Fred Thompson: Roe is "Bad Law, Bad Medicine," Vows to Oppose Abortion 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
August 19, 2007
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Likely Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson repeated his position against the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in 1973 that allowed virtually unlimited abortions. He also said, if elected president, he would use the bully pulpit the position offers to speak out frequently against abortion.
Thompson made the comments in a weekend interview with CNN, where he was asked if he would "actively push to overturn Roe v. Wade."
"I think Roe v. Wade was a bad decision. I think it was bad law and bad medicine," Thompson said in response.
"You don’t just get up one day and overturn the entire history of the country with regard to nature and major social policy, without any action by Congress, without any action by the American people or constitutional amendment, and that’s what happened," Thompson explained.
The former Tennessee senator continued, "It shouldn’t have happened. It ought to be reversed."
CNN host Larry King pressed Thompson to go further.
"So it wouldn’t be a speech a year or two speeches a year; you would promise on both of those issues a sustained effort if you were the president?" he asked.
"Well, I don’t think as the president you can do anything halfway," Thompson replied.
"I mean, if you take a position, you’re bringing the whole office of the presidency there, and you have a bully pulpit," he concluded. "You have an obligation to speak about those things that are important to you, and those things are important."
Thompson’s comments came days after ABC News unveiled copies of a one-page position paper on abortion. The paper contained a pro-life statement on the front and one geared to abortion advocates on the back.
The prominent actor also commented on Friday about some legal work he did for a pro-abortion group and how he did so as a member of a law firm and didn’t agree with the beliefs of the client.
