He Said, He Said: Thompson on Abortion

ABC News ^ | Thursday August 16, 2007 | JAKE TAPPER

[Plutarch]

Former Senator's Archives Contain Two Position Papers on Abortion, One Labeled 'Pro-Life' and Another Labeled 'Pro-Choice'

Former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson will appear in the first-in-the-nation caucus state of Iowa Friday...

...Thompson's foray into the Hawkeye State comes at a time when documents from his Senate and campaign archives provoke further questions about whether he truly is the political savior that conservative Republicans hope he is.

The papers that Thompson donated to the University of Tennessee...offer a view as to Thompson's political career that seems not always in firm alliance with Christian conservatives.

ABC News has obtained, for instance, two sets of position papers on abortion from Thompson's 1996 Senate race that indicate Thompson may have been to a degree trying to appeal to both those who support and those who oppose abortion rights.

CLICK HERE to read these two position papers in full.

In one "position paper on abortion" someone has written "(PRO-LIFE)" on the top right-hand corner, and the document states "Senator Thompson has a strong pro-life voting record in the Senate." The paper contains seven examples of votes Thompson cast against legal abortion.

Another "position paper on abortion," however, on which someone has written "(PRO-CHOICE)" omits the statement that "Senator Thompson has a strong pro-life voting record in the Senate," and it does not mention the seven votes he cast against legal abortion.

The "PRO-CHOICE" position paper mentions, as does the "PRO-LIFE" one, that Thompson opposes "federal funding of abortion, except in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger," and supports other restrictions, while concluding that "(b)eyond that, Senator Thompson has said that the federal government should not be involved in the issue of abortion...."

[FlashBack]

Correct, his voting record is where the proof is and it’s good enough for me.

[Gelato]

Bookmarked.

Beyond that, Senator Thompson has said that the federal government should not be involved in the issue of abortion. He does not believe that early-term abortions should be criminalized. He feels instead that this is a battle that must be won in the hearts and minds of the American people.

[JohnnyZ]

JohnnyZ: "Because Romney didn't even bother with pro-life groups "

This is false (surprise!). Romney’s conversion was less abrupt than is often portrayed. In his 1994 Senate run, Romney was endorsed by Massachusetts Citizens for Life and kept their endorsement

Mitt's opponents brought this up, and Mitt explicitly said on video that he did not want, seek, acknowledge, or accept any pro-life endorsement.

[MichiganConservative]

OK, I get it now. EQAndyBuzz wasn’t being facetious. I thought he was using the example of the VA as a reason for having the federal government pay for arbitrary medical procedures for arbitrary residents (can’t be a racist and exclude “undocumented citizens”) of this country. Yeah, I suppose if it’s part of the compensation package, that’s different.