Politics

Does President Obama still oppose laws that protect the lives of newborn infants?

In Savanah Guthrie’s recent interview with President Obama, she asked him about the Gosnell trial. You can watch above to see how the brief exchange went, or you can read the transcript below:

Guthrie: Have you been watching the Philadelphia abortion doctor trial accused of gruesome crimes? Are you following, and do you think it animates a larger debate about abortion in this country?

Obama: Well, I’m familiar with it. I can’t comment on it because it’s an active trial. What I can say is this. I think President Clinton said it pretty well when he said abortion should be safe, legal and rare. If an individual carrying out an abortion, operating a clinic or doing anything else is violating medical ethics, violating the law, then they should be prosecuted.

I am thankful that Guthrie asked the question. I really am. I wish, however, that she would have pressed him more than she did on the issue. He should not be allowed to dodge the question as he does here. President Obama’s views matter to Americans, and many Americans are unaware of his record when it comes to infants who survive abortions.

As an Illinois State Senator, President Obama voted four times against laws that would protect the lives of babies who survive abortions. In other words, we don’t need the President to render an opinion on the Gosnell trial so much as we need him to tell us if he still thinks it should be legal for doctors to do what Gosnell is accused of. Witnesses say that Gosnell killed hundreds of live-born infants, and Obama voted against laws to prevent that from happening in Illinois. What is the President’s position now? That is a question that begs to be asked and answered.

The President says that he believes abortion should be “safe, legal, and rare.” But this is more of a slogan than a serious moral argument for his view. We must cut through the rhetoric. Safe for whom? Obviously, he means that abortion should be safe only for the mother. He does not mean that abortion should be safe for the unborn child. The President supports Roe v. Wade, which makes abortion legal at any stage of pregnancy from 0-9 months. In short, President Obama supports legal late-term abortions. If a woman wants her 30-week old unborn baby killed, President Obama thinks that she should be able to make that happen.

That’s why we need some brave reporter to press the President on the morality of his own position on legal abortion. Something like this would be great:

“Mr. President, do you believe that a baby who survives an abortion has an inalienable right to life? If yes, why is it legal to kill a 24-week old unborn child but illegal to take that the life of that same child if he escapes the womb at 24-weeks?”

These are the kinds of questions that should be put to the President. The question is whether there will be a reporter with the courage and resolve to press the issue. I’m not holding my breath, but I would love to be surprised.

2 Comments

  • Ian Shaw

    Denny, his response almost caused me to foam at the mouth. He actually pulled the “it’s an ongoing investigation, so I can’t comment” card? In the writing style of the Apostle Paul: “Was it not an ongoing investigation when you publicly commented about Henry Louis Gates? Was it not still an ongoing investigation when you publicly commented about Treyvon Martin? Was it not still an ongoing investigation when you publicly commented (on the same day) about Sandy Hook?

    My parents raised me to respect the office of the President. I still do, but with serious reservations. He can stop lying anytime. He knows that if he speaks his opinion/policy record, he has no recourse. What happened to those live-born babies is no different than what happens to them inside the womb. That’s why he’s not saying anything because if he stays silent, he doesn’t have to defend his position (which at this point is indefensible in lieu of what Gosnell did).

  • Sam Warren

    The president NEVER has his own opinion… He waits until someone else makes the decision for him. he did it with gay marriage too…

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