|
||||
  
 
 |
Future of abortion law could hinge on presidential vote, Roe vs. Wade lawyers say By
Natalie Larson
The upcoming presidential election could be a decisive factor in the continuing abortion debate, according to Sarah Weddington and Phyllis Schlafly, who spoke Thursday in the TSC Ballroom. The next president probably will appoint Supreme Court justices to replace any who retire, and the change in the makeup of the court could create the opportunity to overturn Roe v. Wade. Weddington promoted Al Gore, and Schlafly is in favor of George W. Bush. Weddington, who was an assistant to President Jimmy Carter and member of the Texas House of Representatives, as well as author of Question of Choice: a Memoir of Roe v. Wade, debated in favor of abortion. Schlafly, a mother of six, author of 16 books and heard on more than 460 radio stations, debated against it. Repeatedly, Schlafly said, "Roe v. Wade made abortion legal for all nine months of pregnancy for any reason or no reason." Throughout the debate Weddington said, "Whose decision should it be? I don't think it should be the government's. I say it should be yours." Weddington said if Roe v. Wade is overturned, "I see a return of the conditions before the decision." She said this means that the rich will be able to afford crossing state lines to get illegal abortions, while those who can't afford it or who are underage could revert to self-abortions and other unsafe practices. Schlafly said, Roe v. Wade has made the Supreme Court responsible for more than 30 million deaths of unborn babies. Schlafly said the recent decision to strike down Nebraska's law on partial birth abortions was the "worst decision in the history of the United States Supreme Court." Weddington said the decision was struck down because the wording was too vague. She said other states have restrictions on abortions that are more precise and have not been challenged. According to Schlafly, pro-choice advocates "put out of whole lot of lies." She said they denied the existence of partial birth abortions. Schlafly said they said partial birth abortions were very rare when there are actually thousands every year. The anesthesia kills the baby. They said it's for the health of the mother when 80 percent are purely elective. She said the American Medical Association supported the ban of partial birth abortions. Partial birth abortions are supported "for the abortionist's convenience," Schlafly said. The body parts are harvested and sold, she said. Weddington compared Schlafly's argument to sweepstakes ads that give the impression of everyone winning a million dollars. Weddington said, "The true conservative attitude is that it's not the government's business." Schlafly said, "There are a lot of things we don't let people decide about. People still can't use illegal drugs even in the privacy of their own homes." She said abortion is murder, and that killing an unborn infant was denying their rights to life. An audience member brought up an example of cases where the murderer of a pregnant woman was convicted of two murders. Weddington said that a fetus is not considered a living person until actually born. Humans' rights don't exist until they are born alive. She gave the example of a pregnant woman only needing one passport when leaving the country. The right to decide allows women who are victims of rape and incest to avoid the punishment of carrying a child they don't want, to term, Weddington said. Schlafly said she is opposed to abortion in all cases, and cases such as those suggested by Weddington "don't come up very often." Weddington said she respected students for making responsible decisions to wait until they finish school and are financially ready to have children.
|
Archived Months:
January
1999 January
2000 |
||