Wesley Clark Restates Pro-Abortion Position, Says It Helps Him

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Jan 5, 2004   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Wesley Clark Restates Pro-Abortion Position, Says It Helps Him

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
January 5, 2004

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Over the weekend, pro-abortion former general Wesley Clark restated his support for abortion. Clark also indicated he isn’t worried how his position in favor of abortion would play in certain areas of the country, including the Deep South, a region where most residents share the pro-life perspective.

"Our current incumbent, George W. Bush, doesn’t share my values," Clark told the audience. "He has worked unrelentingly for three years to try to take away women’s reproductive rights."

"As president of the United States, I’m going to stand up for choice, and I’m going to make sure we protect women’s reproductive rights," he said, according to the Associated Press.

During a question and answer session, one person attending the event asked Clark whether or not his pro-abortion position would make it more difficult for him to carry Southern states during the general election against President Bush.

Clark said his views on issues would play well everywhere, according to an AP article.

"It will carry the South, it will carry America because these aren’t southern values; they’re American values," he said.

Clark had indicated he supported abortion but didn’t finally expand on the issue until he attended a Planned Parenthood forum in New Hampshire in November.

"This is a matter between a woman and her doctor and her family," Clark said at the event. "And we’ve got to stand up strong for the right of privacy in this country and for the rights of women. This is an issue that has been settled constitutionally. There’s a whole body of law on this."

Clark said that he opposed a military policy that banned abortions on U.S. military bases.

Pro-life groups say Wesley Clark is as pro-abortion as other candidates with longer track records in favor of abortion.

"[Wesley] Clark is no better for unborn babies than the other nine candidates already seeking the Democratic nomination," Carol Tobias, director of the National Right to Life PAC, told LifeNews.com.