John Kerry Promotes Abortion at Rally With Pro-Abortion Leaders
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
April 23, 2004
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Presumptive Democratic nominee John Kerry further solidified his pro-abortion credentials by attending a rally in support of abortion today. The event comes just before Sunday’s pro-abortion march that organizers hope will draw one million people.
"I believe that in the year 2004 we deserve a president who understands that a stronger America is where women’s rights are just that, rights, not political weapons to be used by politicians of this nation,” Kerry said
"More than 30 years after Roe vs. Wade became the law of the land, it has never been more at risk than it is today,” Kerry said. "We are going to have a change in leadership in this country to protect the right of choice.”
While abortion advocates are concerned about two pieces of legislation that Bush has signed — the ban on partial-birth abortions and a bill to protect pregnant women and their unborn children from violence — Kerry is drawing their attention to the likely Supreme Court appointments that will be made during the next four years.
"If you need any motivation let me give you three little words — the Supreme Court," Kerry now says in his stump speech. Kerry also warns that possible Supreme Court openings "jeopardize the right to an abortion."
Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt, in response to Kerry’s remarks, told the Associated Press, "John Kerry’s position in favor of partial-birth abortion shows how far outside the mainstream he is. The president supports a culture of life.”
Kerry’s participation at the rally drew opposition from pro-life advocates.
"Imagine, just a few short days after meeting with Cardinal McCarrick and trumpeting the fact that he’s a Catholic ‘in good standing’ who received the Eucharist at Easter, he’s now a major speaker at the largest gathering of abortion activists this year," says Deal Hudson, editor of Crisis Magazine.
"Bill Clinton, certainly no friend to the pro-life cause, never once addressed an abortion rally in all his years as president. If Clinton wouldn’t even attend these events, what does it say that Kerry will," Hudson added.
"I’m running for President because I believe that together, we can build a stronger America," Kerry also said at the rally. "A stronger America where the right to choose and the right to privacy are just that — rights — not political weapons. And they shouldn’t be used by politicians to divide this country."
"Today, in 2004, we simply cannot afford to take out the broom, and sweep a generation of progress under the rug," said Kerry referring to the Roe v. Wade decision.
Kerry scheduled the rally to contrast his pro-abortion position with Bush’s pro-life perspective and because he is not expected to attend the march on Sunday.
Kate Michelman of NARAL and Gloria Feldt of Planned Parenthood joined Kerry at the rally.
The next president will likely make two or three appointments to the Supreme Court, which could possibly change the balance of the high court that currently favors Roe v. Wade 6-3.
Pro-life advocates agree that the Supreme Court is a crucial issue for pro-life voters in the 2004 presidential election.
Should Kerry win, and appoint pro-abortion justices, abortion’s legality could be set in stone for decades. On the other hand, a second Bush presidency could give pro-life supporters their first legitimate chance to overturn the landmark abortion decision since the 1992 Casey decision. Then, the Supreme Court upheld pro-life legislation but reaffirmed the central tenets of Roe v. Wade.
