Giuliani Reaffirms Abortion Rights

May 11, 2007 — -- Before a conservative audience at Houston Baptist University today, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said that while he thinks abortion is "morally wrong," it should be up to individual women to choose.

"I think ultimately even if you disagree, you have to respect the fact that their conscience is as strong as yours is about this," Giuliani said, "and they're the ones that are most affected by it so therefore, I would grant women the right to make that choice."

Giuliani sought to emphasize his hawkish position on national security and counter-terrorism, and his image -- forged during the 9/11 crisis -- as a strong leader. "On all of these issues, everybody's got to make a choice," he said, "how important are the differences, and how important are the other issues that are involved in this election." Giuliani said for him "these other things are more important -- fighting terrorism effectively, (and) being on the offense against terrorism..."

If Giuliani was trying to quell criticism from evangelical conservatives, he did not achieve his goal. Dr. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention told ABC News called Giuliani's argument "the worst position of all. For most evangelicals this is a worse position than saying abortion is not morally wrong. I mean, Giuliani understands its morally wrong and he still doesn't want to make it illegal."

Giuliani aims to be the first Republican presidential nominee who supports abortion rights since incumbent President Gerald Ford in 1976. Both Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush shifted their position to opposing abortion rights before running and winning the White House.

Two years ago, Giuliani's opponent, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, made a similar switch. Thursday night Romney received an award at the Massachusetts Citizens for Life Mother's Day Dinner, saying "I recognize that it is awarded for where I am on life, not for where I have been."

Where Giuliani is on this issue is in stark odds with most in his party, who according to a February ABC News poll oppose legal abortion in all or most cases by an 18 point margin, 58% to 40%. Almost one in four voters say Giuliani's position in support of abortion rights would mean he would never win their support, and 46% say his position would make them less inclined to support his presidential race.

His opponents have begun to pounce. This week, the senior political aide to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told the Los Angeles Times that Giuliani, whom McCain repeatedly calls "an American hero," is "well outside the mainstream of rank-and-file Republicans on this issue, not only as someone who is pro-abortion, but someone who has supported one of the most radical pro-abortion groups in the country."

And former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said that Giuliani's position is "like saying I hate slavery but people can go ahead and practice it. It's either right or it's wrong. If they say the act itself is not ok I think it's illogical to say from one side I hate it it's immoral but it's ok if someone else does it. That's bizarre."

So the former mayor has attempted to emphasize his support for a ban on so-called "partial birth" abortion and conservative judges, and repeatedly claim that, "I hate abortion."

But today's speech came as an attempt to clarify his position after a clumsy exchange with a debate moderator last week that made the current GOP presidential frontrunner appear to be attempting to shade his long-established record in favor of abortion rights.

When asked if he supported public funding of abortions, Giuliani said it was a matter for states to decide, and looked as if he needed to be pinned down before admitting, "I supported it in New York, but I think, in other places, people can come to a different decision."

This week also brought news reports indicating Giuliani had donated money to the women's health care provider Planned Parenthood, which provides abortions, and received a financial contribution from the National Abortion Rights Action League.

All of these stories convinced Giuliani that he needed to declare his fundamental support for abortion rights unequivocally, even while he allowed that his mind was open -- or "evolving," as he put it -- when it came to restrictions, such as parental notification laws or a ban on public financing of abortion.

"With regard to other things that people could work on to restrict abortion, I would be very open to that," Giuliani said today. "But I would not be open to removing the right."