On the issue of life Fred Thompson is second to none. He has more endorsements from pro-life organizations than any other candidate. Thompson supports actively working toward the reversal of Roe v Wade so decisions on abortion will return to the states. While abortion would not be banned nationally, legislatures in each state could fight to ban or place limits on abortion. Many who support abortion rights don’t support abortion on demand, for any reason, at any time. According to USA Today analysis of data from the Alan Guttmacher Institute, these would be the likely statistics if Roe v Wade is overturned: 22 states would enact significant restriction on abortion, 16 states would continue current access to abortions, and 12 would fall into middle ground. Under this scenario, pro-lifers wouldn’t win every battle in every state, but countless lives would be saved.

Mike Huckabee is without a doubt on the right side of the issue of life as well, and is light-years ahead of Giuliani. However, the approach Huckabee is advocating seems naive and unworkable. He supports a Human Life Amendment which would ban abortion nationwide. This is a long and arduous process. (Both houses of Congress must approve a resolution calling for the amendment by a two-thirds vote. The resolution does not require the president’s signature. The proposed amendment must then be ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states.) Seven out of eight major HLA attempts in the past failed to even make it out of committee. The lone survivor failed on the floor of the Senate, without ever making it to the states. The current composition of Congress and political climate in some states make this method a long shot at best, impossible at worst.

Supporting a Human Life Amendment is certainly a principled stand, but the all or nothing approach is not for me. Saving some lives is better than none, in my book.

This Chick’s For Fred:
<- Part One || Part Three (coming soon) ->

Links of Interest

• Abortion in a Post-Roe World
• Fred Helps John Roberts Through Nomination Process
• Thompson on Abortion - Video
• Huckabee On Human Life Amendment - Video