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Let me put your fears to rest

IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 5, 2007

Five Questions for Fred Thompson

Pro-choice Americans call on Thompson to explain how his anti-choice views would impact women’s freedom and privacy

Washington, DC – As former Sen. Fred Thompson prepares to formally enter the Republican presidential primary, Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said that his anti-choice record, including his call for the reversal of Roe v. Wade, represents another disappointing option for voters.

"Fred Thompson has made clear that he supports taking away a woman's right to choose," Keenan said. "Sadly, his out-of-the mainstream views make him the rule, rather than the exception, in a GOP field of candidates that is openly hostile to the American values of freedom and privacy. Voters want a leader who has a vision of unifying this country behind policies that improve women's health-care options, not another president, like George Bush, who will use the government's power to take away our personal freedoms. Fred Thompson is not a candidate who will unify this country."

During his eight years in the U.S. Senate, Thompson voted anti-choice 44 out of 46 times on choice-related issues. He has called Roe v. Wade "bad law" and received the National Right to Life Committee's endorsement in his bid for Senate.

Keenan said Thompson, along with other leading GOP candidates, has taken the hypocritical stance of refusing to support commonsense prevention proposals while trying to make abortion more difficult and dangerous. Keenan called on Thompson to clarify his views and answer the following five questions on a woman's right to choose:

1. You support overturning Roe v. Wade. Doesn't that mean you support government interference in personal, private medical decisions that should be made between a woman, her family, and her doctor?

2. If you believe abortion should be outlawed and that doctors who provide abortion care should face criminal charges, then do you also believe women should be sent to prison for terminating a pregnancy?

3. Ninety-nine percent of Americans believe it is appropriate for young people to have information about STDs, and 94 percent of Americans think it is appropriate to teach young people about birth control. Do you support honest, realistic, age-appropriate sex education?

4. Do you think it's okay for a pharmacy to refuse to fill a woman's prescription for birth control based on an employee's personal views against contraception?

5. Do you believe hospital emergency rooms should be allowed to withhold information from a sexual-assault survivor about emergency contraception — which can help to prevent a pregnancy if taken soon after the assault?

NARAL Pro-Choice America is committed to making sure voters know all presidential candidates' positions on choice. For more information, please visit www.ProChoiceAmerica.org/elections/.

Contact: Ted Miller, 202.973.3032

If you want to fear someone or something fear Giuliani and or Romney.

This editorial by the Washington Times is a not very thinly veiled hit piece on Fred and the NRLC. That surprises me because the Times is usually the Washington conservative counterpoint to the Post. Have you noticed who they seem to be supporting in their editorials? Please don’t tell me Rudy Giuliani.

From your post: "Fred Thompson has made clear that he supports taking away a woman's right to choose," Keenan said. "Sadly, his out-of-the mainstream views make him the rule, rather than the exception, in a GOP field of candidates that is openly hostile to the American values of freedom and privacy.

They seem to think our other candidates have an equal problem, except probably Rudy (their "exception").

BTW, does anybody know which two votes the are saying Fred took that were NOT oppose to pro-choice?

My guess is his votes for Title X.

And apparently NRLC did not think those votes were anti-pro-life votes.

But I don’t know.

A 100% rating is not good enough for Rudy McRombee supporters. Fred would have had to converted to pro life in the past two years, but previously used tax payer money for abortions AND volunteer to drive his daughter to an abortion if she chose to do so.

If Fred had that history, he'd be the perfect Republican candidate.