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March 18, 2024

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2008 Elections

Republicans on Abortion

 

John McCain (has secured nomination)
McCain says Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he would 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. . . . . more | Other issues | Bio

 

Ron Paul
He is pro-life and "an unshakable foe of abortion." In Congress, he authored legislation that would define life as beginning at conception. He is also the prime sponsor of a resolution that would negate the effect of Roe v. Wade by removing the ability of federal courts to interfere with state legislation to protect life. . . . . more | Other issues | Bio

 

Rudy Giuliani (dropped out)
He is personally opposed to abortion and favors adoption over abortion. However, ultimately, a woman should make that decision based on her own conscience in consultation with her physician. There should be reasonable restrictions on abortion such as parental notification with a judicial bypass and a ban on partial birth abortion—except when the life of the mother is at stake. As president, he would appoint strict constructionist judges, who, like Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, would take a conservative and more limited view of abortion. . . . more | Other issues | Bio

 

Mike Huckabee (dropped out)
He says he supports and has always supported passage of a constitutional amendment to protect the right to life. "My convictions regarding the sanctity of life have always been clear and consistent, without equivocation or wavering. I believe that Roe v. Wade should be over-turned." He also believes in using existing stem cell lines for research, but does not believe in creating life for the sole purpose of destroying it. . . . more | Other issues | Bio

 

Duncan Hunter (dropped out)
He is pro-life and would amend the U.S. constitution “to protect all unborn children from the moment of conception by prohibiting any state or federal law that denies the personhood of the unborn.” He would support strict constructionist judges and would not appoint judges “who do not believe that the unborn are precious and should be protected.” He has voted no on human embryonic stem cell research. . . . . more | Other issues | Bio

 

Mitt Romney (dropped out)
Although he was personally opposed to abortion, he ran in both his 1994 U.S. Senate and 2002 Gubernatorial campaigns as a pro-choice candidate. But Romney has said that during his term as Massachusetts governor he began studying whether human stem cells should be used in research. Romney said he didn’t like the idea of creating new life for experimentation in embryo farming nor did he like that the embryos were destroyed after 14 days. Both of these concepts led him to change his stance to pro-life. “I’ve changed my view on that,” he has said on the 2008 campaign trail. “Abortion is taking human life. There’s no question that human life begins when all the DNA is there that is necessary for cells to divide and become a human being. Is it alive? Yes. Is it human? Yes.” Some critics would argue that Romney is flip-flopping on the issue of abortion to appease the conservatives he is trying to attract in order to gain the Republican nomination. During a CNN interview on June 18, 2007, he told John Roberts that all of the decisions he made as governor of Massachusetts came down on the side of life. . . . more | Other issues | Bio

 

Tom Tancredo (dropped out)
He says the innocent unborn enjoy a God-given right to life. Roe v.Wade is a scar on the moral and intellectual history of the country; but, contrary to popular belief, overturning it would merely permit and not require states to prohibit abortion, he said. To protect life, he advocates educating the public about “the second victim of abortion,” the mother who is subject to potential life long medical and emotional scarring. As President, he would appoint strict constructionists who honor the separation of powers and respect democracy. . . . more | Other issues | Bio

 

Fred Thompson (dropped out)
He is pro-life. He says Roe v. Wade was “bad law and bad medical science.” He would appoint strict constructionist judges, such as Chief Justice John Roberts, who he helped to get through the Senate confirmation process. He has been criticized for being a paid lobbyist for a short time for a family planning group with a pro-choice agenda. . . . more | Other issues | Bio

 

— Las Vegas Sun new media managing editor Dave Toplikar and intern Jenna Kohler compiled this report.

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