George W. Bush on Abortion President of the United States, Former Republican Governor (TX)

Sub-sections under Abortion:
• Embryonic Research
• Supreme Court + Constitution
• Other issues under Abortion

Where do the three Bushes disagree on social issues?

1990s: Sought to find common ground on divisive issues

His popularity in Texas spanned the spectrum of Democrats, independents, and Republicans. He had a solid record of bipartisan accomplishment that he would highlight during his presidential campaign. Our campaign slogans captured what was unique about Bush. He was "a unifier, not a divider"; a "different kind of Republican" from the hard-edged, confrontational Gingrich and his group. He offered a "compassionate conservative" agenda and a commitment to change the bitter tone in Washington.

First day as president: reinstate Mexico City Policy

Build a culture of life

To build a culture of life, we must also ensure that scientific advances always serve human dignity, not take advantage of some lives for the benefit of others. We should all be able to agree on some clear standards. I will work with Congress to ensure that human embryos are not created for experimentation or grown for body parts, and that human life is never bought or sold as a commodity. America will continue to lead the world in medical research that is ambitious, aggressive and always ethical.

Partial birth abortion is a brutal practice to be banned

Not going to spend taxpayers’ money on abortion

A: We’re not going to spend taxpayers’ money on abortion. This is an issue that divides America, but certainly reasonable people can agree on how to reduce abortions in America. I signed the ban on partial birth abortion. It’s a brutal practice. It’s one way to help reduce abortions. Kerry voted against the ban. There ought to be parental notification laws. He’s against them. I signed a bill called the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. If you’re a mom and you’re pregnant and you get killed, the murderer gets tried for two cases, not just one. Kerry was against that. These are reasonable ways to help promote a culture of life in America. It’s a worthy goal in America to have every child protected by law and welcomed in life. We ought to continue to have good adoption law as an alternative to abortion. We need to promote maternity group homes, which my administration has done.

Must make a place for the unborn child

Re-instituted global gag order on family planning

No funds to international groups that offer abortion

“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.

Accepts FDA approval of RU-486 but concerned about overuse

BUSH: I don’t think a president can do that. I was disappointed in the ruling because I’m worried that that pill will cause more people to have abortions. As to the drug itself, I hope the FDA took its time to make sure that American women will be safe who use this drug.

GORE: Well, the FDA took 12 years. And I do support that decision. They determined it was medically safe for the women who use that drug.

Ban partial-birth abortions, and reduce abortions overall

BUSH: I know we need to ban partial-birth abortions. This is a place where my opponent & I have strong disagreements. I believe banning partial-birth abortion would be a positive step toward reducing the number of abortions in America. This is an issue that’s going to require a new attitude. We’ve been battling over abortion for a long period of time. Surely this nation can come together to promote the value of life.

GORE: He trusts the government to order a woman to do what he thinks she ought to do. I trust women to make the decisions that affect their lives, their destinies and their bodies.

Good people can disagree; but let’s value life

Every child born and unborn ought to be protected

Welcome all children; supports adoption tax credits

• Pro life with exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother
• Set the goal that all children should be welcomed in life and protected by law
• Supports parental notification, banning use of taxpayer funds for abortion, and banning partial birth abortion
• Supports efforts to increase adoptions
• Make permanent the $5,000 adoption tax credit

No Republican will allow partial-birth abortion

Ideal: Value every life; but many steps to get there

Supports Parental Notification Law for minor girls

[Bush supports provisions in Texas’] Parental Notification Law which:
• Requires doctors to notify a parent or guardian by phone or certified mail at least 48 hours before performing an abortion on a minor girl;
• Allows a judicial bypass where extenuating circumstances exist;
• Provides a $10,000 fine for failing to notify;
• Waives notification in cases of medical emergency; and
• Reaffirms the duty to report suspected sexual or physical abuse.

Ban partial-birth; ban taxpayer funding

Encourage fewer abortions via adoption & abstinence

Gov. Bush supports the following principles concerning abortion:
• Should be legal only in cases of incest, rape, or when the life of the woman is endangered
• Should be limited by waiting periods and parental notification requirements
• Prohibit partial-birth abortion.

Destruction of human embryos is a slippery slope

At the same time, I felt that technology should respect moral boundaries. I worried that sanctioning the destruction of human embryos for research would be a step down the slippery slope from science fiction to medical reality. I envisioned researchers cloning fetuses to grow spare body parts in a laboratory. I could foresee the temptation of designer babies tar enabled parents to engineer their very own blond-haired basketball player. Not far beyond that lies the nightmare of full-scale human cloning. I knew these possibilities would sound fanciful to some people. But once science started heading down that path, it would be very hard to turn back.

I was first president to fund embryonic stem cell research

By providing some federal funding, I had whetted their appetite for more. In the spring of 2002, I addressed a major complaint by allowing privately funded embryonic stem cell research to be conducted at facilities that received federal dollars.

By 2004, Kerry frequently criticized what he called a "ban" on embryonic stem cell research. I pointed out that there was no such ban. To the contrary, I was the first president in history to fund embryonic stem cell research. Plus, there were no restrictions on fundin from the private sector.

Nonetheless, Kerry's campaign used stem cell research as the foundation for a broader attack, labeling my positions "anti-science." The charge is false. I had supported science by funding alternative stem cell research.

2001: First president to give speech on bioethical issue

In 2007, it was possible to create stem cells functionally identical to those taken from human embryos. This was an extraordinary breakthrough, precisely the kind of alternative Bush encouraged. He helped steer scientific research in the direction of discovering exciting new frontiers while avoiding the morally troubling burden that industrial cloning and wholesale destruction of human embryos would carry.

First president to fund embryonic stem cell research

KERRY: Bush says he’s allowed it, which means he’s going to allow the destruction of life up to a certain amount, and then he isn’t going to allow it. But let me tell you point blank, the lines of stem cells that he’s made available, every scientist in the country will tell you, not adequate, because they’re contaminated by mouse cells, and because there aren’t 60 or 70; there are only about 11 to 20 now, and there aren’t enough to be able to do the research because they’re contaminated.

Supports adult stem-cell research but limits on embryos

The specifics of the compromise that Bush adopted are usually credited to Karl Rove: staunch on the content and cunning in the details. Research would be permitted on existing stem lines-that is, on cells taken from embryos that had already been killed- but it would be forbidden on new ones. And the federal government would massively fund research into adult stem cells, cells that came from the patient’s own body and that required no killing at all.

The speech announcing the policy was inspired. The speechwriters had distilled a complicated issue into extremely simple language-and presented it to the nation in terms that reassured the country’s vast political center that their president was a moderate, reasonable, and thoughtful person.

No litmus test except interpretation of the Constitution

MODERATOR: Kerry claims that you had never said whether you would like to overturn Roe v. Wade. Would you?

BUSH: What he’s asking me is, will I have a litmus test for my judges? And the answer is, no, I will not have a litmus test. I will pick judges who will interpret the Constitution, but I’ll have no litmus test.

KERRY: The president didn’t answer the question. I’ll answer it straight to America. I’m not going to appoint a judge to the Court who’s going to undo a constitutional right, whether it’s the 1st Amendment, or the 5th Amendment, or some other right that’s given under our Constitution. And I believe that the right of choice is a constitutional right. I don’t intend to see it undone. Clearly, the president wants to leave in ambivalence or intends to undo it.

Prefers strict constructionists, like overturning Dred Scott

A: I would pick somebody who would not allow their personal opinion to get in the way of the law. I would pick somebody who would strictly interpret the Constitution of the US. I wouldn’t pick a judge who said that the Pledge of Allegiance couldn’t be said in a school because it had the words “under God” in it. That’s an example of a judge allowing personal opinion to enter into the decision-making process as opposed to strict interpretation of the Constitution. Another example would be the Dred Scott case, which is where judges years ago said that the Constitution allowed slavery because of personal property rights. That’s a personal opinion; that’s not what the Constitution says. So I would pick people that would be strict constructionists. Judges interpret the Constitution. No litmus tests except for how they interpret the Constitution.

No litmus test; just strict constructionist interpretation

BUSH: Voters should assume that I have no litmus test on that issue or any other issue. The voters will know I’ll put competent judges on the bench, people who will strictly interpret the Constitution and will not use the bench to write social policy. I believe in strict constructionists.

GORE: Both of us use similar language to reach an exactly opposite outcome. I don’t favor litmus tests, but I know that there are ways to assess how a potential justice interprets the Constitution. I believe that there is a right of privacy in the Fourth Amendment. When the phrase “strict constructionist” is used, those are code words for saying that the governor would appoint people who would overturn Roe v. Wade.

Q: What code phrases should we read by what you said?

GORE: It’d be very likely that [my appointeees would] uphold Roe v. Wade. But I do believe it’s wrong to use a litmus test.

No tax money for abortion, but no Pro-Life Amendment either

Bush has a solidly anti-abortion record in Texas, pushing aggressively for restrictions on the practice and for a more streamlined adoption process. But he has also been careful to send out subtle signals, including saying that e will not use abortion as a litmus test for selecting Supreme Court justices, and considering Tom Ridge, the pro-choice governor of Pennsylvania, as his running mate. (He chose Dick Cheney, solidly anti, in the end). Bush:
• opposes abortion except in cases of rape or incest, or to save the life of the mother
• supports laws under which parents are notified if minors undergo abortions
• supports a ban on “partial-birth” (late-term) abortions
• opposes the use of taxpayer money to pay for abortions
• wants to make adoption easier, and to promote abstinence programs in schools
• will not try to change the constitution to outlaw abortion.

Supreme Court is wrong: leave abortion to the states

No pro-life pledge; VP & judges will simply be qualified

BUSH: I’m going to pick a vice president who can be the president. I’ll pick judges who strictly interpret the constitution and not use the bench as a way to legislate. And I will work to keep the Republican Party pro-life.

FORBES: It’s a typical hedge. Where’s the pledge, not a hedge? Vagaries aren’t going to work. We need something specific.

BUSH: I will have a vice president who can become the president. That’s the test, Steve. I will have a vice president that agrees with my policy. I’m going to have a vice president that likes me. I can’t be any more clear -- you may not like the answer, but that’s my answer.

Would support - but not pursue - a pro-life Amendment