USA Today
04-19-07
GOP hopefuls laud abortion ruling; Dems denounce it
By Jill Lawrence, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court's decision to uphold a national ban on a
controversial abortion procedure gave Republican presidential candidates a
chance to bond with social conservatives. Democratic hopefuls said it
underscored the importance of getting a new president and justices who respect
women's rights and health.
The court ruling Wednesday catapulted the hot-button cultural issue to the center
of the national political conversation.
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The decision on what critics call "partial-birth abortion" prompted Democratic
White House contenders to raise alarms and energize supporters on a core party
issue.
"This hard right turn is a stark reminder of why Democrats cannot afford to lose
the 2008 election," said former senator John Edwards of North Carolina.
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Two other leading candidates, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and
Barack Obama of Illinois, used similar language to express their dismay. Both
said the decision is a "dramatic" departure from past rulings, disregards the
personal nature of the issue and could lead to more erosion of abortion rights.
ANALYSIS: Court takes harder stance on abortion
The court upheld a congressional ban passed in 2003 without an exception for
risk to a woman's health. Polls show most people support legal abortion in at
least some circumstances. They also show majorities oppose partial-birth
abortion.
Leading Republican presidential candidates have held a variety of views on
abortion, but they were unanimous in praising the ruling.
Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, ahead in national polls of the
Republican field, backs abortion rights. He said Wednesday, however, that the
court "reached the correct conclusion" in this instance.
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has moved from supporting to
opposing abortion rights. That has created what Iowa State University
professor Ray Dearin, a former Republican state committee member, calls "the
nagging question" of whether Romney's conversion is genuine.
On Wednesday, Romney said the banned procedure "offends basic human
decency." He called the court decision "a step forward in protecting the weakest
and most innocent among us."
Arizona Sen. John McCain, a longtime abortion-rights opponent, has
encountered strong resistance from some Christian conservatives. Focus on the
Family leader James Dobson said this year that he would not vote for McCain
"under any circumstances."
McCain called the court ruling a victory "for those who cherish the sanctity of life."
Touching on popular conservative causes, he said it underscores the need for
"strict constructionist judges … who do not usurp the authority of Congress and
state legislatures," and for the GOP to "stand on the side of life."
Congressional Republicans, who passed the ban when they controlled both
chambers, praised the ruling for its substance and its respect of laws made by
elected officials. They said it "sets the stage for further progress" in protecting the
unborn, as House Republican leader John Boehner put it.
Democrats on Capitol Hill said the decision threatens women's privacy, rights
and health. California Sen. Barbara Boxer said the procedure is banned even for
women in danger of "losing their fertility, becoming paralyzed, or sustaining organ
damage" without it. She said she would reintroduce her Freedom of Choice Act
to guarantee the right to abortion in federal law.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., his party's most prominent abortion
opponent, commented indirectly when asked about the ruling. He said he has
repeatedly tried to advance a bipartisan bill to prevent unintended teen
pregnancies — but each time "the … White House and the Republicans basically
step in and stop us."
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