Giuliani Should Have Promoted His Support For Abortion Rights, Opinion Piece Says

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 31 Jan 2008 - 7:00 PDT

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Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani might be "faring better" in his run for the Republican presidential nomination if he had promoted himself "as the only supporter of abortion rights in the Republican primary," San Francisco Chronicle columnist Debra Saunders writes in an opinion piece.

Although a recent Associated Press poll found only one-third of Republicans believe abortion should be legal, some abortion-rights opponents one year ago "respected the fact that Giuliani didn't flip-flop on abortion," Saunders writes. Voters "also cared about electability" and "realized that they'd be better off with a president who ... at least would support parental notification laws and would not appoint liberal judges," she adds.

Giuliani's "failure to play up his support for abortion rights" made Republicans who support such rights reluctant to vote for him, Saunders writes, adding that his initial appeal is that voters saw "him as the man you wanted with you if your back is to the wall," but "[a]fter a year of soft-pedaling his abortion position, he doesn't look so strong" (Saunders, San Francisco Chronicle, 1/29).

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