Kerry/abortion talking points

[detroit]

Two points:

2) Kerry supports Roe v. Wade (as does most of America). But that does not mean that, he likes abortion or thinks people should choose it. He is a good Catholic on that score. But the test of whether you believe something should not be your willingness to impose your views on others.

2) Declaring abortion to be illegal and the calling it a day will solve nothing. Abortion would merely move to Canadian and Mexican border towns and to illegal, underground "providers" controlled by orgnized crime. There are FAR better ways to decrease the number of abortions - within the context of the Rowe decision.

[German-Lefty]

1. Here's another Point: Abortion rate is increasing under Bush

It was decreasing before. Abstinence only "sex ed", impoverishing economy policies, and inadequate access to health care lead to more abortions:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/kungf00/214001.html

[jean]

2. Freedom is on the march and Abortion is on the rise, eh? Great

achievements for 43.

[German-Lefty]

3. Let's turn this thing around:

Kerry is feeling the pinch because he can't say he's in favor of the state banning abortions, because he would loose steam with progressives. But he has to say he's pro-life at heart to keep some of the Christians on board.

Ask Bush "Are you for legislation against abortion in cases of rape and/or incest?" The religious right will force him to say he is. Many would moderates would be turned off by this.

[fob]

4. Relating to your question that should be posed to bush*/bush*bots

Just refer to the exchange form the 2bd debate;


KERRY: Well, again, the president just said, categorically, my opponent is against this, my opponent is against that. You know, it's just not that simple. No, I'm not.

I'm against the partial-birth abortion, but you've got to have an exception for the life of the mother and the health of the mother under the strictest test of bodily injury to the mother.

Secondly, with respect to parental notification, I'm not going to require a 16-or 17-year-old kid who's been raped by her father and who's pregnant to have to notify her father. So you got to have a judicial intervention. And because they didn't have a judicial intervention where she could go somewhere and get help, I voted against it. It's never quite as simple as the president wants you to believe.

GIBSON: And 30 seconds, Mr. President.

BUSH: Well, it's pretty simple when they say: Are you for a ban on partial birth abortion? Yes or no?


So there you have it, given the choice of using tax dollars to pay for an abortion for a 16 year old who was raped by her father, bush* would vote to make abortion illegal.

Read the entire exchange, bush* loves life so much he would prefer a mother die if it means a safe medical procedure would harm a fetus regardless of it's gestational status - at least where federal tax dollars are concerned.
transcript from; www.debates.org/pages/trans2004c.html

[German-Lefty]

5. That's the problem with the debates, they talk past each other

I remember that exchange.

So there you have it, given the choice of using tax dollars to pay for an abortion for a 16 year old who was raped by her father, bush* would vote to make abortion illegal.
No we don't have him. Neither candidate answered the questions put to him, or got nailed hard for waffling.

Bush never said whether
* he supports making that 16 year old ask her rapist father permission
* whether he supports exceptions when the mother's life is at risk

His vote would support this ban, rather than have no ban. From the point of view of a Pro-Lifer, stopping the deaths of a thousands of children a year is worth a few people dieing unnecessarily.

Kerry has objections for not voting for this bill. I wonder if he really would vote for any abortion ban. Note he says: "I'm against the partial-birth abortion" not "I'm am for a ban".

It is my belief that the status quo will be maintained under either candidate. Right wing politicians and power brokers don't want a ban on abortion, because they'd loose this political tool. Progressives know they would alienate their base if they let some ban slip by.