Posted on 08/23/2007 4:40:29 AM PDT by Josh Painter
Was Ronald Reagan ever pro-choice? Did he champion and sign pro-choice legislation in 1967 when governor of California? Was he "adamantly pro-choice," and outspoken protector of a woman's right to choose?
It has been said that he was, indeed, "adamantly pro-choice." It's quite an accusation, and it is not true. First, if words mean anything, it is a false accusation. According to Merriam-Webster, for one to be adamant, he must be "unshakable or insistent especially in maintaining a position or opinion." To be pro-choice, one must be a proponent of a woman's right to choose legally to abort her child and in favor of legal abortion on demand. Governor Reagan did not favor the general legalization of abortion and did not hold that a woman had a right to terminate her pregnancy, and he most certainly was not adamant about it.
We have examined this within our RedState community -- here, here, and here -- but we have not reviewed what actually happened in 1967, when Governor Reagan signed California's 1967 Therapeutic Abortion Act. We shall do so now.
Please Read On.
(Excerpt) Read more at redstate.com ...
I think this would have had a lot of readers had you not posted it at 4:40 in the morning!
Please FreepMail me if you want on or off my Pro-Life Ping List.
This Ronald Reagan quote shows he was never “adamantly pro-choice” as Romney CLAIMED he was on Fox News.
Now, with regard to the permissive bill I supposedly signed, let me give you the correct history of what took place early in my term as governor. A bill was introduced that was permissive, indeed was abortion on demand. Naturally, there was great controversy about this bill. The author finally sent word that he would amend his bill to anything the governor would sign. Faced with this responsibility, I probably did more study and more soul searching on the subject that I had done on anything in my eight years as governor. I came to the conclusion, as I have already stated, that it [abortion] could only be justified to save a human life. The matter of healthmeaning the permanent damage to the health of the mother if she went through with her pregnancywas brought up. It seemed to me that the mother would have the right to protect herself from permanent damage just as she would be able to protect herself, even if it meant taking a life, from someone threatening her with mayhem, so I agreed to that provision. I thought there was adequate provision in the bill requiring responsible boards in the medical profession to declare such permanent harm would follow the birth of the child. Perhaps it was my inexperience in government, but, like so many pieces of legislation, there were loopholes that I had not seen, and the thing that made the California abortion bill become somewhat permissive in nature was violation of the spirit of the legislation by the groups that were supposed to police it. This was particularly true in the case of psychiatrists. If faced with the same problem today, I can assure you I would make sure there were no loopholes in the bill.
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Very important info in #5, further solidifying his great legacy. Bookmarking.
American Liar bump.
Thanks for bookmarking the post.
Is this supposed to be another attempt to link Fred Thompson and Ronald Reagan’s names? To imply that Fred will be just like Reagan? The fact that they were both actors is where the similarities should end. No one will ever be another Reagan and I find it hard to swallow when people try to present Fred as being like another President. They are each their own person. Similarities end with the acting issue. It is time for Fred to stand on his own two feet, his own race, his own issues, his own merit. Please stop trying to make the connection more than the similarity it is. I feel as though our intelligence is being insulted and we are being hooked into an info-mercial for a politician. Just my two-cents worth....
Yes, I can be sceptical when I hear Trump 'go here'. OTOH; do believe people find a bottom line; and often, it is when they are older and wiser. At least, he is publicly making his case. . .and believe he would stand by it.
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