Guiliani on Abortion: His Record Not as Bad as You Might Think

National Review ^ | January 22, 2007 | Deroy Murdock

[Senator Goldwater]

As pro-lifers mark the 34th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, many wonder whether they could support Rudolph W. Giuliani for president despite his pro-choice views. While Giuliani’s statements on abortion make pro-lifers fret, they should find his record surprisingly reassuring.

“I don’t like abortion,” Giuliani said last November. “I don’t think abortion is a good thing. I think we ought to find some alternative to abortion, and that there ought to be as few as possible.”

But did Giuliani’s mayoral deeds match such words?

According to the state Office of Vital Statistics, total abortions performed in New York City between 1993 (just before Giuliani arrived) and 2001 (as he departed) fell from 103,997 to 86,466 — a 16.86 percent decrease. This upended a 10.32 percent increase over the course of the eight years before Giuliani, with 1985 witnessing 94,270 abortions.

What about Medicaid-financed abortions? Under Giuliani, such taxpayer-funded feticides dropped 22.85 percent, from 45,006 in 1993 to 34,722 in 2001.

The abortion ratio also slid from 890 terminations per 1,000 live births in 1993 to 767 in 2001, a 13.82 percent tail-off. This far outpaced the 2.84 percent reduction from 1985’s ratio of 916 to 1993’s 890. While abortions remained far more common in Gotham than across America (2001’s U.S. abortion ratio was 246), they diminished during Giuliani’s tenure, as they did nationally.

The Centers for Disease Control reports that U.S. abortions fell from 1,330,414 in 1993 to 853,485 in 2001, a 35.85 percent decrease. Professor New finds that 1993’s 1,001,769 abortions waned to 853,485 in 2001, a 14.8 percent fall-off.

“So, in percentage terms,” New adds, “the decline in abortions in New York City under Giuliani was greater than the national decline.”

[OldPossum]

Perhaps I am paranoid but it seems to me that the portions of the War on Terror may be fought on the streets of this country. If this proves to be the case, the citizens are going to have to be armed and armed well in advance. We don't need a president who first disarms the populace.

I know his views and I could never vote for Giuliani, under any circumstance.

[KDD]

Giuliani doubled the # of cops and turned NYC into a virtual police state (a good thing).

That's good to know. If he shows any traction down here I will throw my resources into seeing him defeated. I am not so afraid of Muslims that I wish for a larger Police State than we already have. Those who are afraid and wish we did have one have already lost to terrorism. I don't want the fearful next to me if things turn worse. Abortion isn't even my biggest issue...defeating a gun grabbing statist is.

[upsdriver]

I'm not so sure about that. In any case, I have serious reservations about the underlying political philosophy of a so-called "conservative" politician who comes down on the wrong side of the abortion issue.

I agree! Especially christian conservatives. Abortion isn't even a political issue to me. If a candidate believes abortion is acceptable he does not deserve my vote!

Please check out this link/ an article by Pastor Lamb of Lutherans for Life.

http://www.lutheransforlife.org/Life_Issue_Info/Abortion/is_abortion_an_election_issue.htm