Last updated on: 7/31/2019 11:50:20 AM PST
Should Abortion Be Legal?
The debate over whether abortion should be a legal option continues to divide Americans long after the US Supreme Court's 7-2 decision on Roe v. Wade declared the procedure a "fundamental right" on Jan. 22, 1973. Abortion access laws vary from state to state, with some states protecting the procedure in constitutions and other states having near total bans. For more information, visit abortion.procon.org.
Pro (Yes)
Pro
"As president, Biden will be a champion for improving access to health care and the health of all by:
Expanding access to contraception and protect the constitutional right to an abortion...
Reverse the Trump Administration and states’ all-out assault on women’s right to choose. As president, Biden will work to codify Roe v. Wade, and his Justice Department will do everything in its power to stop the rash of state laws that so blatantly violate the constitutional right to an abortion, such as so-called TRAP laws [Targeted Restrictions on Abortion Providers], parental notification requirements, mandatory waiting periods, and ultrasound requirements."
Source: Joe Biden, "Healthcare," joebiden.com (accessed Aug. 7, 2019)
Pro
"All people deserve to control their own bodies. That’s why Cory fights alongside those working to protect the constitutional right to abortion and to ensure that everyone has real access to reproductive health care... As president, Cory will work to:
Nominate judges who are committed to upholding reproductive rights.
Pass legislation to codify the protections guaranteed by Roe v. Wade.
Create a White House Office of Reproductive Freedom charged with coordinating and affirmatively advancing abortion rights and access to reproductive health care."
Source: Cory Booker, "Reproductive Rights," corybooker.com (accessed Aug. 7, 2019)
Pro
"A woman should have the freedom to make medical decisions on her own or with the counsel of her doctor, family, and faith leaders — those whom she chooses and she trusts. The government’s role should be to make sure all women have access to comprehensive affordable care, and that includes preventive care, contraceptive services, prenatal and postpartum care, and safe and legal abortion."
Source: Pete Buttigieg, "Issues: Freedom," peteforamerica.com (accessed Aug. 7, 2019)
Pro
"Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio have all tried to effectively ban abortion this year. This is a coordinated attack on women's constitutional rights and we must fight back. #StopTheBans"
Source: Amy Klobuchar, twitter.com, May 31, 2019
[Editor's Note: Klobuchar Co-sponsored SB 1645, the Women's Health Protection Act, which states, "To protect a woman's ability to determine whether and when to bear a child or end a pregnancy, and to protect a health care provider's ability to provide reproductive health care services, including abortion services." (Introduced May 23, 2019).]
Pro
"Despite major advances in civil and political rights, our country still has a long way to go in addressing the issues of gender inequality and reproductive freedom. Right now, extreme forces on the right are launching political attacks and passing draconian laws at both the state and national level with the goal of ending a woman’s right to choose. We must fight back together, and defend a woman's right to control her own body and economic future. When we are in the White House, we will...
Fully fund Planned Parenthood, Title X, and other initiatives that protect women’s health, access to contraception, and the availability of a safe and legal abortion...
Oppose all efforts to undermine or overturn Roe v. Wade, and appoint federal judges who will uphold women’s most fundamental rights."
Source: Bernie Sanders, "Fight for Women’s Rights," berniesanders.com (accessed Aug. 15, 2019)
Pro
“I would make certain that every woman has access to the full range of reproductive health care services, and that includes birth control, it includes abortion, it includes everything for a woman…
It's not enough for us to expect the courts to protect us. Forty-seven years ago, Roe v. Wade was decided, and we've all looked to the courts all that time, as state after state has undermined Roe, has put in exceptions, has come right up to the edge of taking away protections...
We now have an America where most people support Roe v. Wade. We need to make that a federal law.”
Source: Jeremia Kimelman, "Full Transcript: 2019 Democratic Debate Night One, Sortable by Topic," nbcnews.com, June 26, 2019
Pro
"The Alabama law banning and criminalizing abortion even in cases of rape or incest is a dramatic step in the wrong direction. Government should not be making decisions on behalf of women. I would protect women's right to choose...
I personally don't think male legislators should be weighing in on women's reproductive rights and freedoms. It should be up to women. I'm happy to let women decide for themselves."
Source: Andrew Yang, Twitter.com, May 15, 2019
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Con (No)
Now Con
"As most people know, and for those who would like to know, I am strongly Pro-Life, with the three exceptions - Rape, Incest and protecting the Life of the mother - the same position taken by Ronald Reagan. We have come very far in the last two years with 105 wonderful new Federal Judges (many more to come), two great new Supreme Court Justices, the Mexico City Policy, and a whole new & positive attitude about the Right to Life. The Radical Left, with late term abortion (and worse), is imploding on this issue. We must stick together and Win for Life in 2020. If we are foolish and do not stay UNITED as one, all of our hard fought gains for Life can, and will, rapidly disappear!"
Source: Donald Trump, twitter.com, May 18, 2019
[Editor's Note: Trump previously expressed NOT CLEARLY PRO OR CON and PRO opinions on this question. Read Trump's former positions on whether abortion should be legal.]
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FORMER CANDIDATES
(Candidates who have withdrawn or who no longer meet our criteria appear below in black and white and in alphabetical order.)
Pro (Yes)
Pro
"As Senator, Kamala championed the rights of sexual assault survivors and led the charge against Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court. She introduced the EMPOWER Act to help end the culture of fear and silence that still exists around workplace harassment, and cosponsored legislation to protect women’s right to safely access an abortion.
As president, Kamala will continue to champion the rights of women and girls. She’ll protect Planned Parenthood from Republican attempts to defund essential health services, nominate judges who respect Roe v. Wade, and immediately roll back dangerous and discriminatory rules put in place by President Trump to limit access to contraception and safe abortion in the United States and around the world."
Source: Kamala Harris, "Gender Equality" (accessed Aug. 7, 2019)
Pro
"Beto is committed to appointing judges who respect Roe v. Wade as the settled law of the land and recognize that a woman’s right to make her own decisions about her own body is squarely grounded in the foundational constitutional principles of liberty and privacy...
Beto would work with Congress to... [a]ffirm a woman’s constitutional right to choose under Roe v. Wade and preempt state and local laws banning abortion prior to viability...
Create a universal health care system that includes coverage for the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare, including access to contraception and abortion."
Source: Beto O’Rourke, "Women’s Reproductive Rights," betoorourke.com (accessed Aug. 15, 2019)
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