Fred Thompson Won’t Change GOP’s Pro-Life Platform on Abortion 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 6, 2007
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Though Fred Thompson said Sunday he doesn’t agree with the Republican Party’s pro-life platform calling for a Human Life Amendment to the Constitution, a spokeswoman says he has no intention of dropping it. Thompson said in an interview he opposes an amendment but supports overturning Roe v. Wade.
Shannon Royce, the new Grassroots Director for the former Tennessee senator’s campaign, talked with CBN News reporter David Brody.
"He has no intention of changing the platform. I can tell you that he is not going to change the platform," Royce told CBN News. "That fear that might be out there we just need to put to rest."
Royce confirmed that Thompson is pro-life when it comes to abortion.
"The entire history of this man is pro-life. His voting record is 100 percent pro-life. He has been consistent with pro-life in all of the stands he has taken," she added.
Royce added that she is "confident" Thompson will "use the bully pulpit [of the presidency] to support pro-life policies."
In an interview with Tim Russert on NBC’s "Meet the Press" television program, Russert read Thompson the language of the GOP’s pro-life platform.
He asked the Republican presidential hopeful, "Could you run as a candidate on that platform, promising a human life amendment banning all abortions?"
"No," Thompson replied. "No. I have always — and that’s been my position the entire time I’ve been in politics."
"I thought Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided. I think this platform originally came out as a response to particularly Roe v. Wade because of that," Thompson added.
He told Russert he favors overturning the landmark case and returning the decisions on making abortions illegal to the states.
"Before Roe v. Wade, states made those decisions. I think people ought to be free at state and local levels to make decisions that even Fred Thompson disagrees with," he said.
"That’s what freedom is all about. And I think the diversity we have among the states, the system of federalism we have where power is divided between the state and the federal government is, is, is—serves us very, very well," he added. "I think that’s true of abortion. I think Roe v. Wade hopefully one day will be overturned, and we can go back to the pre-Roe v. Wade days."
