Posted on 04/06/2007 9:44:30 AM PDT by veronica
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani ventured to conservative South Carolina yesterday hoping to talk about terrorism and the economy, but instead got hit at every stop with another topic - abortion.
A day after the former mayor said he supports public funding of abortion - sparking a firestorm among conservatives - local media here forced him to elaborate on the issue at events intended to underscore new endorsements.
And although Giuliani, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, did not waiver from his central belief that abortion is a woman's right, he responded with some of his most strident comments to date on the divisive topic.
"I'm against abortion. I hate it. I wish there never was an abortion and I would counsel a woman to have an adoption instead of an abortion," Giuliani said at the state Capitol in Columbia. "But ultimately I believe it is an individual right, and the woman can make that choice."
When pressed, Giuliani said he would not change the so-called Hyde amendment, which restricts federal funding for abortion to cases of rape, incest and to save the life of the mother. But he said he would support the right of states to make their own decisions about providing taxpayer-funded abortions, just as New York and 16 other states do now.
His preference to let states decide how they want to restrict certain rights is increasingly becoming Giuliani's favorite way around sticky issues, among them abortion and gun control.
Yesterday's discussion also included a proposed South Carolina law that would require women seeking abortions to first view ultrasound images of their fetus - a first in the nation if approved.
"The legislature of South Carolina should make its decision about that," Giuliani said when asked whether he would support the idea.
He got a much friendlier reception when he headed into the streets of Charleston, where he was mobbed by well-wishers eager to have their picture taken with the man some believe led the nation through 9/11.
"He is strong, he is determined and he does what he says," said Marsha Tokarczyk, 51, when asked why she was seeking Giuliani's autograph.
Tokarczyk, a Republican, added that she typically does not vote for politicians who favor abortion, but of Giuliani she said, "I respect his position."
Also known as the core of American federalism, for the pig-ignorant among us.
I hear he will confiscate all guns and enforce a 3 abortion rule on all women of child bearing age.
Read the Constitution some day. It will do you good.
sure, Rudy the attorney, that’s why a right to Life is clearly stated and given God-given, unalienable right’s status in the Declaration of Independence and listed in the 5th amendment and the 14th amendment. That’s why you are NOT a conservative.
No, it's more like saying "I'm opposed to murder but if others choose to do it I'll help pay for the knife or axe from federal taxes."
Good point.
Saying abortion is a states’ rights issue, is nothing but a cop out.
“War on terror trumps all and encompasses all. If you don’t fight terror...nothing else will matter.
If people sit home and don’t vote because of abortion they are traitors, selfish and immature... ..”
How much longer do you think God will bless our country if we continue to kill innocents by burning them in the womb, or vacuuming them to death, or stabbing a scissors in their head, while their arms and legs are moving, with partial-birth infanticide?
If people sit home, and don’t vote for a pro-life, conservative in the PRIMARIES, they are traitors, selfish and immature.
No. It is not part of the constitution.
10th Amendment applies.
I agree.
GWB disallowed funds for abortion in the military and the United Nations, and picked two SCOTUS judges which will lead us in the right direction when it comes to reversing Roe.
Rudy has a history of picking liberal judges as he did in NYC.
That's not "like saying", it IS saying the same thing except for exchanging "abortion" for "murder".
AFAIC abortion is murder. I know it isn't murder according to the legal definition of the term, because it hasn't been illegal to deliberately kill an unborn baby since 1973. But in a moral sense it's nothing less than premeditated murder, and I believe God sees it exactly the same as murder and will judge abortionists accordingly.
How do you get that from what he said in SC? He said that a woman has the right to kill her unborn child, how is that any different from what he has said in the past?
I hadn't heard that yet, but it fits in with his extreme liberalism regarding social issues.
It isn't bad enough that he supports allowing women to hire killers to kill their unborn children, if that sound bite is correct he wants to pay the killers with tax money taken from you and me under duress.
In contrast with the surreal "penumbra" that the '73 SCOTUS found hovering over the Constitution protecting the right to abort babies, the right to keep and bear arms is an actual right guaranteed by an actual constitutional amendment written on actual parchment in actual ink by actual men.
But while Rudy has no problem accepting the reality of an intangible "penumbra" mysteriously emanating from the Constitution that guarantees a woman's right to an abortion, he has a major problem accepting the reality of the tangible 2nd Amendment.
Awww, Hell. He saw the polls.
Next thing you know he'll be duck hunting.
Next week: Tigers decide spots are "all the rage"..."Stripes are so-o, like last week, said a tiger spokescat..."
I'm not taking anything less than a name, not... "I wish a true conservative comes along," or some ambiguous statement like that.
Just give me the name of your preferred candidate who has your support.
It's very easy to be a arm-chair GOP critic, so let's have the name of your candidate now.
You making me smile all over the place, epow, and that’s a felony.
Like I said.....he ain’t getting my vote. After your post, he DOUBLE ain’t getting my vote.
The nerve of this man to even call himself a conservative.
Don’t even get me started on John McCain.
Why does anybody HAVE to tell you a candidate they are supporting in order to tell you that they are definitely not supporting Rudy and the reasons why they aren't supporting Rudy? Just because a bunch of people ran off half-cocked supporting Rudy doesn't mean that others aren't taking their time to make an informed decision about other candidates.
“War on terror trumps all and encompasses all. If you don’t fight terror...nothing else will matter. “
Being anti abortion is it’s own “war on terror.”
If Rudy won’t protect civil liberties at home, why will he overseas?
"I hate abortion, but .."
Laura Ingraham calls these people 'But Monkeys' and rightfully so. It's always "blah, blah, blah BUT ... " In any case this "I hate Abortion, BUT" canard is the exact same tripe spewed by Hillary and the Dems.
And since Rudy is now being so open about his personally held liberal principles, like Federal Funding of abortion for starters - he should come completely clean - a come to Jesus moment if you will - and finally admit .. he's running as a Democrat.
So c'mon Rudy, admit it. Confession is good for the soul. Admit you're running as a Dem and just need the GOP for cover as you know you couldn't win the Dem nomination due to the anti-war moonbats.
Do it Rudy, you'll feel better and we'll feel better.
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