What We Know: Ron Paul

The What We Know series attempts to explain each of the 2012 Presidential Candidates' views on abortion. Earlier, we did Mitt Romney. Next up is Ron Paul, who won the 2012 republican straw poll in June.

The Simple Answer: Three quotes compiled together, all found here: "I am strongly pro-life. . . . I can assure you life begins at conception. . . . The first thing we have to do is get the federal government out of it [abortion]. We don't need a federal abortion police."

Behind the Answer: Four long articles on Paul's stance on abortion can be found here, here, here, and here. Paul himself is pro-life, but he believes that the federal government should stay out of the issue of abortion. He believes that the states should decide whether or not to allow abortions. As a result of his mixed views on abortion, his voting record is similarly mixed. NARAL, which rated President Obama 100% pro-choice, gives Paul a 0% rating, indicating a firmly pro-life voting record. However, NRLC, which also gave Obama a pro-choice rating, gave Paul a 56% rating, indicating a mixed record on abortion voting. Prolifeprofiles.com (second "here" link in this section) is extremely harsh on Paul, placing him in their lowest tier of pro-lifers, which is reserved for those who are "pro-choice with exception." In summary, Ron Paul doesn't believe in federal regulation of abortion, even though he doesn't think that abortion is morally right.

What We Know: Mitt Romney

The What We know series attempts to explain each of the 2012 Presidential candidates' views on abortion. Earlier, we did President Obama. Next is Mitt Romney, considered by many to be the front runner for the Republican nomination.

The Simple Answer: A quote from Romney, found here: "I am prolife. I believe that abortion is the wrong choice except in cases of incest, rape, and to save the life of the mother"

Behind the Answer: Three articles on Romney's stance and record on abortion can be found here, here, and (wikipedia warning) here. Romney, at one point, was in favor of abortion and said he was pro-choice. However, in 2004, Romney claimed that he had become pro-life. Despite his proclaimed conversion, in 2006, Romney, then governor of Massachusetts, signed a health care bill that included taxpayer funding for abortion. Romney later claimed that, despite evidence to the contrary (noted in the first linked article in this section) the bill he signed did not fund abortion, and even if it did, it wasn't his fault. Romney now claims to be firmly pro-life and ready to de-legalize abortion, but his past record takes some of the legitimacy out of his claim.

What We Know: President Obama

The "What We Know" series attempts to explain each of the 2012 Presidential Candidates' views on abortion. We'll start with the incumbent, President Barack Obama.

The Simple Answer: A quote from the President, found here: "There is a moral implication to these issues [the issues of abortion], but that the women involved are in the best position to make that determination."

Behind The Answer: Three long list articles on Obama's view can be found here, here, and here. Some key points from those articles: In 2005, 2006, and 2007, Obama received NARAL(A major pro-choice group) 's highest rating, a 100%, in terms of pro-choice voting. In March 2009, President Obama restarted government funding for embryo stem cell research and ended government funding for adult stem cell research. President Obama is very pro-choice, and hesupports abortion whole-heartedly.