Giuliani's Abortion Views: Now and Then
March 28, 2007
As we first reported here on The Brody File, Rudy Giuliani's exploratory website says that he "supports reasonable restrictions such as parental notification with a judicial bypass and a ban on partial birth abortion – except when the life of the mother is at stake.”
Um, I think it's time for a history lesson. As a matter of fact, before we stroll down memory lane and cue up Rudy's greatest quotes from the past, let's cue up the game show theme music. Because as Rodd Roddy from "The Price is Right" would say, "Rudy Giuliani, come on down! You're the next contestant on "The Quote is Right". Click here before you read on to get you in the mood.
Giuliani may say now that he supports a ban on partial birth abortion but he wasn't talking that way in 2000. He was OK with the ban back then. Here's what he told Tim Russert of Meet the Press in February of that year.
Russert: "[B]anning of late-term abortions, so-called ‘partial-birth abortions’ – you're against that?”
Giuliani: “I'm against it in New York, because in New York …”
Russert: “Well, if you were a senator, would you vote with the president or against the president?”
Giuliani: “I would vote to preserve the option for women.”
Here's another one. This is what he said to George Will From ABC's This Week program, also from February of 2000.
George Will: “Is your support of partial birth abortion firm?”
Giuliani: “All of my positions are firm. I have strong viewpoints. I express them. And I – I do not think that it makes sense to be changing your position to figure out, 'Well, I can get the Liberal Party, I can get the Conservative Party here.'”
On Parental notification, Giuliani says he's for it now. But read this excerpt from a New York Times article written last month:
"On a 1997 candidate questionnaire from the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League of New York, which Mr. Giuliani completed and signed, he marked ‘yes’ to the question: Would you oppose legislation ‘requiring a minor to obtain permission from a parent or from a court before obtaining an abortion.’”
Rudy needs to be careful. Part of his charm is that his supporters like the way he is straight shooter. He doesn't want to be seen as someone who is playing both sides. So how does Rudy handle this? If he starts to lean too much to the right, he'll begin to lose some of his already established moderate base because he'll be seen as "sucking up" to the religious right. If he continues to hold firm to his past positions, he hurts himself with the powerful religious conservative base in the primaries. Rudy, good luck. You're either going to win the brand new car or you'll get a bottle of turtle wax as a consolation prize.
THE BRODY FILE Main Page >>
A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.
