Posted on 11/07/2007 8:11:39 AM PST by jaybeegee
The head of National Right to life says he's not troubled by Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson's opposition to federal legislation ending abortion, and therefore right-to-life activists across the U.S. should not be troubled as well.
The former Tennessee senator has drawn the consternation of some, but not all pro-life activists after saying that even though he believes life begins at conception, he would not support a federal constitutional amendment banning abortions. Thompson stated Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press: "I think people ought to be free at state and local levels to make decisions that even Fred Thompson disagrees with."
Earlier, the founder and president of the Texas-based pro-life group Life Dynamics said the GOP presidential candidate's comments indicate that he is a "pro-life pretender." In contrast, David Osteen, director of National Right to Life, says he does not have a problem with Thompson's stance because a human life amendment has been a "long-term" goal of the pro-life movement.
"You would have to change 20 to 25 votes in the Senate," says Osteen. "You'd have to replace 20 to 25 senators to pass an amendment even there. It takes two-thirds of both houses of Congress [and] three-fourths of the states to ratify [an amendment to the Constitutional], so it's not practical to think that there would be a human life amendment passing Congress during the next presidential term -- and of course, the president doesn't have a vote."
----end excerpt---- FredThompsonNews
(Excerpt) Read more at onenewsnow.com ...
Thmopson has it all, and strangely enough Pat Robertson endorsed Rooty Mc Fruity. When Thompson wins, it will be sickening to see all these people that supported Rooty try to cozy up to Thompson, and maybe he will tell them all where they can stick it.
FRED....PING!!
At least one right to life leader has his head on straight.
Fredipedia: The Definitive Fred Thompson Reference
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the president doesn’t have a vote but he does have a voice. we need to hear that voice on this issue
Wow a realist,how refreshing!
And the irony of it all...
THE TOTAL NUMBER OF US ON FREEREPUBLIC WHO HAVE SAID THE EXACT SAME DAMN THING....
It’s high we stop seeing who is the most “right” on the issue and save some lives...
THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!
IT’S A LIE!
Everyone knows that since James Bopp backed Mitt, Romney is the ONLY candidate the NRL will support...
/really really big S
It’s pretty easy and risk-free to endorse a human life amendment — it gives credibility to those with weak records on the issue, with no follow-through results required.
Thompson voted with Jesse Helms on abortion 100% of the time in the senate, and he wants to overturn Roe v. Wade. The fact that he’s not endorsing a Constitutional amendment, given that there would be no downside in doing so, gives him more credibility in my view.
Fred’s voting record is Pro-life. Constitutional amendments don’t just “happen” and in the political climate of today, I am not sure they can happen anymore. The country seems just too polarized.
But I was JUST TOLD a day or two ago on this very forum by fine, upstanding Trudy Rooters that Fred and Rudy are virtually the SAME on the issue.
Them fine folks wouldn’t have possibly been LYING would they?
That’s good because I KNOW that would be beneath even them.
;o)
In 1983 a proposal called, the Hatch-Eagleton Human Life Federalism Amendment, came the closet to getting through the first step in a very difficult constitutional process. It failed to get the 67 votes required, going down 49 votes in favor to 50 votes against.
At the same time, pro-lifers have been working to get Roe v Wade overturned. This would require at least five pro-life/anti-Roe votes on the SCOTUS to accomplish. Right now, we are one vote shy. Nowhere in the Constitution does it say anything about abortion, or a woman having a right to have an abortion. As J. Byron White said, RvW was an act of "raw judical power". The SCOTUS passed RvW as judicial fiat. The American people never had an opportunity to vote on RvW and its provision for abortion on demand. Nor was RvW ever voted on by any legislature.
At this point, passage of a right to life amendment may happen some day. Just not right now. Fred Thompson has it right. Overturn RvW, send the issue back to the states where it resided for 200 years. Allow federalism to work. Stop abortion on demand as the national policy of the US governemnt. Allow the people in each state to vote on the issue. This will bring down the number of abortions and set the stage for a Reagan style Human Life Amendment at some future date.
I wish there was more emphasis on the concept expressed in your post, that the president does not have a vote. Congress does and the state legislatures do. It is going to take a huge change in congress before the marriage amendment or the human life amendment could possibly be passed.
Your post also points out that these ideas are long term goals. I’ve heard Richard Land, Shannon Royce and Fred talk about these ideas. Some people can’t get these concepts through their heads.
Fred’s ideas are the best IMHO for where we are now and what we are able to do now and would push us toward the eventual goal of fixing these problems.
I’m not disagreeing with anything in this post or what was said, but I wish more people would talk about it and get the point across and more people would understand what it all means.
Fred acknowledged this [what you said] and committed to using the bully pulpit to stand for marriage [one man, one woman] and human life if he is elected. He said this in one of his meetings with the Arlington Group.
Finally someone who understands it. Good to see.
I can’t wait for all the Duncan Donuts to roll in here and accuse Mr Osteen of being “pro-death”.
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