Issue Position: Abortion

Issue Position

In my view, all human life is precious. The entire abortion debate hinges on the single question of when life begins, and my belief is that life begins at conception.

Abortion for the purpose of birth control is wrong and abortions should only be permitted in the cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger.

As you may know, I have voted numerous times in the U.S. House of Representatives to approve legislation which prohibits any abortion in which the baby is delivered "past the navel...outside the body of the mother," or "in the case of head-first presentation, the entire fetal head is outside of the body of the mother". Congress passed similar legislation twice, only to have it vetoed on both occasions by former President Clinton.

On November 4, 2003, President Bush signed the Partial Birth Abortion Ban into law to end this practice. Prior to signing the bill, the President said, "America stands for liberty, for the pursuit of happiness and for the unalienable right of life. And the most basic duty of government is to defend the life of the innocent. Every person, however frail or vulnerable, has a place and a purpose in this world. Every person has a special dignity. This right to life cannot be granted or denied by government, because it does not come from government, it comes from the Creator of life."

Choice is an important issue and I am committed to protecting the unborn who are not able to exercise a choice to live.

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