Landrieu Deceptive in Her Responses on Abortion Policy

Landrieu Deceptive in Her Responses on Abortion Policy On Questionnaire Published in Two Catholic Newspapers

The nation's major pro-life organization today charged Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.) engaged in "breathtakingly brazen deception" in her responses to a questionnaire just published in two Louisiana Catholic newspapers.

"Senator Landrieu has consistently voted for federal funding of abortion on demand for both teenagers and adults, but she now tells Catholic voters that she will support the Hyde Amendment, the main law that prohibits funding of abortions," said Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC). "This is breathtakingly brazen deception."

The results of the candidate questionnaire were published in The Catholic Commentator, the newspaper of the Diocese of Baton Rouge, and in the Bayou Catholic, the newspaper of the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, in the editions that subscribers are receiving this week. A photocopy is available from NRLC at 202-626-8820 or Legfederal@aol.com.

The published questionnaire begins with this explanation: "Candidates Mary Landrieu and Suzanne Haik Terrell responded to the following questions as shown below on November 21, 2002." The survey covers multiple subjects, but the first three questions are on abortion policy. Landrieu's responses to two of the abortion-related questions flatly contradict her past public statements and her voting record.

Challenger Suzanne Terrell (R) opposes legalized abortion and federal funding of abortion, and those positions were accurately represented in Terrell's pro-life responses to the questionnaire.

The two candidates meet in Louisiana's runoff election this Saturday, December 7.

Question no. 1 is, "Regarding federal Medicaid funding for abortions, will you support or oppose maintaining the current restriction, as specified in the Hyde Amendment, to limit such abortions only to those performed as a result of rape or incest or to protect a mother's life?" Landrieu responded, "Support." As explained below, this contradicts Landrieu's own emphatic past statements on the same issue, and her voting record.

Question no. 3 is, "Will you support or oppose federal legislation that respects human life from the moment of conception to the point of natural death." Landrieu responded, "Support." NRLC's Johnson commented, "It is deceptive for Senator Landrieu to vote to endorse the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion on demand, as she did, and then tell Catholic voters that she favors legislation to protect human life 'from the moment of conception'." On October 21, 1999, Senator Landrieu voted for the Harkin Amendment to strongly endorse Roe v. Wade and urge that the decision not be overturned (roll call no. 337). Senator Landrieu explicitly reaffirmed her support for Roe as recently as November 17 on NBC's Meet the Press.

The Hyde Amendment, named after Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Il.), was originally enacted in 1976. The Hyde Amendment prohibits federal funding of abortion in programs funded through the Department of Health and Human Services (except to save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest). In more recent years, Congress has enacted identical restrictions to bills that govern all other federally funded health programs, such as those which cover the military and federal employees. These pro-life provisions are all commonly referred to in Congress and in the press as "Hyde Amendments," even though some of them are now sponsored by other lawmakers.

When Landrieu ran for the Senate in 1996, she made it crystal clear that she opposes such restrictions. In 1996, Mary Landrieu told the Baton Rouge Advocate: "I do not support discrimination against low-income women who do not have the funds to pay for a safe, legal abortion. I would oppose efforts to deny low-income women the same medical health services that other women can obtain." [August 4, 1996]

During her six-year term, Senator Landrieu has in fact consistently voted against restrictions on federal funding of abortion. For example, in 1997, the Senate approved legislation to create a new federal program, the State Child Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP), called "kid-care" by supporters. As reported in the respected reference Congressional Quarterly Almanac for 1997, "The bill contained a 'Hyde Amendment' -- that is, a provision to prohibit states from using these funds to pay for health plans that cover abortion, except to save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), on behalf of Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Ne.), offered an amendment to strike the pro-life provision from the bill. The Kerrey Amendment failed, 39-61, Vote No. 129, June 25, 1997." Landrieu voted in favor of the Lautenberg-Kerrey Amendment to delete the "Hyde Amendment" from the bill.

On two other occasions during Landrieu's term, the Senate has voted on whether to repeal a ban on coverage of abortions under the Federal Employees Health Benefits program, which provides health coverage to about 8 million employees and dependents. The plans are on average over 70% federally funded. On both occasions, Landrieu voted to repeal the ban (July 22, 1997, roll call no. 190, and July 1, 1999, roll call no. 197).

Partly on the basis of her votes against "Hyde Amendments" and in favor of Roe v. Wade, Landrieu has earned high ratings from pro-abortion advocacy groups. Landrieu boasted of her record in a 2001 fund-raising letter she sent to supporters, in which she wrote: "I'm proud that both the National Abortion Rights Action League and the Planned Parenthood Federation of America have acknowledged my support of reproductive choice with current 'scorecard' ratings of 80% and 90% respectively."

This is neither the first time that a pro-abort has lied on such a questionnaire, nor the first time that a diocesan newspaper has published the lies just days before the election. In fact, Algore perpetrated one of these frauds in 2000. One presumes the Catholic newspapers in question were duped--but considering the large numbers of pro-aborts working in Catholic bureacracies, this may be a mere presumption.

Lord have mercy:

"...'nor the first time that a diocesan newspaper has published the lies just days before the election!'"

All Terrell needs to do is do what Sax Chambliss did: Tell the truth and show how the democrats neither tell nor know the truth.

I believe Landrieu will lose.

By and large children will grow up with values similar to their parents. Anyone think that maybe the reason liberals are starting to loose elections might be because for decades they exterminated their children while conservatives have nurtured theirs?

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