John Ashcroft in The Los Angeles Times
On Abortion:
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
On Abortion:
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,
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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
On Abortion:
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
On Abortion:
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
On Civil Rights:
USA Patriot Act is respectful of civil liberties
Gore called for the repeal of the USA Patriot Act. "These constant violations of civil liberties promote the false impression that those violations are necessary in order for them to take every precaution against another terrorist attack," Gore said.
"But the simple truth is that the vast majority of these violations have not benefited our security at all; in fact, they have hurt the effort to improve our security.""I believe that the Patriot Act has turned out to be, on balance, a terrible
mistake, and that it became a kind of Tonkin Gulf Resolution conferring Congress' blessing for this president's assault on civil liberties," Gore charged.
In a series of speeches this year, Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft defended the administration's
actions as being respectful of civil liberties and effective in disrupting potential terrorist attacks. "The Patriot Act," Ashcroft said this summer, "gives us the technological tools to anticipate, adapt and outthink our terrorist enemy."
Source: Ronald Brownstein, Los Angeles Times on Bush Cabinet
Nov 10, 2003
Page last updated: Aug 06, 2024