Obama Waffles on Controversial Abortion Record

August 18, 2008

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Obama Waffles on Controversial Abortion Record Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is harshly accusing a pro-life group of "lying" about his record on abortion as a Illinois state senator, despite compelling evidence on the pro-lifers' side. Obama made the aggressive attack when Christian Broadcasting Network Senior National Correspondent David Brody asked Obama about documentation the National Right to Life Committee recently obtained of a 2003 committee vote on “born alive” legislation that would have required medical officials to give life-saving care to babies who survived abortion.

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45 Comments

cotedazur 4 years 39 weeks

What an incredibly complicated issue. I'm curious as to the definition of "survive" that is being used in the legislation in question (referring to infants that "survive" an abortion). If all is as GS implies, these are infants that have a hole in the base of their skull and are missing large portions of their brain. How viable could they really be?

cotedazur 4 years 39 weeks

Jillness 4 years 39 weeks

It wasn't his "lone" opposition. The bill would have been passed if he was the only Senator in Illinois to oppose it. The bill got 4 "yes" votes and 6 "no" votes. That information is in the AP story that is linked to the source of this thread. ;) And piper, he voted "present" when he agreed mostly with a bill, but because of additions or lack of exceptions he couldn't agree to it. This is 100% consistent with what he has said regarding this legislation.

Jillness 4 years 39 weeks

It wasn't his "lone" opposition. The bill would have been passed if he was the only Senator in Illinois to oppose it. The bill got 4 "yes" votes and 6 "no" votes.That information is in the AP story that is linked to the source of this thread. ;)And piper, he voted "present" when he agreed mostly with a bill, but because of additions or lack of exceptions he couldn't agree to it. This is 100% consistent with what he has said regarding this legislation.

piper23 4 years 39 weeks

This is the issue that got me off the Obama train. I liked the guy until I read about his lone opposition to the Born Alive Infant Protection Act. How can he justify that? Oh wait, I forget - he was against it but instead of actually voting against it, he chose to vote PRESENT. Big of him. This Act has nothing whatsoever to do with the mother and everything to do with protecting the child. Question: Instead of handing down a VETO, can a President stamp it PRESENT instead?

piper23 4 years 39 weeks

This is the issue that got me off the Obama train. I liked the guy until I read about his lone opposition to the Born Alive Infant Protection Act. How can he justify that? Oh wait, I forget - he was against it but instead of actually voting against it, he chose to vote PRESENT. Big of him. This Act has nothing whatsoever to do with the mother and everything to do with protecting the child.Question: Instead of handing down a VETO, can a President stamp it PRESENT instead?

Great Sommelier 4 years 39 weeks

Exactly.

Great Sommelier 4 years 39 weeks

Exactly.

Cassandra57 4 years 39 weeks

It appears to me there may be a lack of clarity here. The "Born Alive" legislation applies to infants that survive an attempted abortion. The legislation would have called for medical care for these survivors. To me, this is where pro-choice and pro-life people should be able to find common ground: Can we not agree that infants who survive abortion are viable and should be treated as born-alive babies, not dead tissue? This is not an extreme position. These *are* babies who have survived birth. The number of occurrences is utterly irrelevant. Obama said that the bills were different, and claimed he would have supported a bill with the same wording as the federal bill...but it was his committee that voted to block the change. I can't understand how anyone who has been pregnant or given birth can support Obama's stance on this issue. It is nothing less than infanticide.

Cassandra57 4 years 39 weeks

Michelann 4 years 39 weeks

Acts like what?

Michelann 4 years 39 weeks

Acts like what?

Jillness 4 years 39 weeks

"Uniting my butt, how can any extremist unite such diverse views" The same could be said about John McCain when he says that he will appoint Supreme Court Justices that would over turn Roe v. Wade. It seems in the debate between Pro-Choice and Pro-Life, everyone is an "extremist".

Jillness 4 years 39 weeks

"Uniting my butt, how can any extremist unite such diverse views"The same could be said about John McCain when he says that he will appoint Supreme Court Justices that would over turn Roe v. Wade. It seems in the debate between Pro-Choice and Pro-Life, everyone is an "extremist".

Jillness 4 years 39 weeks

How is Obama misstating his opinion when your own source admits there were differences? "showing that Mr. Obama, while chairman of a Senate committee, in 2003, voted against a “Born Alive” bill that contained nearly identical language to the federal bill that passed unanimously, including the provision limiting its scope." I am sorry, but that makes this: "he said the federal version he supported “was not the bill that was presented at the state level.” ...TRUE

Jillness 4 years 39 weeks

How is Obama misstating his opinion when your own source admits there were differences?"showing that Mr. Obama, while chairman of a Senate committee, in 2003, voted against a “Born Alive” bill that contained nearly identical language to the federal bill that passed unanimously, including the provision limiting its scope."I am sorry, but that makes this:"he said the federal version he supported “was not the bill that was presented at the state level.” ...TRUE

stephley 4 years 39 weeks

I was referring to born alive. There are plenty of acts that some might call murder that others consider acceptable. The only difference is the age of the victim.

stephley 4 years 39 weeks

I was referring to born alive. There are plenty of acts that some might call murder that others consider acceptable. The only difference is the age of the victim.

Great Sommelier 4 years 39 weeks

Jill: "The dispute flared again last week when a leading opponent of legalized abortion, the National Right to Life Committee, posted records from the Illinois Legislature showing that Mr. Obama, while chairman of a Senate committee, in 2003, voted against a “Born Alive” bill that contained nearly identical language to the federal bill that passed unanimously, including the provision limiting its scope. The group says the documents prove Mr. Obama misrepresented his record. Indeed, Mr. Obama appeared to misstate his position in the CBN interview on Saturday when he said the federal version he supported “was not the bill that was presented at the state level.” His campaign yesterday acknowledged that he had voted against an identical bill in the state Senate, and a spokesman, Hari Sevugan, said the senator and other lawmakers had concerns that even as worded, the legislation could have undermined existing Illinois abortion law. Those concerns did not exist for the federal bill, because there is no federal abortion law. In 2005, the campaign noted, a “Born Alive” bill passed the Illinois Legislature after another clause had been added that explicitly stated that the legislation would have no effect on existing state abortion laws. Told of the campaign’s explanation, the legislative director of the National Right to Life Committee, Douglas Johnson, was dubious. “These are newly manufactured and highly implausible excuses,” he said. “There is no way that the bill would have had any effect on any method of abortion.” Mr. Johnson said the version Mr. Obama voted down clearly applied only to fetuses that emerged from the womb alive."

Great Sommelier 4 years 39 weeks

A baby is viable at 24 weeks.

Great Sommelier 4 years 39 weeks

A baby is viable at 24 weeks.

Great Sommelier 4 years 39 weeks

60?!? Guttmacher Institute estimated the number of abortions in the U.S. past 24 weeks to be approximately 1,032 per year in the US alone.

Michelann 4 years 39 weeks

Steph, I think we can all see the difference between the government paying to "feed, clothe, provide health care and education" and making it illegal to do what some might call murder.

stephley 4 years 39 weeks

As upsetting and tragic as this is, it doesn't affect very many people - and there are plenty of tragedies in our world that make some people weep and others don't think are a high priority. To me, once we've agreed to feed, clothe, provide health care and education for all the children who make it past birth in this country, then you can talk to me about the 60 or so involved in these procedures. Or once we feel the same compassion for the struggling child of an illegal immigrant or a migrant farmworker that we do for these babies. But people say every day that too many of our tax dollars go toward helping children they don't deem worthy, so it's just a matter of picking your sad story.

stephley 4 years 39 weeks

Link Love

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