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Tom Cotton on Abortion

 

 


Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided; let states decide

Q: You're on the record as saying that Roe v. Wade should go. Do you expect that if a Trump nominee has confirmed that she will vote to end a woman's right to choose?

COTTON: I'm pro-life, and my views on this are well-known. President Trump has assembled a highly capable pool of jurists who understand that their job is not to make the law, their job is to apply the law.

Q: But I assume you would support the idea of a justice voting to end Roe v. Wade?

COTTON: I believe Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided because it took that question away from the American people acting through their state legislatures. But beyond that I can't speculate.

Source: Fox News Sunday on 2020 Arkansas Senate race , Sep 20, 2020

AdWatch: I believe in God; and only God has all the answers

Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) is hitting back at Rep. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) in a new ad for questioning his faith. The spot, first shared with The Hill, is aimed at touting Pryor's religious conviction in the heavily religious state--and undercutting months of work Cotton's campaign has put in to bolster his own image with positive ads.

Cotton said last week that Pryor thinks "faith is something that only happens at 11 o'clock on Sunday mornings" in response to the Hobby Lobby Supreme Court decision over the health care law's contraception mandate. Pryor demanded an apology, but none was forthcoming, and the controversial comments got plenty of local attention.

Pryor's new ad features local news coverage the kerfuffle, interspliced with the Bible verse, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged."

"I'm not ashamed to say that I believe in God, and I believe in His word. The Bible teaches us no one has all the answers, only God does," Pryor says in the ad. "This is who I am and what I believe."

Source: The Hill AdWatch on 2014 Arkansas Senate race , Jul 8, 2014

Re-establish a culture of life

We must re-establish a culture of life in America that reflects the value of every life from conception through birth, life, and death. I am pro-life and I will always vote that way in Congress. I believe Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey were wrongly decided. I oppose taxpayer funding of abortion. I also support measures like the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, and the Ultrasound Informed Consent Act.
Source: 2012 House campaign website, cottonforcongress.com, "Issues" , Nov 6, 2012

Oppose stem-cell research and human cloning

I oppose the destruction of human embryos to conduct stem-cell research and all forms of human cloning. Finally, I oppose efforts to ration or deny access to health care based on so-called "expert" assessments of one's quality of life, as ObamaCare would do.
Source: 2012 House campaign website, cottonforcongress.com, "Issues" , Nov 6, 2012

I consider myself pro-life.

Cotton supports the PVS survey question on abortion

Project Vote Smart infers candidate issue stances on key topics by summarizing public speeches and public statements. Congressional candidates are given the opportunity to respond in detail; about 11% did so in the 2012 races.

Project Vote Smart summarizes candidate stances on the following topic: 'Abortion: Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?'

Source: Project Vote Smart 12-PVS-q1 on Aug 30, 2012

No family planning assistance that includes abortion.

Cotton co-sponsored Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act

Prohibits providing any federal family planning assistance to an entity unless the entity certifies that, during the period of such assistance, the entity will not perform, and will not provide any funds to any other entity that performs, an abortion. Excludes an abortion where:

  1. the pregnancy is the result of an act of rape or an act of incest; or
  2. a physician certifies that the woman suffered from a physical disorder, injury, or illness that would place the woman in danger of death unless an abortion is performed, including a condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy.
Excludes hospitals from such requirement so long as the hospital does not provide funds to any non-hospital entity that performs an abortion.
Source: HR.217/S.135 13-HR0217 on Jan 4, 2013

Protect infant survivors of abortion.

Cotton voted YEA Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act

S.311/H.R.962: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act: Congress finds the following:

Opposing argument from Rewire.com, "Born Alive Propaganda," by Calla Hales, 4/12/2019: From restrictive bans at various points of pregnancy to a proposed death penalty for seeking care, both federal and state legislators are taking aim at abortion rights. The goal? To make abortion illegal, criminalizing patients and providers in the process. One kind of bill making a recent resurgence is the "Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act." These bills aim to further the false narrative that abortions regularly occur immediately before or, according to the president, at the time of birth. Intentional action to end the life of an infant is already illegal. This is covered by federal and state infanticide laws. These bills do nothing but vilify physicians who provide reproductive health care.

Legislative outcome Referred to Committee in House; Senate motion to proceed rejected, 56-41-3 (60 required).

Source: Congressional vote 19-S0311 on Feb 5, 2019

Anti-Planned Parenthood, according to CC survey.

Cotton opposes the Christian Coalition survey question on abortion funding

The Christian Coalition inferred whether candidates agree or disagree with the statement, 'Public Funding of Abortions (Such as Govt. Health Benefits and Planned Parenthood)?' Self-description by Christian Coalition of America: "These guides help give voters a clear understanding of where candidates stand on important pro-family issues" for all Senate and Presidential candidates.

Source: CC Survey 20CC-1B on Sep 10, 2020

Other candidates on Abortion: Tom Cotton on other issues:
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Asa Hutchinson
Frank Gilbert
Jared Henderson
Mark West
Mike Beebe
Mike Huckabee
Mike Ross
Tim Griffin
AR Senatorial:
Conner Eldridge
Curtis Coleman
Dan Whitfield
Frank Gilbert
John Boozman
Josh Mahony
Mike Beebe
Ricky Dale Harrington

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Page last updated: Nov 29, 2020