Debra Bartoshevich is a Hillary Clinton supporter (aka PUMA) who just cut an ad supporting John McCain. In a press conference launching the ad, she had this to say about John McCain’s record on choice:
Going back to 1999, John McCain did an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle saying that overturning Roe v. Wade would not make any sense, because then women would have to have illegal abortions.
That’s true, he did. John McCain has a history of making statements that would appear to put him on both sides of an issue. It’s hard to make sense of his positions sometimes. Here, specifically, is McCain’s quote from 1999: “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.”
And here’s Carly Fiorina, top McCain surrogate, furthering the confusion earlier this year: “[McCain] has never signed on to efforts to overturn Roe vs. Wade.”
But the 1999 quote is outdated and Fiorina is just plain wrong. McCain is an uncompromising pro-lifer. Why not take a look at what the McCain website has to say? It’s pretty explicit. Here’s a screenshot:
And here’s John McCain at the Saddleback Forum, in front of a Christian crowd: “I have a 25-year pro-life record in the Congress, in the Senate. And as President of the United States, I will be a pro-life president and this presidency will have pro-life policies. That’s my commitment, that’s my commitment to you.”
McCain’s words and McCain’s record both suggest that he would support restrictions on choice and appoint Supreme Court justices in the mold of Roberts, Alito, Scalia, and Thomas. Let there be no confusion about this.