Palin Discusses Stance On Abortion Rights, EC During Interview

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 02 Oct 2008 - 6:00 PDT

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Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee, discussed her position on abortion rights and emergency contraception during an interview with CBS News' Katie Couric that aired on Tuesday, the Washington Post reports. According to the Post, Palin mostly answered questions about where she stood personally on issues such as abortion but did not describe what policy actions she would take (MacGillis, Washington Post, 10/1).

When asked by Couric if she would support the right to an abortion for a 15-year-old girl who had been raped by her father, Palin answered that she is "pro-life" and "unapologetic" about her position. She said that she wants to "see a culture of life in this country" and "fewer and fewer abortions," adding that she wants "women who find themselves in circumstances that are less than ideal" to be "supported, for adoptions to be made easier."

Couric again asked whether or not Palin believed abortion should be illegal for a woman who is raped or in cases of incest and Palin answered that she would "counsel that person to choose life, despite horrific, horrific circumstances that this person would find themselves in." She added that if "you're asking, though, kind of foundationally here, should anyone end up in jail for having an ... abortion, absolutely not. That's nothing I would ever support." Palin said that although some people have characterized her position on abortion rights as "extreme," she believes the extreme position is "support" for so-called "partial-birth abortion" or opposition to requiring parental consent for minors seeking abortions.

When asked about EC, Palin said although it is not the policy of the McCain-Palin campaign, she would "personally ... not choose to participate in that kind of contraception." When asked if she believed EC should be illegal, Palin said she does not think that it "should necessarily be illegal." Palin also said that she is "all for contraception" and "all for any preventative measures that are legal and safe and should be taken" (Interview transcript, 10/1).

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