Political Punch

Power, pop, and probings from ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper

« Previous | Main | Next »

Obama's Abortion Kerfuffle

July 07, 2008 11:29 AM

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, and his views on abortion have been confounding some observers these days.

And perhaps that's in no small way the reason why the controversial Christian Defense Coalition is launching a new campaign  focused on painting Obama as "The Abortion President."

Check out THIS IMAGE of Obama as Uncle Sam: "I Want YOU To Pay for Abortions," courtesy of CBN's Brody File.

Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition, says Obama would have "the most extremist policies on abortion of any President in history. Senator Obama's views on abortion are so radical that he even wants American citizens to pay for them. This would include Catholics, Evangelicals and all people of faith. He would also expand abortion rights through his passionate support of The Freedom of Choice Act."

This ad becomes relevant within the context of Obama's attempts to win over evangelical voters -- some of whose votes may be up for grabs given Obama's comfort discussing his Christian faith and their distrust of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. -- Obama's support for abortion rights will assuredly be a sticking point.

Obama's desire to win these voters may be why, in a recent interview with Relevant magazine, ("Covering God, Life, and Progressive Culture") Obama seemed to be moving rightward on the issue -- rhetorically, at least -- saying:

"I have repeatedly said that I think it’s entirely appropriate for states to restrict or even prohibit late-term abortions as long as there is a strict, well-defined exception for the health of the mother. Now, I don’t think that 'mental distress' qualifies as the health of the mother. I think it has to be a serious physical issue that arises in pregnancy, where there are real, significant problems to the mother carrying that child to term. Otherwise, as long as there is such a medical exception in place, I think we can prohibit late-term abortions."

The language Obama used in that response seemed to remove "mental distress" as an allowable exception justifying a post-22 week abortion.

To some observers, that would seem to go against the Supreme Court decision Doe v. Bolton -- handed down the same day as the more famous (or infamous) Roe v Wade decision legalizing abortion, though the Court said the decisions were to be "read together."

Doe holds that the health exception permitting abortion after viability should be based on a "medical judgment...exercised in the light of all factors -- physical, emotional, psychological, familial, and the woman's age -- relevant to the wellbeing of the patient," as ABC News' Supreme Court reporter Jan Crawford Greenburg noted over the weekend.

So was Obama suggesting to Relevant that he disagrees with Doe?

That would seem to contradict Obama's support for the "Freedom of Choice Act," which codifies in law a mental health exception for post-viability abortions, legislation that Obama has publicly supported.

The Obama campaign says no, that's not what he was saying, and spokesfolk explained that the senator's use of "mental distress" in the Relevant interview was not a reference to "mental illness."

On Saturday, after a reporter noted to Obama that he had said that mental distress shouldn't be a reason for late-term abortion, Obama clarified, "historically I have been a strong believer in a women's right to choose with her doctor, her pastor and her family...I have consistently been saying that you have to have a health exception on many significant restrictions or bans on abortions including late-term abortions. In the past there has been some fear on the part of people who, not only people who are anti-abortion, but people who may be in the middle, that that means that if a woman just doesn't feel good then that is an exception. That's never been the case."

Obama continued: "I don't think that is how it has been interpreted. My only point is that in an area like partial-birth abortion having a mental, having a health exception can be defined rigorously. It can be defined through physical health, It can be defined by serious clinical mental-health diseases. It is not just a matter of feeling blue. I don't think that's how pro-choice folks have interpreted it. I don't think that's how the courts have interpreted it and I think that's important to emphasize and understand."

But if Obama is saying that "mental distress" is already not a legal exception for abortion bans, then what was the point of what he told Relevant? He maintains he wasn't discussing any view that runs contrary to current abortion law, so it would seem he was just discussing a personal view -- that a woman, 8 1/2 months pregnant, shouldn't be able to get an abortion just because she's feeling blue.

Some abortion opponents suggest that Obama was merely trying to muddy the waters and sound more centrist on the issue -- as if his mind were open to some abortion bans, when in fact he was merely stating current law wrapped in some triangulating language.

- jpt

July 7, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (82)

User Comments

Feed You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

Nice article and comments!
Thanks for sharing.

Posted by: Tom | Nov 11, 2008 9:14:45 AM

ObmaforPresident

"2. Christ cares for the poor, but the
anti-choice crowd supports the neo-fascist economic policies of economic
Benedict Arnolds such as Reagan and Bush, who believe in privatizing wealth and socializing their cost of business."

Wow... caring for the poor means killing their babies?

Who would have thought that?

These people are truly scary... if you need government to provide for you, move to China or Europe.

And if you REALLY studied Christ as you allege, follow His commandments. There are two; the second is to love thy neighbor as yourself, and the first and most difficult, is to love God with all your heart. To love God is to obey His commandments.

When you REALLY understand Christianity, come preach to me. Otherwise pony up your own money first to assuage your guilt! Don't use the government as a guise to stealing money for others through taxation.

Posted by: arielsadmirer | Jul 22, 2008 10:36:42 AM

pretty vile

Posted by: jacob | Jul 9, 2008 10:53:21 AM

Evidently many politicians and Supreme Court Judges who passed the Abortion Law consider themselves believers in the afterlife. They proyect God according to their selective priorities . Well if that God exist and pronounces JUDGEMENT at the time of their arrogant lives He will ask them How about my 55 millions babies where they are? I hope they will have a humble answer. In the meantime let us pray to the Lord because God can not be mocked.

Posted by: Martha | Jul 8, 2008 11:03:28 PM

Carolyn, the premise of your question is wrong. I know what a President Obama WON'T do. He won't veto the universal health care legislation that the Liberal Democrats in Congress pass no matter how outrageous the bill is.

Posted by: James Danley | Jul 8, 2008 10:18:48 PM

In trying to appeal to everyone, Obama is instead repelling those who would have been natural allies. I have voted Democratic for over 20 years, but I won't support this unprincipled opportunist. He has played the angles on abortion, universal health care, trade, Iraq, guns, the death penalty.... What next?

Posted by: Nancy | Jul 8, 2008 9:11:34 PM

just curious...Where does this joker really stand on anything?


Obama doesn't even seem to know where he stands on anything.

Posted by: carolyn | Jul 8, 2008 9:02:10 PM

Spock...You are right! One only needs to know how Obama went to Trinity for 20 years with that crazy Wright preaching hatred and anti-American trash to know where he stands.

Posted by: carolyn | Jul 8, 2008 8:34:54 PM

JamesDanley...How do you know what obama will do. Heck, Obama doesn't even know from day to day what he will do.

Posted by: carolyn | Jul 8, 2008 8:21:08 PM

ObamaforPresident, you wrote: "...the government does not make the decision for a woman to have an abortion that is her choice." That certainly is the case right now.

One of the key elements of universal health care is preventative health care. And it is under this guise that the federal government may mandate things that used to be unimaginable. For example, the government will likely dictate what we can or cannot eat and drink and even what products we can or cannot purchase so that we will be healthier and ultimately lower the cost of health care. And in that light, it is not out of the realm for the federal government to determine that over population is unhealthy. It is at that point that there could be a mandate FOR abortions to limit population growth. Now before you say that could never happen, consider that China implemented their one-child policy--with mandatory abortions--back in 1979.

So go ahead and open THAT door by voting for Sen. Obama!

Posted by: James Danley | Jul 8, 2008 5:22:12 PM

Back in the 70's when this issue was being hotly debated, the debate centered around one common question: "Is a fetus human life?" For many people, existing medical and scientific technology at that time was too limited to adequately answer the question. Since that time, scientific and medical evidence has overwhelmingly proven that it is indeed human life. Whether the fetus is human or not is no longer even debated. Now the issue seems to be a womans right to choose.
It seems that we need to be clear, if it is human life, then does the mother have the right to end the life? It seems to me that perhaps she does, if it can be proven that the human life is her property, to do with as she wishes. If we are willing to accept the idea that it is moral and right for one human being to own another human being as property, and that the owned human, (historically called a slave), is at the mercy of his or her owner, than abortion, would be acceptable. At that point however, it would be unreasonable to limit the time frame of the ownership of the slave, since again, historically a slave is the property of a slave owner until the slave dies, the owner sells the slave, or grants him or her their freedom. Under these new moral standards, there would be no reason to assume that we could not return to the age old practices of traveling to distant lands to capture relatively defenseless individuals, and enslave them for our purposes here.

Posted by: Letsthinkharder | Jul 8, 2008 4:36:17 PM

One of the things wrong with America is people want someone else to bear their guilt for their wrong doing. I am against abortion but I don't believe a politician is going to be held accountable by God for what a woman did with her child. Also some of you are quick to point the finger at Obama but what about McCaina and Bush and this war, where in the Bible does it say it is okay to kill people at war time; murder is murder and the government does make the decision of when to go to war; the government ddoes not make the decision for a woman to have an abortion that is her choice.

Posted by: ObamaforPresident | Jul 8, 2008 3:10:47 PM


I wish the ant-choice crowd would
truly become pro-life:
1. Christ is the prince of peace, but the ant-choice crowd tends to support pro-war draft dodging cowards such as Bush, Cheney, Rove, and Rush.
2. Christ cares for the poor, but the
anti-choice crowd supports the neo-fascist economic policies of economic
Benedict Arnolds such as Reagan and Bush, who believe in privatizing wealth and socializing their cost of business.

But the fake Christians tend to babble
about things that Christ never addressed
such as abortion. A pro-life and true American would support health care for all Americans and not just for some.

That is why I support Obama rather than
an old, old man with old ideas that have
failed this country time and again.

Posted by: USARULES | Jul 8, 2008 12:25:50 PM

Will this affect his wholesome, golden boy image with the evangelicals he is courting...I hope it wakes them up.

Obama is not what he pretends to be. And now the world is beginning to see.

Don't forget his "children are punishment" comment that everyone chose to ignore.

Posted by: riley | Jul 8, 2008 12:03:44 PM

I was recently in NC where special interest groups closed beaches to save bird eggs. I could have been fined or imprisoned for stepping on an egg. However, these same liberal groups feel it is morally acceptable for women to kill their own eggs and to really drive the point home - we who believe that every human being is priceless are paying for these women to kill their babies. This is evidence of how propoganda can work and for moral people to start believing that birds are more valuable than human life. Barak has bought into the propaganda. Is that the type of man you want to elect?

Posted by: urgifted | Jul 8, 2008 10:44:57 AM

The same crowd that can't stand to see baby seals slaughtered support any form of abortion. I believe in CHOICE. The unborn baby should have the choice of being aborted (aka slaughtered).

Posted by: Bill | Jul 8, 2008 9:49:29 AM

The same crowd that can't stand to see baby seals slaughtered support any form of abortion. I believe in CHOICE. The unborn baby should have the choice of being aborted (aka slaughtered).

Posted by: Bill | Jul 8, 2008 9:48:39 AM

May God in heaven defend us from this man, whose hands are clearly dripping with the blood of abortion, of course the greatest sin on earth.

His endless support for unlimited access to abortion is the only clear, concrete idea he has.

Posted by: Jeff Johnson, Collegeville | Jul 8, 2008 9:32:06 AM

no one will be able to afford the gas in an Obama administration to be able to drive to an abortion clinic. Obama opposes drilling, he opposes coal, he opposes nuclear, he wants solar and wind and geothermal to save this country. He says he will tax the oil company's profits and use the tax to help everyone pay for rising energy costs and help pay for other things too. Look at it rationally, the oil companies make roughly 9 CENTS per gallon profit. A tax on that 9 cents will yield no more than half of that amount even under ideal conditions. So we get a tax that amounts to 4.5 CENTS for every gallon of gasoline sold and THAT is what the government is going to use to help us citizens cope with the fact that gas has increased over a DOLLAR in the last few years? Give me a break! After the government people are finished using it, that 4.5 cents will amount to only a fraction of a cent available to help us cope. The DEMOCRATS promised that due to global warming they would push for $5.00 a gallon gas in order to wean us off of oil. Al Gore and the other members of the DEMOCRATIC leadership promised it and their DEMOCRATICALLY controlled Congress and Senate are putting and keeping in place policies to make certain that happens. No more gasoline refineries due to an enormous burden involved with the necessary licenses. No more drilling, no more coal electrical plants, no more nuclear plants, and on and on. The DEMOCRATS led by Al Gore and Nancy Pelosi and strangling this country. Obama is merely a puppet who daces to their tune. Gore has made millions from his movie and will make more. The global warming crisis is real, but the Democrats are against the one thing that can help ease the problem in the shortest time and that is nuclear, yet Obama opposes that as well. He is a PUPPET, no more no less. He dances to the Gore / Pelosi tune!

Posted by: Gerald | Jul 8, 2008 5:58:03 AM

KEEPING OBAMHA IN OUR PRAYERS SHOULD BE A PRIORITY. GOD CAN CHANGE THE HARDEST OF HEARTS & GET TO THE CONSCIENCE OF ANY MAN OR WOMAN HE CHOOSES. OBAMHA IS A "CHILD OF GOD" LIKE ALL HUMAN BEINGS CREATED IN HIS IMAGE. "PRAYER LEFT IN GOD'S HANDS, HEART, & EARS DOES GET ANSWERED!!!"

tHE QUESTION IS "WHAT CAN I DO" TO CHANGE THE HEART OF THAT MAN???

THE ANSWER IS HITTING ONE'S KNEES IN PRAYER UNTIL IT HURTS.

REMINDS ME OF A MAN, WHO DID THAT VERY SAME THING UNTIL HE SWEAT DROPS OF BLOOD FROM HIS BROW FOR YOU & FOR ME... LATE AT NIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE.

THE PRAYER OF A RIGHTEOUS MAN AVAILIATH MUCH!!! SO PRAY FOR HIM...HE NEEDS IT!

HIS BELOVED : )

Posted by: AMY | Jul 8, 2008 12:54:17 AM

Post a comment





 

POLITICAL VIDEOS