I just finished listening to the latest “Meet the Press†podacast (see transcript), and I am profoundly disappointed in “pro-life†candidate Bob Casey. Democrat Bob Casey is challenging Republican Rick Santorum for his seat in the U.S. Senate, and it is one of the most watched races in the country. They met on “Meet the Press†this past Sunday to debate the issues.When Tim Russert asked Casey about his position on the so-called “morning after pill,†Bob Casey took a position that cannot be reconciled with his previously stated belief that life begins at conception. Here’s the exchange between Casey and Russert:
MR. RUSSERT: The morning-after pill. You in favor of it selling over the counter?
MR. CASEY: Yes, Tim. We, we disagree. I think what emergency contraception is, according to the science, is, is basically that. It is contraception, and I support it, and it’s a difference of opinion.
MR. RUSSERT: But you do believe life begins at conception?
MR. CASEY: I do.
MR. RUSSERT: And in fact, if this was fertilized, would you call it contraception or abortion?
MR. CASEY: Tim, I think the science is clear on this. I think it is contraception, and I support it. I think we’ve got to make it widely available, and I think that’s one of the ways, I think, that we reach common ground on the very tough issue of abortion: to reduce the number not just of unwanted pregnancies, but I think emergency contraception can reduce the number of abortions. That’s what we should emphasize (transcript).
Casey is right about one thing. The science is clear on this issue. But Casey misrepresents the “science†when he says that the morning-after pill is not an abortifacient. As I have written about previously, the drug does in fact work as an abortifacient in some circumstances. It’s hard for me to believe that Casey isn’t aware of this fact, and I cannot help being a bit cynical about why he has taken such a position.
In 1992, Casey’s father took a hit as a Democrat for holding fast to his pro-life principles, as he was denied the platform at the 1992 Democratic National convention. I wish Casey the younger would show the same courage, and support life from conception to natural death–even when it’s unpopular.
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