Former Sen. Thompson Criticizes Obama's Support For Abortion Rights At Republican National Convention

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 04 Sep 2008 - 7:00 PDT

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Former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.) on Tuesday at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., criticized Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama's (Ill.) support for abortion rights, the Detroit Free Press reports (Spangler, Detroit Free Press, 9/2).

"We need a president who doesn't think that the protection of the unborn or a newly born baby is above his pay grade," Thompson said, referring to comments Obama made last month at a forum at Saddleback Church (Lightman, Miami Herald, 9/3). During the forum at Saddleback, evangelical minister Rick Warren asked both Obama and Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), "At what point does a baby get human rights?" Obama said, "I think that whether you are looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity, you know, is above my pay grade." McCain said rights are obtained at "at the moment of conception" (Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 8/18).

Thompson is opposed to abortion rights but was criticized during the presidential primaries earlier this year because of his lobbying efforts for an abortion-rights group in 1991, the AP/Google.com reports (DeMillo, AP/Google.com, 9/3).

Moderate Republicans Who Support Abortion Rights Plan To 'Rebrand' Republican Party, CQ Today Reports

In related news, some moderate Republicans who support abortion rights are planning to "rebrand" the Republican Party following the presidential election in November, CQ Today reports. According to CQ Today, moderate Republicans want the party to focus more on defense, individual rights and less government and to move away from abortion and other reproductive issues.

Ann Stone, chair of Republicans for Choice, said moderate Republicans are "trying to rebuild the party back to where it used to be, with its original brand, not the one the evangelicals brought." Jennifer Blei Stockman, chair of the Republican Majority for Choice, said moderate Republicans are concerned that the "far right's devotion" to abortion will "cost [the party] in November."

Republicans who support abortion rights have said McCain missed an opportunity to appeal to supporters of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) by selecting Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), who is opposed to abortion rights, as his vice presidential running mate. According to CQ Today, if McCain loses in the November election, it could help strengthen the position of moderate Republicans on abortion-related issues in the party.

Stockman said that the antiabortion views of social conservatives should "not be ignored" but that "they are not the majority." An RMC poll of 600 likely Republican voters conducted in August found that 81% of Republicans and 78% of antiabortion Republicans would support a Republican platform that says the party should agree to disagree on abortion. A CBS News-New York Times poll released Sunday found that 5% of Republican National Convention delegates believe abortion should be permitted in all cases, compared with 58% of Democratic National Convention delegates (Donnelly, CQ Today, 9/2).

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