Quote:
Originally Posted by YOhio
The question wasn't "when does life begin?" Rather it was "when does a baby get human rights in your view?" This isn't a theological question but a legal question. Something a former Con Law prof should be able to handle with ease. Obama answered the expected question and whiffed on the actual question. Of course, we all know what he wanted to say and that is that a baby receives full human rights at birth.
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I noticed that, too. It wasn't a biological question or philosophical one. The way the q was phrased he had an easy out, but he didn't take it.
NOW, LET'S DEAL WITH ABORTION. 40 MILLION
5 ABORTIONS SINCE ROE V. WADE. YOU KNOW, AS A PASTOR I
6 HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS ALL OF THE TIME. ALL OF THE
7 PAIN AND ALL OF THE CONFLICTS. I KNOW THIS IS A VERY
8 COMPLEX ISSUE. 40 MILLION ABORTIONS. AT WHAT POINT
9 DOES A BABY GET HUMAN RIGHTS IN YOUR VIEW?
10 A. WELL, I THINK THAT WHETHER YOU ARE LOOKING AT
11 IT FROM A THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OR A SCIENTIFIC
12 PERSPECTIVE, ANSWERING THAT QUESTION WITH SPECIFICITY,
13 YOU KNOW, IS ABOVE MY PAY GRADE. BUT LET ME JUST SPEAK
14 MORE GENERALLY ABOUT THE ISSUE OF ABORTION BECAUSE THIS
15 IS SOMETHING OBVIOUSLY THE COUNTRY WRESTLES WITH. ONE
16 THING THAT I'M ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED OF IS THERE IS A
17 MORAL AND ETHICAL CONTENT TO THIS ISSUE. SO I THINK
18 THAT ANYBODY WHO TRIES TO DENY THE MORAL DIFFICULTIES
19 AND GRAVITY OF THE ABORTION ISSUE I THINK IS NOT PAYING
20 ATTENTION. SO THAT WOULD BE POINT NUMBER ONE.
21 BUT POINT NUMBER TWO, I AM PRO-CHOICE. I
22 BELIEVE IN ROE V. WADE AND COME TO THAT CONCLUSION NOT
23 BECAUSE I'M PRO ABORTION, BUT BECAUSE ULTIMATELY I
24 DON'T THINK WOMEN MAKE THESE DECISIONS CASUALLY. THEY
25 WRESTLE WITH THESE THINGS IN PROFOUND WAYS. IN
1 CONSULTATION WITH THEIR PASTORS OR SPOUSES OR THEIR
2 DOCTORS AND THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS. AND SO FOR ME, THE
3 GOAL RIGHT NOW SHOULD BE -- AND THIS IS WHERE I THINK
4 WE CAN FIND COMMON GROUND AND BY THE WAY I HAVE NOW
5 INSERTED THIS INTO THE DEMOCRAT PARTY PLATFORM IS HOW
6 DO WE REDUCE THE NUMBER OF ABORTIONS BECAUSE THE FACT
7 IS THAT ALTHOUGH WE'VE HAD A PRESIDENT WHO IS OPPOSED
8 TO ABORTIONS OVER THE LAST EIGHT YEARS, ABORTIONS HAVE
9 NOT GONE DOWN.
10 Q. HAVE YOU EVER VOTED TO LIMIT OR REDUCE
11 ABORTIONS?
12 A. I AM IN FAVOR, FOR EXAMPLE, OF LIMITS ON LATE
13 TERM ABORTIONS IF THERE IS AN EXCEPTION FOR THE
14 MOTHER'S HEALTH. NOW FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THOSE
15 WHO, YOU KNOW, ARE PRO LIFE, I THINK THEY WOULD
16 CONSIDER THAT INADEQUATE. AND I RESPECT THEIR VIEWS.
17 I MEAN ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE ALWAYS SAID IS THAT
18 ON THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE, IF YOU BELIEVE THAT LIFE
19 BEGINS AT CONCEPTION, THEN -- AND YOU ARE CONSISTENT IN
20 THAT BELIEF, THEN I CAN'T ARGUE WITH YOU ON THAT
21 BECAUSE THAT IS A CORE ISSUE OF FAITH FOR YOU.
22 WHAT I CAN DO IS SAY ARE THERE WAYS THAT WE
23 CAN WORK TOGETHER TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF UNWANTED
24 PREGNANCIES SO THAT WE ACTUALLY ARE REDUCING THE SENSE
25 THAT WOMEN ARE SEEKING OUT ABORTIONS, AND AS AN EXAMPLE
1 OF THAT, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE TALKED ABOUT IS
2 HOW DO WE PROVIDE THE RESOURCES THAT ALLOW WOMEN TO
3 MAKE THE CHOICE TO KEEP A CHILD. YOU KNOW, HAVE WE
4 GIVEN THEM THE HEALTH CARE THAT THEY NEED. HAVE WE
5 GIVEN THEM THE SUPPORT SERVICES THAT THEY NEED. HAVE
6 WE GIVEN THEM THE OPTIONS OF ADOPTION THAT ARE
7 NECESSARY. THAT I THINK CAN MAKE A GENUINE DIFFERENCE.