Fred Thompson Rejects GOP's Pro-Life Platform Plank

CNS ^ | 11/5/07 | Terrence Jeffrey

[Norman Bates]

I watched the interview and in my view he left it open to distortion.

[Rennes Templar]

Right, although there’s the issue of perception. All of the sudden, FT is pro-abortion, not a true conservative, blah-blah.

[McGruff]

Thompson said he wants to keep abortion legal at the state level.

The person who wrote this (Terrence Jeffrey) is a liar!

[demshateGod]

the fact is, there doesn’t need to be an amendment to ban abortion. It’s already banned by the constitution. What needs to happen is the federal government needs to protect the life of its citizens whether the states will or not.

[dschapin]

If we are talking about joining the 21st century maybe you should adjust your constitutional interpretation to catch up with the last 150 years of Constitutional Law. Many of the Frederalists seem to be stuck with a pre-civil war view of States Rights. Many of you seem to act as if the 14th Amendment was never ratified.

[AppyPappy]

I agree that this should be a state-level decision

Kinda like slavery and Jim Crow, huh?

[Ghost of Philip Marlowe]

I agree. What’s better, to try to pass an amendment banning it, which would definitely fail, the very idea of which would be used by the Dems to ensure Hillary wins and that we have even less of a chance of it being brought up for amendment...

or to appoint judges that overthrow RvW and return the issue to the states, where we may very well find many states that ban it outright.

So which is better, an attempt to ban it federally that fails, or at the state level where it is banned in some states. Now, women who want to abort could still go to a pro-abort state, but teens and young women who may be confused or mislead by the seriousness of the issue, may realize what is fully at stake is several states ban it outright. This, IMHO, would have the greatest effect in reducing abortions in this country.

[JAKraig]

By throwing their tantrum...we get something much worse. . .

______________________________________________________

I’m not sure I agree with you. This is a terribly important issue to a lot of people, not THE most important but right up there near the top.

I think Fred was wrong to make the statements he made, perhaps he will review and revise in a few days.

One poster said that the constitution does not mention murder, but in fact it does by guaranteeing everyone the right to LIFE. No state has the right to not protect it’s citizens from murder. If life begins at conception then no state has the right to kill the unborn. His logic on this subject is flawed.

To answer those who say that this is a states rights issue I say only in part, the states can decide what the penalty is for taking life but they have to do something to protect it.

Fred has stumbled on this issue, if he is the nominee I will vote for him but it will not be as easy as it would have been last week.

There are still candidates who support a total ban on abortion, they just went up a couple of notches in my book.

[pissant]

It is the simplest of questions. Is the human fetus a human being worthy of Constitutional protection?

Here is Duncan Hunter's take:

"I would amend the U.S. Constitution and provide blanket protection to all unborn children from the moment of conception by prohibiting any state or federal law that denies the personhood of the unborn. Likewise, I have also introduced the Right to Life Act, which would legally define “personhood” as the moment of conception and, therefore, guarantee all constitutional rights and protections, including life, to the unborn without utilizing a constitutional amendment".

"I support people with good judgment, proven values, a belief in God, and a heart for the least of us, including the unborn. I believe it is important that those sitting on the bench understand that they have a responsibility to strictly interpret our nation’s laws and not legislate from the bench with their own political or social agenda. I will not appoint judges who do not believe that the unborn are precious and should be protected".

[BigAlPro]

I didn't quote Fred. I quoted the article. Did Fred Thompson say he wants to outlaw all abortions in America? NO. Did he say that he supports bring the entire, unholy process to an end? NO. Fred says that it should be a matter for the states to decide. In other words, Fred supports a state's "right" to legalize abortion. And that position will be his undoing.

Be careful how you twist the words my friend. For it is not I who will be perceived as the liar.

[kevkrom]

you don’t see romney trying to change the GOP platform now.

Pretending to support the principles in the Republican platform is a new trick for Romney in the first place. Since his whole campaign is based on fooling people into believing that he's a conservative (by some definition), he wouldn't dare step on any toes.

[Vn_survivor_67-68]

Yep!

Overturning R v W (restoring States Rights) is fine with me.......the thought of unrelated additional Amendments introduced during a Constitutional Convention called for an abortion Amendment is just too scary.......unless I am mistaken, once a CC is opened, other Amendments can be introduced.

[pissant]

Once again, if you are against criminalizing it, how is that supporting making it illegal?

[Resolute Conservative]

By trying to work in context of what he had at the time. He knew that Roe v. Wade was the law and would be for a while under the structure of the court when he was a senator.

Now he wants to do it right.

[demshateGod]

“I would rather see Hillary win the ‘08 election than vote for Fred......I mean, what diference is there between the two?”

I’m sure you’ll get flamed for that comment but there’s a lot of wisdom in that which I don’t have the ability to articulate. I can say this, having fake conservatives gives us false hope and it’s better to have an adversary who’s openly fighting us.

[ari-freedom]

Romney is from Massachusetts, Fred is from Tennessee. even Al Gore was pro-life when he was senator from tennessee. In order to win mass you have to be pro-choice and in order to win tenn you have to be pro-life. It’s not so easy to tell what a politician really stands for. And I think both mitt and fred are politicians.
But at least Romney isn’t dumb enough to propose changing the platform at a time when Rudy is in the lead.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

Here is Fred's voting record posted on another thread by a poster named ellery (I think)

"Thompson takes a federalist viewpoint on abortion because it's the only way to handle issues society is currently so divided about. Given this division, there is zero chance a Constitutional amendment would pass; the only way to at least stop some abortions is to return the issue to the states. He obviously isn't a pure federalist on this issue, since he voted to ban partial birth abortion on a federal level.

Just for reference, here are all Thompson's abortion-related votes in the Senate. He voted with Jesse Helms 100% of the time. I hope that this provides some insight into your questions above.

Voted with Helms, Thurmond, Santorum and Inhofe against allowing coverage of abortion under the Federal employees' health insurance policies in cases where it is medically necessary - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=104&session=1&vote=00371

Voted with Helms, Thurmond, Santorum and Inhofe (and against almost every moderate republican in the senate) against an amendment "to express the sense of Congress in support of the Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade" - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=106&session=1&vote=00337

Voted with Helms, Thurmond, Santorum and Inhofe against killing an amendment to prohibit the expenditure of certain appropriated funds for the distribution or provision of, or the provision of a prescription for, postcoital emergency contraception - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=106&session=2&vote=00169

Voted with Helms, Thurmond, Santorum and Inhofe "to provide for certain disclosures and limitations with respect to the transference of human fetal tissue" - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=106&session=1&vote=00338

One of only 17 senators (including Helms, Gramm and Sessions) to vote against the Schumer amendment "to ensure that debts incurred as a result of clinic violence are nondischargeable.- http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=106&session=2&vote=00002

One of only 24 senators (including Helms and Inhofe) to vote for requiring that the Congressional-Executive Commission monitor the cooperation of the People's Republic of China with respect to POW/MIA issues, improvement in the areas of forced abortions, slave labor, and organ harvesting, and for other purposes - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=106&session=2&vote=00249

Voted with Helms, Thurmond, Santorum and Inhofe (and against almost every moderate republican senator) against killing an amendment to prohibit the use of funds the pay for an abortion or to pay for the administrative expenses in connection with certain health plans that provide coverage for abortions - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=106&session=1&vote=00197

Voted with Helms, Thurmond, Santorum and Inhofe against Tommy Daschle's "moderate" amendment that banned late-term abortions but affirmed Roe v. Wade - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=105&session=1&vote=00070

Voted with Helms, Thurmond, Santorum and Inhofe against cloture for Henry Foster, surgeon general (and abortionist) - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=104&session=1&vote=00273

Voted with Helms, Thurmond, Santorum and Inhofe against striking the limitation on the coverage of abortions - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=105&session=1&vote=00129

Voted with Helms, Thurmond, Santorum and Inhofe against a joint resolution that stated limitations of abortion coverage was negatively affecting population planning programs - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=105&session=1&vote=00013

Voted with Helms, Thurmond, Santorum and Inhofe to prohibit the restriction of certain types of medical communications between a health care provider and a patient (i.e., abortion counseling) - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=104&session=2&vote=00283

Voted with Helms, Thurmond, Santorum and Inhofe against an amendment "to clarify the application of certain provisions with respect to abortions where necessary to preserve the life or health of the woman" - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=104&session=1&vote=00593

Voted with Helms, Thurmond, Santorum and Inhofe to delete language concerning certification of population programs - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=104&session=2&vote=00035

Voted with Helms, Thurmond, Santorum and Inhofe to amend title 18, United States Code, to ban partial-birth abortions - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=105&session=2&vote=00277

Voted with Helms, Santorum and Inhofe to to amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the use of somatic cell nuclear transfer technology for purposes of human cloning - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=105&session=2&vote=00010

Voted with Helms, Thurmond, Santorum and Inhofe to prohibit taxpayer funding for abortions covered by the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=104&session=1&vote=00370

Voted with Helms, Thurmond, Santorum and Inhofe against repealing the restriction on use of Department of Defense facilities for abortions - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=105&session=2&vote=00176

Again voted with Helms, Thurmond, Santorum and Inhofe to to amend title 18, United States Code, to ban partial birth abortions - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=106&session=1&vote=00340

Voted with Helms, Thurmond, Santorum and Inhofe against killing an amendment expressing "the sense of Congress concerning Roe v. Wade and partial birth abortion bans" - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=106&session=1&vote=00334

Voted with Helms, Thurmond, Santorum and Inhofe (and almost all other senators) "to protect infants who are born alive" - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=107&session=1&vote=00208

Voted with Helms, Thurmond, Santorum and Inhofe to kill a measure to repeal the restriction on use of the Department of Defense facilities for privately funded abortions - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=106&session=1&vote=00148

Voted with Helms, Thurmon, Santorum and Inhofe for a motion to ban partial birth abortions. (motion to table the motion to reconsider) - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=106&session=1&vote=00333

Voted with Helms, Thurmond, Santorum and Inhofe to express the sense of Congress regarding forced abortions in the People's Republic of China - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=106&session=2&vote=00243

Voted with Helms, Thurmond and Santorum to kill an amendment to repeal the restriction on the use of Department of Defense facilities for privately funded abortions - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=106&session=2&vote=00134

Voted with Helms, Thurmond, Santorum and Inhofe to proceed on a bill to ban partial birth abortions - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=106&session=1&vote=00332

Voted with Helms, Thurmond, Santorum and Inhofe against Specter's amendment "to protect the reproductive rights of Federal women prisoners" - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=104&session=1&vote=00478

Again, voted with Helms, Thurmond, Santorum and Inhofe to kill an amendment repealing the restriction on use of Department of Defense facilities for abortions - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=104&session=2&vote=00163

Again voted against repealing the restriction on use of Department of Defense facilities for abortions - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=105&session=1&vote=00167

Again, voted with Helms, Thurmond, Santorum and Inhofe to prohibit the use of funds the pay for an abortion or to pay for the administrative expenses in connection with certain health plans that provide coverage for abortions - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=105&session=1&vote=00190

Voted with only 37 other senators (including Helms, Santorum and Inhofe) to prohibit the use of funds for research that utilizes human fetal tissue, cells, or organs that are obtained from a living or dead embryo or fetus during or after an induced abortion - http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=105&session=1&vote=00215"

[TommyDale]

We remain pro-life. Principles are something you people don’t seem to understand.

[Salvation]

I have a notion that the lamestream media twisted this story. With a small child in his lap or his wife’s lap during interviews, there is no way he would come out against life.

Off my soap box.

[RockinRight]

Since your post was filled with logic and reason, I can respond in kind.

It is an important issue to a lot of people, I’m one of them. However, I wish the “absolutionists” as I call them would take my more pragmatic view. Absolutionist is not meant to be derogatory, it’s just the best one-word term to describe conservatives who put abortion above all else. Not a judgement in favor or against such a position, it’s just a description.

You’re right that there is a right to life in the Constitution.

However, as other Freepers have pointed out, murder itself is a state issue currently. All 50 states, of course, make murder illegal, but it’s a state issue nonetheless. Why not make abortion the same?

The other candidates you mention JUST AREN’T GOING TO WIN. They just aren’t.