May 11, 2007
Giuliani On Abortion; And A Riposte
Rudy Giuliani, in Houston, on abortion:
"Everybody's got to make a choice," Giuliani told about 500 students, faculty and staff crammed into an auditorium at Houston Baptist University. "How important are the differences and how important are the other issues we may agree on."Giuliani emphasized his conservative credentials on tax cuts, crime and the war in Iraq before clarifying his support for abortion, a position he acknowledged was unlikely to be shared by those listening.
Describing his belief that abortion was "morally wrong," Giuliani said he has opposed it all his life. But he said he believes the decision should ultimately be left to individuals and that their decisions should be respected.
"In a country like ours ... I believe you have to respect their viewpoint and give them a level of choice. I would grant women the right to make that choice," he said.
After the jump, the Catholic League's Bill Donohue is in full froth:
“In 1960, Catholic presidential candidate John F. Kennedy went to Houston to clarify his position on church and state. Today, Catholic presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani spoke in Houston to clarify his position on abortion. Kennedy succeeded in assuaging the fears of his skeptics. Giuliani failed.“From the AP report on Giuliani’s speech, it is apparent that the former New York City Mayor broke no new ground. We know he believes that abortion is ‘morally wrong,’ and we know that he supports abortion rights in general. But he lacked the specificity today that he previously espoused. Consider how specific he’s been in the past.
“In 1987, Giuliani said, ‘I don’t equate abortion with murdering a child, which I guess puts me in conflict with the teaching of the Catholic church.’ In 1989, he said that if his own daughter were contemplating an abortion, he would try to dissuade her from doing so, but that if she held to her view, ‘I’d give my daughter the money for it.’ In 1992, he said, ‘I made a terrible mistake on abortion last time. I should have said I was pro-choice and stopped.’ In 1997, he answered affirmatively when asked, ‘Would you support legislation which would require Ob/Gyn graduate training hospitals to require training in abortion procedures?’ In the 1990s, he wrote several checks to Planned Parenthood, explaining today that he did so because he values the right of women to make choices. Yet there is no evidence that he ever wrote one check to support Crisis Pregnancy Centers, making clear what choice he really prefers.
“It is up to Republicans to decide whether Giuliani is the best candidate. But Catholics of both parties, as well as Independents, have a right to know—in great detail—how a Catholic candidate will decide on a matter the Catholic Church regards as ‘intrinsically evil.’”
Posted at 03:04 PM
Comments
Giuliani is one more phony. A real leader takes a stance and does not flipflop like Giuliani. He has only one campaign theme like Bush: Scare people into voting for him.
The guy who was married to his cousin does not deserve to be the president of US.
awayne | 05.14.07 09:51 AM
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I don't know who I dislike more, Bill Donohue or Rudy Giuliani.
james | 05.14.07 10:19 AM
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