Rudy Giuliani: [to SC Firefighters & Police] 'A Woman Has the Right to Choose Abortion'

Associated Press/Newsmax.com ^ | 2.22.07 | staff report

[meg88]

hursday, Feb. 22, 2007 8:13 a.m. EST

Rudy Giuliani: 'A Woman Has the Right to Choose' Abortion

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Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani met with firefighters and police officers in this early voting state Wednesday, using the forum to reference the Sept. 11 terror attacks, which earned him national attention.

"The first people that arrive on the scene of the bombing or the anthrax attack ... it's going to be one of your brothers or your sisters or you that gets to do it," the former New York mayor told a crowd of about 200 emergency workers. "Your ability to do it well will once again determine if we save lives - save America."

Giuliani compared firefighters and police to uniformed military personnel and said the federal Department of Homeland Security needs to ensure first responders "have the training and protection you need to defend your country."

Giuliani has a tough road ahead in South Carolina, which is to host the first Southern primaries in 2008. His moderate positions on gun control and support for abortion rights do not sit well with the state's Christian conservatives, who accounted for a third of the 2000 GOP primary vote. Those voters swung heavily to President Bush that year, giving him a 2-1 ratio margin over Arizona Sen. John McCain, who was viewed as soft on abortion.

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On Wednesday, Giuliani reiterated his own position.

"I'd advise my daughter or anyone else not to have an abortion," Giuliani said. "I'd like to see it ended, but ultimately I believe that a woman has the right to choose.

"I believe that you've got to run based on who you are, what you really are and then people actually get a right to disagree with you," he said. "And I find if you do it that way, even people who disagree with you sometimes respect you."

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"We're a tremendous amount of time away from an election," he said. "We haven't even gotten to a primary yet. The best thing we can do now is organize."

© 2007 Associated Press.

[George W. Bush]

People seem to be more focused on the "threat" of Rudy than doing that, though.

It is entirely legitimate to draw people's attention to his record. Since polls indicate that only 20% of Republicans know his radical pro-abortion positions and history, it's fair game. Same with his position on sodomy rights and his very very messy personal life.

We don't have to commit to any other candidate to oppose a liberal. At this point, it's more about weeding out the unacceptable candidates and then looking at what's left.

Rudy is unacceptable. He's a liberal. He could and should run as a Democrat. For them, it would be a great improvement. But not for the GOP.

[LtdGovt]

The only difference between that and 'forcing her' to carry the child of an abusive husband or boyfriend is the rape. And the unborn child could care less how it was formed. And the circumstances of it's conception do not invalidate its life. The presents of a rape here seems to have you 'blinded by emotions'.

Hardly. The problem seems to be that I actually have concern for those who are already born. You, and others, have asked me why the child should be punished for the rapists' crimes. I ask: why should the woman be punished? A woman should not have to suffer because she has been raped. The experience itself is trauamtic enough, putting a gun against her head just increases the trauma.

[linda_22003]

If he does become the nominee, would you take that as a signal that the GOP has changed direction? I really don't know what's going to happen next year.

[George W. Bush]

Rudy realizes that, in the 21st century, laws do not stop abortion, persuasion is the only way.

Wrong again. The PBA ban has stopped partial-birth abortion so far. It seems to pass muster with the Court and was supported by both parties, even by many libs. Unfortunately, Rudy was not one of the libs who did support it. He's earned the title of 'leftwinger' on the issue for his public opposition to and lobbying against the PBA ban.

[LtdGovt]

You seem to have trouble understanding what strict constructionism is about. It's not imposing your own metaphysical beliefs on the country, it is actually interpeting the text of the Consitution, and doing so narrowly.

[ichabod1]

The Constitution does not afford equal protection to those not born.

What make you think that? If you say because the child isn't born here (yet), I say if a greasy day laborer from Jalisco is "subject to the jurisdiction" of the US and gets all sorts of rights and protection, then babies are even more entitled to them.

[Swordfished]

I don't understand this, nor Hillary's! "Safe, but rare" position. Either abortion is acceptable, ie. morally defensible, or it's not.

it's simple.

acceptable/morally defensible does not necessarily mean 'illegal'.

a single woman can sleep around - be a whore - and government doesn't put her in jail for that. it's morally wrong...her and God will work it out, not her and the government.

it goes the same for any other individual immoral act that doesn't infringe on others' rights.

so obviously the pro-life argument is that abortion infringes on the right of the unborn to life. well, rights are conferred to 'human beings' not just any living matter (like plants, animals, etc.). so the question it comes down to is 'is the developing fetus a human being?'.

everyone has their different opinion...but since there are objective differences between that human being and a born human being (even if one considers the fetus a human being), there will always be a debate about it.

[ichabod1]

The question is, do we want to punish a woman who has been raped, remember her of that horrific act every day, and force her to bear the child of her rapist.

She has to remember it for 9 months. We're sorry -- it IS disgusting. But aborting an innocent child only compounds my disgust.

[xzins]

Consider: "If Rudy wants to see it ended" then it is not a right, now, is it?

That is, unless he believes in ending "rights."

How can he say he believes in "a woman's right to choose" and simultaneously say he wants to see it ended.

He wants to end what he sees as a "right?????"

Giuliani is a lost cause, my friend. If you want a united Republican Party in 2008, then we'd better find someone more palatable for a huge percentage of that party.

[linda_22003]

"The PBA ban has stopped partial-birth abortion so far."

I'm not sure what this means. The PBA has been tied up in courts ever since your namesake signed it. The law has not yet gone into effect as far as I am aware.

[George W. Bush]

You have no right to put your gun against a woman's head (figuratively) and force her to carry a rapist's child.

As a wise old justice once said "Hard cases make bad law." It is a favorite tactic of the Left to use those hard cases to impose a completely radical solution to problems affecting a very small number of people.

The battle over whether we can or should force a woman to carry a rapist's child is very remote. Pro-lifers in general do not commit to that position. This is a philosophical and legal argument, not one that represents the goals of pro-life organizations and pro-lifers in general.

Pro-lifers are not cruel or thoughtless people.

[Delphinium]

Using birth control is not abortion.

An IUD is actually used to cause an abortion. It causes a disturbance in the womb that causes new pregnancies, (babies) to abort.

[Swordfished]

Before or after pregnancy?

after

[xzins]

You are correct. The IUD does displace an emplanted baby.

I'd forgotten about IUDs.

[Yossarian]

And frankly, I am tired of seeing this philosophical issue, which it is, being headlined as the leading matter facing America and its government.

"Philosophical issues" don't bleed.

[LtdGovt]

Rather, I said that I think that the case could be made for such a judicial ruling. It is certainly easier to make the case that an appropriate interpretation of the Constitution would BAN abortion rather than BAN laws restricting abortion.

That's a hard position to defend. Look at the death penalty. The Constitution explicitly allows states to deprive people from life, however, they still argue that the death penalty is cruel and unusual. Similarly, the Constituion only protects those who have already been born.

However, if I do believe that the Constitution is best construed to require legal protection of unborn children, then obviously, it wouldn't be judicial activism, in my view, for the Court to rule in such a way. It would be strict constructionism.

Unfortunately, all activists see their work as "interpeting the law" (no offense), even when it isn't. It is my firm belief that it is the duty of the government to provide me with 100 bottles of wine a year. Now would that be strict constructionism? That's a ridiculous comparison, but you catch the drift.

Which is kind of the point with Mr. Giuliani. He believes that there is a right to abortion. A constitutional right for a woman to procure the killing of her unborn child. He believes that the Constitution is rightly construed in affirming such a "right."

He said no such thing, he said 'right'. He did not state that the right is a constitutional right.

[ichabod1]

This is just an outdated argument of the Left.

I already responded to this, and this may sound like a reversal of my previous argument, but I'm a pragmatist, and if the health authorities do a routine D&C as a standard part of rape treatment, both to prevent disease and preventing a fertilized egg from attaching, I don't have a big problem with it.

[xzins]

Contraception after a pregnancy has already occurred is an abortion and is, therefore, a violation of the right to life of the baby.

[tkathy]

Abortion/infantacide has been worldwide since the beginning of time and will be worldwide until the end of time. The muslims have abortion, they call it honor killing. They just kill both the mother and the child.

Abortion is a totally unsolveable issue IMO.

[don-o]

This post is an insult to your own intelligence.

Well, that's not hard to do. So glad to have your insight and great wisdom to correct such a dummy as I am.

Explain to me why a definition of an unborn human being as a person has anything to do with reversing Roe?

(please use small words and short sentences.) Thanks