Arianna Huffington wrote an article in the Huffington Post the other day about common misconceptions of McCain's stance on reproductive rights.
She begins by noting that there are a number of Clinton supporters who have said they would rather vote for McCain than Obama in November (or not vote at all), should Obama win the nomination.
She then points out that the policy differences between Clinton and Obama are minor compared with those between both Democrats and McCain - and that nowhere is this more profound than in the area of reproductive rights:
I was in Seattle last week giving a speech at a fundraising lunch for Votes! Washington, the political arm of Planned Parenthood in Washington State. At the event, the group's CEO Elaine Rose told me about a poll that Planned Parenthood had commissioned of women in 16 battleground states [pdf]. The results are startling:
Over half of all women in these states have no idea what McCain's positions are on reproductive health. Forty-nine percent of women in battleground states who currently favor McCain are pro-choice. Twenty-three percent of them believe McCain agrees with them on choice.
The good news is, 36 percent of pro-choice McCain supporters are less likely to vote for him after learning that McCain opposes Roe v. Wade and favors making most abortions illegal. That number hits 38 percent when those voters learn that McCain has also consistently voted against expanding access to programs that reduce pregnancy and the need for abortion, consistently voted in favor of abstinence-only programs, and against legislation requiring insurance companies to cover birth control.
She then goes on to say:
Since 1983, in votes in the House and the Senate (where he has served since 1987), McCain has cast 130 votes on abortion and other reproductive-rights issues. 125 of those votes were anti-choice [pdf]. Among his voting lowlights:
- He has repeatedly voted to deny low-income women access to abortion care except in cases of rape, incest, or danger to the mother's life (although McCain is now wavering on trying to put these exceptions into the party platform).
- He voted to shut down the Title X family-planning program, which provides millions of women with health care services ranging from birth control to breast cancer screenings.
- He voted against legislation that established criminal and civil penalties for those who use threats and violence to keep women from gaining access to reproductive health clinics.
- He voted to uphold the policy that bans overseas health clinics from receiving aid from America if they use their own funds to provide legal abortion services or even adopt a pro-choice position.
- Of his anti-choice voting record, McCain has said, "I have many, many votes and it's been consistent," proudly adding: "And I've got a consistent zero from NARAL" through the years. And last month he told Chris Matthews: "The rights of the unborn is one of my most important values."
What's more, McCain has made it very clear that if he becomes president he will appoint judges in the Scalia, Roberts, Alito mold. His big judicial speech earlier this month was filled with coded buzz words that make it clear that, if given the chance, he'd replace 88-year-old Justice John Paul Stevens with an anti-choice Justice who would tip the scales against Roe v Wade. Throw in an additional anti-choice replacement for the 75-year-old Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and you can kiss the right to choose good-bye for a long, long time.
The full article is here - Unmasking McCain: His Reactionary Record on Reproductive Rights - with lots of useful links for more info.
I think it's an important consideration for anyone who's pro-choice - whether they're a Democrat or a Republican. If John McCain wins in November, there's a very real risk that Roe vs Wade will be overturned - and women across the country would be looking at a return to the bad old days of backstreet abortions, with all the health risks that that implies.
On his website, John McCain says:
John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who understand that courts should not be in the business of legislating from the bench.
Constitutional balance would be restored by the reversal of Roe v. Wade, returning the abortion question to the individual states. The difficult issue of abortion should not be decided by judicial fiat.
You can read McCain's whole statement here - John McCain: Overturning Roe v. Wade
Technorati tags: John McCain, McCain, Republican, reproductive rights, abortion, pro-choice, pro-life, backstreet abortion, voting record, Roe vs Wade, Roe v Wade, termination, reproductive health, right to choose, Arianna Huffington, Huffington Post, Democrat, Clinton, Obama, Primaries, presidential primaries, general election, American politics, WebWeaver's World, webweaver.
5 comments:
Can you please comment on your exact position on abortion? At what point in the pregnancy should abortion become unlawful?
I am starting a new site http://www.prolifelberals.org
I would be interested in your opinion.
IM ALL 4 reversing the roe vs wade decision! I had an abortion as a stupid young girl, & now many many years later even though happily married w/ 3 helthy beutiful kids, I still live w/ the pain of what i did. knowing that my baby now would b 14. Being lied to by clinic when i asked if its a baby at 8 weeks, them saying no bloody tissue, when now i know was a baby, seen in my pregnency on ultrasound 8 weeks had heartbeat,, So they lied to me. if they told truth i would of backed out then,, Also if it was illegal then in 95 i would of had to keep, because id be scared to have an alley abortion. & now would not live w./ the gilt & pain, & then if i was desperate to have an back alley abortion, then i should have died, now that would not be haunting me what i did, thinking it was an esy way out, my parents not finding out, getting out of the mistake i made, an accident, NOW i live w/ the pain of what i did, & regret. .
So yeah i hope abortions are one day again illegal in the U.S. because if there is nothing wrong w/ the mother no risks or deformities, Just a selfish scared girl, or woman, that was a mistake,, Oh well, It should be illegal, because it is a baby at 8 weeks has heart beat! abortion is MURDER! & i am prepared when i die, I except i commited a mortal sin by what i did as a young girl, wanting the easy way out, taking another life i created, like it never happend. i hope when i die i burn in hell if thats whats meant for me, because what i did, not knowing then it was wrong, just because it was legal, I know i will answer to a higher power. & when that day comes im ready. I dont want u people to go off on me, after reading this, but some will,,fine, ive been through it done it, & u do remember as hard as u try to 4 get, it does haunt u, I have a happy life now, & i cherish life, what i went through my last pregnency trying hard to keep my baby inside me as long as i could because i had complications fighting to keep him in, even though it could of jepardized me, I did, all worked out. & when i was young easily ending life, I love my life now, but then mayb i should of died. or live w/ the desision to have instead of ending it,since i wasnt careful, u dont know then u will regret later, especially learning more about it. so as a young stupid 19 yr old & even in h.s being pro choice, in debates. against pro life kids. saying its a womans choice, i was wrong its NOT a womens choice, its your body, BUT theres another body growing inside yours, so that dilutes its your body.. ???
Anonymous, thank you so much for taking the time to comment on my blog. I am so sorry to hear of the torment that you went through as a result of your decision as a young woman.
Although I disagree with you on the Roe vs Wade issue - because I very strongly believe in a woman's right to choose - I do empathise with what you must have gone through.
I do hope that you will be able to find peace with your past someday. I'm assuming from some of what you say that you are a Christian. Doesn't the Bible say that God would always forgive those who repented? It sounds as though you are certainly deeply sorry about the decision you made so long ago.
I wonder if there is someone you could talk to about it, who could help you to deal with your grief and your feelings of guilt? Maybe a counsellor, or perhaps your priest or pastor?
I do hope that you are able to somehow find a way to forgive yourself. Although I do not believe for one second that what you did was a sin, and I don't believe it was murder either, I can see that you do, and I respect that.
Take care. I hope you find the peace you seek.
Roe v wade was bad law and should be overturned. Modern science shows what is in the womb...a real human being. I am so sorry for the woman who is haunted by the death of her child. She should look into Project Rachel it is a healing ministry for anyone affected by abortion. Alot of times someone is with the woman either forcing her by pressure to get an abortion or not helping her to not get an abortion. I pray this woman on your blog Allows God to forgive her and help her with her pain. She will always miss her baby but she can be freed of the prison of constant guilt. My sister had an abortion and went to confession. The priest forgave her and she cried. She felt forgiven and one day she knows she will see her child. She does have a hole in her heart, but she allowed God to forgive her and heal her. Sometimes she calls me and says she gets upset at what she did. But she knows God and her baby forgave her and she needs to live in the future. Please anyone who supports the right for abortion remember most women felt they had no choice, they are usually scared or pressured. How can we as a society turn our backs on these women and their unborn babies they deserve better.
hi, my name is bree. i, like the other woman who posted, had an abortion and now regret it. i was addicted to heroin and cocaine at the time, and i killed my child out of fear of withdrawal and being to selfish to stop getting high. it makes me sick. however, there are legitimate reasons for women to have abortions. i just wish there were some type of limits, some type of guidelines. i do not believe for one second that a woman who was raped should have to have that child, that is extremely traumatizing. but i also don't think any old dumb girl who got knocked up should be able to go in and have an abortion regardless of how far along she is. that makes me sick. for me, i would be happy with some type of middle ground. but i guess i should know better than to ever expect to see that happen. anyway, to anonymous, i hope you can believe that god is forgiving and loves you and you will not burn in hell for your mistake. take care.
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