Washington, DC (LifeNews.com)
While Barack Obama was busy slamming the Supreme Court at the recent Planned Parenthood conference, Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Edwards appeared on a crash course with each other as to whether Clinton or Edwards’ husband John is the most pro-abortion Democratic candidate for president.
During the speech, Clinton pointed with pride her to votes against the confirmation of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito. Clinton attacked them for their recent decision upholding a federal ban on partial-birth abortions and accused President Bush of trying to tilt the high court against abortion. “At the top of the list was this effort to try to overturn Roe vs. Wade or at least try to chip away at it,” Clinton said, saying the Bush administration has “waged war” against contraception education and “set out from Day One to dismantle reproduction rights around the world.” “They don’t just want to wage a war on choice,” Clinton said. “They want to wage a war on contraception. They are against family planning.”
On judges she added, “I would appoint well-qualified judges who really respect the Constitution.” Meanwhile, Edwards said that her husband’s health insurance proposal would promote abortions — something that Obama supports as well. Clinton has not yet released a proposal related to health care after her 1993 debacle in which she tried to have the federal government take over the health care industry.
But Edwards went further in an interview after the Planned Parenthood event. She said she thinks her husband is a better warrior for women than Clinton — claiming the former First Lady is “not as vocal a women’s advocate as I want to see.” She also questioned Clinton’s commitment to promoting abortion and pointed out past statements Clinton has used to try to moderate her stance by saying abortions are tragedies. “I don’t think we should muddle the language,” Edwards said Tuesday.
“Yes, we have to be able to talk to someone who’s squeamish about it, but the question really is, who should make the decision? And it has to be the woman. Hillary may be expressing exactly what she believes — I hope she is — but the wiggle room in what she says makes me feel uncomfortable.” Clinton didn’t directly respond to the criticisms.
These are very disappointing and ill-considered comments by Elizabeth Edwards. I nearly gasped as I read this, thinking “there goes the Catholic swing vote.”
I greatly admire John Edwards’ determination to address the problem of poverty in America. However, a Consistent Ethic of Life means you protect the child in the womb and the child in the street. Elizabeth Edward’s comments mean that her husband only has half of that equation correct.
Whoever is being paid to advise these candidates on matters of faith isn’t doing a very good job.
Dean, do you really expect anything different? Does it not raise any question in your mind that the “care for the poor” might be a tad bit paternalistic at best and simply political pandering at worst?
Dean,
They need advisors to tell them how to think and what to say regarding this critical issue? What’s wrong with their own views and beliefs? This is the problem with so many of the candidates in both camps. We need more down to earth, honest, and real men and women who are not afraid to speak their minds and stand behind their principles.
Apparently Elizabeth Edwards is doing that.
Further, Elizabeth Edwards will receive little or no criticism in the media about her statement. Any politician expressing with the same degree of forcefulness and conviction that abortion is murder would be castigated for intolerance and trying to force his beliefs down everybody eles’s throat, etc., etc.