McCain Criticizes Obama for Pro-Abortion Votes on Infanticide, Partial-Birth
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 15, 2008
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — During the third and final presidential debate, John McCain took the opportunity to criticize Barack Obama on two votes that some say make him the most pro-abortion presidential candidate in modern history. Those votes include ones against an anti-infanticide bill and against a ban on partial-birth abortion.
“Senator Obama, as a member of the Illinois State Senate, voted in the Judiciary Committee against a law that would provide immediate medical attention to a child born of a failed abortion. He voted against that,” McCain said.
“And then, on the floor of the State Senate, as he did 130 times as a state senator, he voted present,” McCain explained.
“Then there was another bill before the Senate Judiciary Committee in the state of Illinois not that long ago, where he voted against a ban on partial-birth abortion, one of the late-term abortion, a really — one of the bad procedures, a terrible. And then, on the floor of the Illinois State Senate, he voted present,” McCain added.
“I don’t know how you vote ‘present’ on some of that,” he said. “I don’t know how you align yourself with the extreme aspect of the pro- abortion movement in America. And that’s his record, and that’s a matter of his record.”
“It was clear-cut votes that Senator Obama voted, I think, in direct contradiction to the feelings and views of mainstream America,” McCain concluded.
Obama relied on the same rebuttal he has used before to say that critics of his record are lying, even though nonpartisan analysis shows Obama is incorrect on his own record.
“If it sounds incredible that I would vote to withhold lifesaving treatment from an infant, that’s because it’s not true,” Obama claimed.
“There was a bill that was put forward before the Illinois Senate that said you have to provide lifesaving treatment and that would have helped to undermine Roe v. Wade,” Obama added.
However, nonpartisan analysis from the University of Pennsylvania confirms that Obama voted for an amendment in a committee he chaired that would have nullified any effect the bill may have had on Roe. Despite that amendment — which he supported — Obama still voted against the anti-infanticide bill.
“With respect to partial-birth abortion, I am completely supportive of a ban on late-term abortions, partial-birth or otherwise, as long as there’s an exception for the mother’s health and life, and this did not contain that exception,” Obama said.
McCain quickly took Obama to task on the comment, saying that the health exception has been interpreted by the courts and abortion advocates as allowing all abortions for any reason at any point in pregnancy.
“You know, that’s been stretched by the pro-abortion movement in America to mean almost anything,” McCain said. “That’s the extreme pro-abortion position.”
McCain concluded his discussion of pro-life issues talking about the need to change the culture and offer compassion to women in difficult pregnancy situations.
“Let me talk to you about an important aspect of this issue. We have to change the culture of America. Those of us who are proudly pro-life understand that. And it’s got to be courage and compassion that we show to a young woman who’s facing this terribly difficult decision,” he said.
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