashcroft believes that abortion is wrong in nearly all cases. Indeed, his dozens of votes and proclamations seeking to
severely restrict abortion-first as attorney general and governor of Missouri, then as a U.S. senator-have been a hallmark of his career, his record shows.
Ashcroft makes no excuses for his passionate views on abortion, decrying the politics of
moderation. "I don't apologize for being unyielding when I speak on behalf of a balanced budget or in opposition to big government or in favor of protecting the lives of unborn children," he wrote in his 1999 autobiography.
Source: Eric Lichtblau, Los Angeles Times on Bush Cabinet
Jan 10, 2001
John Ashcroft:
Would enforce laws against abortion clinic attacks
Despite his religious beliefs, Ashcroft and his supporters say that his mission as attorney general will be to enforce the law--whether that means prosecuting someone who attacks an abortion clinic or assessing an appeal of a reproductive-rights case.
Ashcroft has already convinced some skeptics. The key question surrounding Ashcroft's nomination is how his strong beliefs and political ties on abortion might shape his performance as attorney general. Critics warned that he could leave his imprint
in three crucial ways: - By urging the White House to appoint U.S. Supreme Court justices and federal judges who might oppose Roe vs. Wade and other case law,
- by advising Congress on the legality of anti-abortion legislation,
-
and by backing away from enforcement of a 1994 law making it a federal crime to obstruct access to abortion clinics.
Source: Eric Lichtblau, Los Angeles Times on Bush Cabinet
Jan 10, 2001
John Ashcroft:
Life begins at conception
His record is long and unrelenting. - "If I had the opportunity to pass but a single law," he told a conservative newsletter in 1998, "I would fully recognize the constitutional right to life of every unborn child and ban every abortion except for
those medically necessary to save the life of the mother."
- As Missouri attorney general, Ashcroft defended all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court a 1979 Missouri law that restricted where, how and when abortions could be performed.
In a split decision, the high court upheld some of the restrictions and invalidated others.
- As governor, Ashcroft signed a law declaring that life begins at conception and imposing numerous restrictions on facilities and personnel used for abortions.
- And as a U.S. senator, he voted to end so-called partial-birth abortions in a measure ultimately vetoed by President Clinton, and he opposed a measure declaring access to abortion as an important constitutional right.
Source: Eric Lichtblau, Los Angeles Times on Bush Cabinet
Jan 10, 2001
John Ashcroft:
Supports "human rights amendment" against abortion
The abortion issue often appears to influence Ashcroft's thinking. Asked in 1998 about a proposal for an international criminal court, he branded it an "outrage"--in part because he said such a court could make banning abortions a crime. "For heaven's
sake, that could make withholding of an abortion a crime against humanity, when many Americans believe that providing an abortion is a crime against humanity," he said. His critics depict Ashcroft as an extremist. The liberal People for the American
Way group has attacked Ashcroft for supporting a ban on abortions even in cases of rape or incest. The group said that his call to pass a constitutional "human rights amendment"--defining human life as beginning at the point of "fertilization"--
could outlaw common forms of contraception, such as the pill and IUDs. He also has opposed requiring federal health insurance plans to cover prescription contraceptives.
Source: Eric Lichtblau, Los Angeles Times on Bush Cabinet
Jan 10, 2001
John Roberts:
Wife is strongly pro-life
While Supreme Court nominee John Roberts' views on abortion triggered intense debate on Capitol Hill, there is no mistaking where his wife stands: Jane Sullivan Roberts, a lawyer, is ardently against abortion. A Roman Catholic like her husband, Jane
Roberts has been deeply involved in the antiabortion movement. She provides her name, money and professional advice to a small Washington organization-Feminists for Life of America-that offers counseling and educational programs. The group has filed
legal briefs before the high court challenging the constitutionality of abortion.
A spouse's views normally are not considered relevant in weighing someone's job suitability. But abortion is likely to figure prominently in the Senate debate over John
Roberts' nomination. And with his position on the issue unclear, abortion rights supporters expressed concern that his wife's views might suggest he also embraced efforts to overturn Roe vs. Wade. Jane Roberts declined to comment for this article.
Source: Richard A. Serrano, Los Angeles Times
Jul 21, 2005
John Roberts:
Finds no support for abortion rights in Constitution
Judge Roberts' public positions on abortion and Roe vs. Wade appear to be inconsistent. In 1990, as the principal deputy solicitor general in President George H.W. Bush's administration, Roberts wrote a legal brief for the Supreme Court in a case
regarding federal funding for abortion providers. "We continue to believe that Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided and should be overruled," Roberts wrote. His brief added: "The Supreme Court's conclusion in Roe that there is a fundamental right to an
abortion finds no support in the text, structure or history of the Constitution." But during the 2003 Senate confirmation hearings on his appellate court nomination, Roberts took the position that abortion rights were no longer debatable. "Roe vs.
Wade is the settled law of the land," he told lawmakers. "There's nothing in my personal views that would prevent me from fully and faithfully applying that precedent." But abortion rights groups are convinced that Roberts is opposed to abortion.
Source: Richard A. Serrano, Los Angeles Times
Jul 21, 2005
Kathleen Sebelius:
Archbishop of Kansas chides governor for supporting abortion
Recently, Kathleen Sebelius has run afoul of Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas. The bishop has told the governor that she "should stop receiving Communion until she publicly repudiates her support of abortion. In a column for his
diocesan newspaper, Naumann wrote that he was particularly outraged by Sebelius' veto of an antiabortion bill, which she--and nearly every legal scholar who examined it--believed was unconstitutional.Naumann dismissed Sebelius' insistence that she
personally opposes abortion, and her assertion that because of her pro-adoption policies and improvements in public health services for pregnant women, Kansas' abortion rate has declined significantly. The prelate said that in a private conversation he'd
had with Sebelius, the governor said she was "obligated to uphold state and federal laws and court decisions related to abortion." Naumann said he demanded that she show "a similar sense of obligation to honor divine law."
Source: Tim Rutten, L.A. Times op-ed
May 28, 2008
Buddy Roemer:
Vetoed abortion bill because no exception for rape & incest
Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer vetoed what has been called the strictest anti-abortion bill in the nation, setting the stage for a fight to override his action in the Legislature. The Louisiana House of Representatives voted 73 to 31 to override the veto.
Senators voted 21 to 18 to adjourn rather than vote on an override.The bill allows abortions only to save the mother’s life. Roemer, a Democrat, objected that the bill did not allow abortions in cases of rape and incest.
Rep. Mitch Landrieu who said he opposed the measure because it could provide for the criminal prosecution of women who seek abortions, said abortion opponents "led their flock off of a cliff."
"They knew from the beginning that, if the rape and incest
exceptions weren't added, the bill would be vetoed and that they probably didn't have enough votes for an override," Landrieu said. "They were irresponsible, and I think they let a lot of their followers down by pursuing a faulty strategy."
Source: Los Angeles Times on 2023 Louisiana Gubernatorial race
Jul 7, 1990
Mitch Landrieu:
Opposed anti-abortion measure including criminal prosecution
Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer vetoed what has been called the strictest anti-abortion bill in the nation, setting the stage for a fight to override his action in the Legislature. The Louisiana House of Representatives voted 73 to 31 to override the veto.
Senators voted 21 to 18 to adjourn rather than vote on an override.The bill allows abortions only to save the mother’s life. Roemer, a Democrat, objected that the bill did not allow abortions in cases of rape and incest.
Rep. Mitch Landrieu who said he opposed the measure because it could provide for the criminal prosecution of women who seek abortions, said abortion opponents "led their flock off of a cliff."
"They knew from the beginning that, if the rape and incest
exceptions weren't added, the bill would be vetoed and that they probably didn't have enough votes for an override," Landrieu said. "They were irresponsible, and I think they let a lot of their followers down by pursuing a faulty strategy."
Source: Los Angeles Times on 2023 Louisiana Gubernatorial race
Jul 7, 1990
Katie Porter:
Voted for legislation to create statutory right to abortion
All Americans should be able to decide for themselves when and if they'd like to become parents. The freedom to seek abortion care is essential to the financial well-being of our nation's families and our workforce.
Politicians should not come between patients and their doctors when it comes to these healthcare decisions, and I have voted for legislation that would create a statutory right to abortion.
Source: Los Angeles Times on 2024 California Senate race
Oct 20, 2022
Larry Elder:
Abortion is murder, Roe one of the worst Court decisions
He has called the Roe vs. Wade ruling, which created a legal right to abortion, "one of the worst decisions that the
Supreme Court ever handed down," described abortion as "murder" and said rules governing the procedure should be left to the states.
Source: Los Angeles Times on 2024 Presidential hopefuls
Aug 10, 2023
Kamala Harris:
Investigate fraud in anti-Planned Parenthood videos
Agents from Kamala Harris' office searched the apartment of David Daleiden, the antiabortion activist whose controversial hidden camera videos last summer accused Planned Parenthood doctors of selling fetal tissue.Harris' officers seized video files
from Daleiden's apartment. Daleiden said his "First Amendment work product" was taken. Daleiden characterized the search as "an attack on citizen journalism."
"Planned Parenthood's bought-and-paid-for AG has steadfastly refused to enforce the laws
against the baby body parts traffickers," he said.
A federal judge has rejected Daleiden's journalistic claims, noting that the activist and his team used false identities, and selectively edited the material they captured on tiny cameras disguised as
shirt buttons, despite state laws prohibiting secret recording.
Last summer, Harris said her office would investigate whether Daleiden and his agents violated state laws when they secretly recorded private meetings and closed-door conferences.
Source: L.A.Times on Calif. Attorney General press release "Sting"
Apr 5, 2016
Page last updated: Aug 06, 2024