Pro-Life


• McCain is anti-abortion; he believes that abortions should be legal
only when the pregnancy resulted from incest, rape, or when the life
of the woman is endangered.

• In August 1999, CNN reported the McCain statement concerning Roe v.
Wade, "I'd love to see a point where it is irrelevant, and could be
repealed because abortion is no longer necessary. But certainly in
the short term, or even the long term, I would not support repeal of
Roe v. Wade, which would then force X number of women in America to
undergo illegal and dangerous operations."

• Asked in January 2000 if he would tell his teenage daughter that
she could not get an abortion if she became pregnant, McCain says,
"The final decision would be made by Meghan with our advice and
counsel." He later called reporters to say it would be a "family
decision, not her decision." 

• McCain voted against an amendment of the Senate's 2006 Fiscal Year
Budget that allocates $100 million in funding to reduce teen
pregnancy by education and contraceptives.

• On February 2007, in South Carolina McCain said, "I do not support
Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."  He believes Roe v. Wade
is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he
will nominate judges who understand that courts should not be in the
business of legislating from the bench.  This is a change in position
from his 1999 statement.

• McCain wants to prohibit late-term abortion procedures and said, "I
would do everything in my power to ban that horrible procedure of
partial-birth abortion."

• He would prohibit public funding of abortions and public funding of
organizations to promote or perform abortions.

Pro-Choice


• Obama strongly supports a woman's right to have an abortion and
stated in May 2007, "A woman's ability to decide how many children to
have and when, without interference from the government, is one of the
most fundamental rights we possess. It is not just an issue of choice,
but equality and opportunity for all women."

• He is a strong supporter of the Roe v. Wade decision of 1973 and
stated, “I have been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and
will make preserving women's rights under Roe v. Wade a priority as
President. I oppose any constitutional amendment to overturn the
Supreme Court's decision in that case."

• In the Illinois Senate, he voted against a bill to ban late-term
abortions because it did not contain a clause to protect the life of
the mother.

• During a 2007 Democratic debate, Obama said that he trusts women to
make their own decisions about whether or not to have an abortion and
added that this should be done in conjunction with her doctors, her
family and her clergy.

• Obama strongly opposes restrictions on medical procedures used
during late term abortions.