Fred Thompson: Overturning Abortion Case, Approving Judges a Top Goal

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Nov 12, 2007   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Fred Thompson: Overturning Abortion Case, Approving Judges a Top Goal Email this article
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 12,
2007

Indianola, IA (LifeNews.com) — At a campaign stop in Iowa on Monday, Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson said he strongly support overturning the Roe v. Wade decision that allowed unlimited abortions. He also said appointing judges to federal courts who will strictly interpret the constitution is a top goal.

He said the pro-life movement has focused on both a Human Life Amendment to protect unborn children and overturning Roe and that the latter is more realistic in the short term.

"What I have concentrated on is a way to get to the same [pro-life] goal that’s achievable," he said at a stop in Indianola, Iowa. "We could not get to first base on an amendment when we controlled both houses and the presidency."

Thompson said the way to get to overturning Roe is through judicial appointments and said that naming good judges to the court was his second highest priority after protecting the nation from terrorism.

"Now the question is, what do you do about that?" he told reporters Monday. Well, I think the answer is to get better judges and to appoint people to the Supreme Court and hopefully someday Roe vs. Wade will be overturned. That’s my goal. That’s my priority."

Thompson said pro-life advocates should be concerned about the election of a presidential candidate like Hillary Clinton who backs abortion.

Should she become president and have four years, or even eight, to appoint judges, abortion would remain legal for decades.

"(If) Democrats win the presidency, and some say they will even gain more seats in the Senate than they’ve got now, and so you’ll have potentially Hillary Clinton, (House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi and (Senate Majority Leader) Harry Reid running the country with greater numbers, Supreme Court judges will be appointed that will change the complexion of this country for a generation to come," Thompson said.

"That’s what’s at stake," he added, according to a Chicago Tribune report.

Thompson also criticized pro-abortion GOP presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, though he didn’t say his name specifically. He said Giuliani was hypocritical for saying he would appoint strict constructionist judges when he supports abortion.

"I will never stand before you and say, ‘Well I believe this way but I promise you that I will appoint judges that disagree with me,’" Thompson said. "That don’t make any sense to me. Thought I heard that from a candidate the other day."

The former Tennessee senator also commented on Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate and former Massachusetts governor who switched from the pro-abortion to pro-life position in recent years.

He said he has had a consistent position on abortion while Romney has changed his views and that it would hurt Romney’s chances of attracting support from moderate and independent voters.

"We’re going to have to take those sound conservative principles that we’ve always believed in, and have a candidate who can take those conservative principles, stick to them and still get independent minded folks to vote for them," he said.