Sen.-Elect Brown Reaffirms Support For Abortion Rights In ABC Interview

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 02 Feb 2010 - 3:00 PDT

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In an interview Sunday on ABC News' "This Week," Sen.-elect Scott Brown (R-Mass.) said that he supports abortion rights but, at the same time, indicated that he opposes federal funding for the procedure, ABC News reports (Klingebiel, ABC News, 1/31). Brown said, "I feel this issue is best handled between a woman and her doctor and her family."

Brown also said, "Roe v. Wade is law of the land, but I think we need to do more to reduce the amount of abortions" (Curl, Washington Times, 2/1). He said that he is against so-called "partial-birth" abortion and that he believes in a "strong parental consent notification law" (ABC News, 1/31).

According to the Christian Science Monitor, although the Republican Party has talked of "purity tests" of candidates' convictions on conservative issues, "Brown's election shows the benefits of a 'big tent' strategy that includes a greater variety of opinions." Brown said, "I've always been a big tent person," adding, "We need more people to come into our tent to express their views in a respectful and thoughtful manner" (Sappenfield, Christian Science Monitor, 1/31).

Still, Brown indicated that he would mostly side with Republicans, the Washington Times reports. "[M]ake no mistake, I am a fiscal conservative," he said. When asked if he felt pressure to vote with Republicans because he is the 41st GOP senator, Brown said that "everyone really is the 41st senator. And what it means is that, now, there will be full and fair debate. And there will be no more … behind-closed-doors actions" (Washington Times, 2/1).

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