Bush-Kerry Debates: The Baby Murder/Abortion Question

CHRISTIAN PATRIOTS FOR LIFE ^ | 10-15-04 | Kevin Jeanfreau

[cpforlife.org]

Below is the Transcript of the second to last question of the town hall debate from Friday 10-7, and the related question from the final debate of 10-13.

The questions were related to the murder--dismemberment of innocent children in the womb, more commonly know by the pain-free euphemism of abortion. The questions were first directed to John Kerry.

For his entire career in the US Senate John Kerry has vigorously supported and defended the abortion industry’s bloody war of terror on children waiting to be born. His record is clear. Yet with a straight face Kerry flip flopped all over and around the question of abortion. Kerry also flip flopped when questioned about Embryonic Stem Cell Research.

In the last debate on Wednesday 10-13, Kerry received another question about his position on abortion and what he thinks of ”Archbishops…telling their church members that it would be a sin to vote for a candidate like you because you support a woman's right to choose an abortion and unlimited stem call research.”

Kerry’s answer, “I will defend the right of Roe v. Wade.”

John Kerry is a wicked man; a disgrace to any public office—let alone US Senator or US President. Moreover, Kerry is no longer a Catholic as he excommunicated himself many years ago by officially and publicly supporting the murder of unborn children. Kerry is a traitor to the Christian Faith, though many people won’t believe that after hearing him invoke God’s Name and quote from Scripture as much as he did in the debates.

On the other hand it can be argued that Bush at least is trying to live up to the Pro-Life label. He has failed many times in my opinion, but I think he sincerely wants to do more to help build a Culture of Life. As it is said, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

There will be events and circumstances that will arise in the next several years where Bush, if reelected will definitively prove just how serious he is with his “goal in America to have every child protected by law and welcomed in life.”

Everyone who observes politics and the Culture Wars KNOWS WITHOUT DOUBT that abortion and the culture of death under a Kerry administration would grow at a rapidly consuming pace.

Kerry offers an absolute guarantee of a worsening CULTure of death. Bush offers an opportunity for a Culture of Life.

VOTE FOR THE MOST PRO-LIFE CANDIDATE IN EVERY ELECTION.

VOTE BUSH.

___________________________________________________________

FoxNews Transcript http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,134937,00.html

GIBSON: Going to go to the final two questions now, and the first one will be for Senator Kerry. And this comes from Sarah Degenhart.

DEGENHART: Senator Kerry, suppose you are speaking with a voter who believed abortion is murder and the voter asked for reassurance that his or her tax dollars would not go to support abortion, what would you say to that person?

KERRY: I would say to that person exactly what I will say to you right now.

First of all, I cannot tell you how deeply I respect the belief about life and when it begins. I'm a Catholic, raised a Catholic. I was an altar boy. Religion has been a huge part of my life. It helped lead me through a war, leads me today.

But I can't take what is an article of faith for me and legislate it for someone who doesn't share that article of faith, whether they be agnostic, atheist, Jew, Protestant, whatever. I can't do that.

But I can counsel people. I can talk reasonably about life and about responsibility. I can talk to people, as my wife Teresa does, about making other choices, and about abstinence, and about all these other things that we ought to do as a responsible society.

But as a president, I have to represent all the people in the nation. And I have to make that judgment.

Now, I believe that you can take that position and not be pro- abortion, but you have to afford people their constitutional rights. And that means being smart about allowing people to be fully educated, to know what their options are in life, and making certain that you don't deny a poor person the right to be able to have whatever the constitution affords them if they can't afford it otherwise.

That's why I think it's important. That's why I think it's important for the United States, for instance, not to have this rigid ideological restriction on helping families around the world to be able to make a smart decision about family planning.

You'll help prevent AIDS.

You'll help prevent unwanted children, unwanted pregnancies.

You'll actually do a better job, I think, of passing on the moral responsibility that is expressed in your question. And I truly respect it.

GIBSON: Mr. President, minute and a half.

BUSH: I'm trying to decipher that.

My answer is, 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 partial-birth -- the ban on partial-birth abortion. It's a brutal practice. It's one way to help reduce abortions. My opponent voted against the ban.

I think there ought to be parental notification laws. He's against them.

I signed a bill called the Unborn Victims of Violence Act.

In other words, if you're a mom and you're pregnant and you get killed, the murderer gets tried for two cases, not just one. My opponent was against that.

These are reasonable ways to help promote a culture of life in America. I think it is a worthy goal in America to have every child protected by law and welcomed in life.

I also think we ought to continue to have good adoption law as an alternative to abortion.

And we need to promote maternity group homes, which my administration has done.

Culture of life is really important for a country to have if it's going to be a hospitable society.

Thank you.

GIBSON: Senator, do you want to follow up? Thirty seconds.

KERRY: Well, again, the president just said, categorically, my opponent is against this, my opponent is against that. You know, it's just not that simple. No, I'm not.

I'm against the partial-birth abortion, but you've got to have an exception for the life of the mother and the health of the mother under the strictest test of bodily injury to the mother.

Secondly, with respect to parental notification, I'm not going to require a 16-or 17-year-old kid who's been raped by her father and who's pregnant to have to notify her father. So you got to have a judicial intervention. And because they didn't have a judicial intervention where she could go somewhere and get help, I voted against it. It's never quite as simple as the president wants you to believe.

GIBSON: And 30 seconds, Mr. President.

BUSH: Well, it's pretty simple when they say: Are you for a ban on partial birth abortion? Yes or no?

And he was given a chance to vote, and he voted no. And that's just the way it is. That's a vote. It came right up. It's clear for everybody to see. And as I said: You can run but you can't hide the reality.

__________________________________________

Transcript http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/13/politics/campaign/14DTEXT-FULL.html?oref=login&pagewanted=print&position=

Mr. Schieffer --Senator Kerry a new question for you. The New York Times reports that some Catholic archbishops are telling their church members that it would be a sin to vote for a candidate like you because you support a woman's right to choose an abortion and unlimited stem call research. What is your reaction to that?

Mr. Kerry I respect their views. I completely respect their views. I am a Catholic. And I grew up learning how to respect those views, but I disagree with them, as do many. I believe that I can't legislate or transfer to another American citizen my article of faith. What is an article of faith for me is not something that I can legislate on somebody who doesn't share that article of faith. I believe that choice, a woman's choice is between a woman, God and her doctor. And that's why I support that. Now I will not allow somebody to come in and change Roe v. Wade. The president has never said whether or not he would do that. But we know from the people he's tried to appoint to the court he wants to. I will not. I will defend the right of Roe v. Wade.

Now with respect to religion, you know, as I said I grew up a Catholic. I was an altar boy. I know that throughout my life this has made a difference to me. And as President Kennedy said when he ran for president, he said, I'm not running to be a Catholic president. I'm running to be a president who happens to be Catholic. Now my faith affects everything that I do and choose. There's a great passage of the Bible that says What does it mean my brother to say you have faith if there are no deeds? Faith without works is dead. And I think that everything you do in public life has to be guided by your faith, affected by your faith, but without transferring it in any official way to other people. That's why I fight against poverty. That's why I fight to clean up the environment and protect this earth. That's why I fight for equality and justice. All of those things come out of that fundamental teaching and belief of faith. But I know this: that President Kennedy in his inaugural address told of us that here on earth God's work must truly be our own. And that's what we have to - I think that's the test of public service.

Mr. Schieffer-- Mr. President?

Mr. Bush I think it's important to promote a culture of life. I think a hospitable society is a society where every being counts and every person matters. I believe the ideal world is one in which every child is protected in law and welcomed to life.

I understand there's great differences on this issue of abortion. But I believe reasonable people can come together and put good law in place that will help reduce the number of abortions.

Take, for example, the ban on partial-birth abortion. It's a brutal practice. People from both political parties came together in the halls on Congress and voted overwhelmingly to ban that practice. Made a lot of sense. My opponent out - in that he's out of the mainstream, voted against that law.

What I'm saying is that as we promote life and promote a culture of life, surely there are ways we can work together to reduce the number of abortions. Continue to promote adoption laws - that's a great alternative to abortion. Continue to fund and promote maternity group homes. I will continue to promote abstinence programs.

The last debate my opponent said his wife was involved with those programs. That's great. I appreciate that very much. All of us ought to be - involved with programs that provide a viable alternative to abortion.

[cpforlife.org]

John Kerry-10/7/04 (Presidential Debate): “First of all, I cannot tell you how deeply I respect the belief about life and when it begins.

John Kerry-10/13/04 (Presidential Debate): “I will defend the right of Roe v. Wade.”

4/23/04: Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass speaks in support of baby murder aka abortion at national rally in Washington, D.C. Kerry is flanked by Kate Michelman, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America, left and Gloria Feldt, President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, right. Feldt also lavishly praised Kerry at the Democratic National Convention.

Kerry on abortion-10/7/04: “You know, it's just not that simple.”

G.K. Chesterton: “Moral issues are always terribly complex, for someone without principles.”

Kerry on abortion-10/7/04 “But I can't take what is an article of faith for me and legislate it”

Kerry on abortion-7/4/04“I believe that life begins at conception. I oppose abortion, personally. I don't like abortion. I believe life does begin at conception. But I can't take my Catholic belief, my article of faith, and legislate it on a Protestant or a Jew or an atheist . . . who doesn't share it. We have separation of church and state in the United States of America."

Being against killing unborn children-abortion is not “an article of faith”, it is being humane and civilized. It is a scientific fact, not an “an article of faith” that human life begins at conception—not birth.

Birth is one day in the life of a person who is already nine months old.

Abortion is murder.

[cpforlife.org]

Planned Parenthood Action Fund Announces Historic Endorsement of Sen. John Kerry.

John Kerry, Gloria Feldt energize thousands at pro-choice rally http://www.ppaction.org/ppvotes/KerryRelease.html

[cpforlife.org]

PING

Please let me know if you want on or off my Pro-Life Ping List.

[cgk]

Pro-life/pro-baby ping...

[cgk]

Wonderful tagline, thank you.

[weegee]

PING

[TruthConquers]

I find it the height of hypocrisy that the man who falsely accused Nam vets fo being "baby killers", advocates "baby killing" for our nation.

[cpforlife.org]

MOST excellent point.

[cpforlife.org]

"WARNING" PING

[Repealthe17thAmendment]

Does Kerry think that Susan Smith or Andrea Yates should be in jail? Afterall, what right does he have to push his article of faith, killing life, on others?

[Woogit]

You want choice and not a child...CHOOSE NOT TO GET PREGNANT!!! How hard is that? It is a much better choice than MURDER!

[Salvation]

I wonder if John Kerry knows that approximately 4,000 babies are killed each day by abortion.

(Worse than any daily war records that I know of.)

[cpforlife.org]

Dear Mod, The title for my thread got messed up. It was Bush—Kerry, with a dash in between their names. After a few posts it turned into Bush—Kerry Can you fix that, maybe just use a hyphen? Thanks for all y'all do! Kevin

[ken5050]

Do you access to a transcript/videotape of the Dem candidate debate ( one of the first) early last year..th e one in front of the NARAL meeting..

[Alexandrite]

Ok, now I knnow how the ping here works. What's up?

[Bellflower]

Interesting tag line. Maybe she will do a tell all.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

very good point.

[Grey Ghost II]

VOTE FOR THE MOST PRO-LIFE CANDIDATE IN EVERY ELECTION.

That would be Peroutka. He makes no exceptions.

[cpforlife.org]

OK, what if a Pro-Lifer voted for Peroutka.

Or, what if a couple million Pro-Lifers voted for Peroutka, and in the process drained votes from Bush and gave Kerry the election?

It is believed that 2 - 4 justices will retire from SCOTUS in the next 4 odd years. Either Bush or Kerry will appoint them. Peroutka may be a Saint, but he's got NO chance. I'm voting my conscience mindful of the situation.

I'm curious what you think.

[Petronski]

Kerry’s answer, “I will defend the right of Roe v. Wade.”

When such a vote indicates that the Catholic politician believes that abortion is not always gravely immoral, such a politician incurs a sentence of automatic excommunication, under canons 751 and 1364, because of heresy.

Hmmm, "indicates..."

"Indicates" to whom?

First of all, a prosecutor (whatever his title might be under the Canon). Secondly, a judge (same proviso). Finally, a finder of fact (again).

Whom within the Vatican has the courage to devote all possible resources to this cause? Whence shall our first canonical proclamation/prosecution come? Whence the strength to bring it?