McCain Disparages Pro-Life Efforts on Campaign Trail and in Senate

By NRLC Federal, Legislative Office

Senator John McCain of Arizona, one of the leading candidates for the Republican presidential nomination, has continued to distance himself from the pro-life movement in recent weeks, both in the Senate and on the campaign trail.

McCain's latest troubling actions come on the heels of the August 19 interview in which he stated, "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." (See September 14 NRL News, page 1.)

Since then, McCain has divided much of his time between Washington and New Hampshire, which holds the first presidential primary on February 1. In one recent poll, McCain is running neck-and-neck with pro-life Governor George W. Bush of Texas among likely voters in the New Hampshire Republican primary.

Both in the Senate and on the campaign trail, McCain recently has done and said several things that are highly objectionable to pro-life activists.

On October 20, McCain voted twice against motions by pro-life Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Ms.) to formally set aside McCain's "campaign reform" bill and begin action on the Partial- Birth Abortion Ban Act - - even though the Senate had already spent four days on the McCain bill, and even though McCain clearly lacked the votes to pass his bill. (See story and roll calls, page 14.)

Lott narrowly prevailed on those votes, so the Senate set aside McCain's bill and began debate on the partial-birth abortion issue. McCain immediately left Washing-ton and flew to New Hampshire, missing key votes on several important amendments to the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act offered by pro-abortion senators, including the Harkin Amendment to endorse Roe v. Wade, which was the first Senate vote on Roe in 16 years. (See story, page 6, and roll calls, page 23.)

"In McCain's order of priorities, prolonging his time in the media limelight surrounding his campaign reform bill apparently ranks higher than banning partial-birth abortions," commented NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson. "And he was willing to skip voting on key amendments to the partial-birth abortion ban, including the first Senate vote in 16 years on Roe v. Wade."

McCain later said that if he had been present, he would have voted against the Harkin Amendment. McCain did return to Washington on October 21, in time to vote in favor of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act.

McCain also voted for an unsuccessful amendment offered to the bill by pro-life Senator Bob Smith (R-NH) to require additional disclosure of transactions involving baby body parts. (See story and roll call, page 12.)

However, during the Bush Administration, McCain voted repeatedly to overturn a pro-life policy of President Bush that prohibited federal funding of certain forms of experimentation utilizing tissue taken from aborted babies.

President Clinton overturned the Bush policy in 1993. In 1997, during consideration of a McCain bill to expand federal research into Parkinson's disease, pro-life Senator Dan Coats (R-In.) offered an amendment to prevent the funds from being used for abortion-dependent fetal tissue research. McCain successfully opposed the pro-life amendment, which failed 38-60 (Sept. 4, 1997, Senate roll call no. 215).

Slanders on Pro-Life Movement
Recently, when voters or journalists raise the abortion issue, McCain perfunctorily labels himself as "pro-life," but then immediately says that he will concentrate on seeking areas of " agreement" between pro-abortion and pro-life Americans, such as adoption.

McCain has also recently made statements suggesting that the pro- life movement has an exaggerated view of the importance of the abortion issue, that groups "keep alive" the pro-life issue merely to raise money, and that the pro-life cause fosters violence.

For example, on ABC's Good Morning America on September 27, McCain told host Diane Sawyer, "I want the repeal of Roe v. Wade, but I also want to change the dynamics of this debate, which has kept us gridlocked into positions which cause people to shoot at abortion clinics and other Americans to view it as the only issue in American politics."

Likewise, an October 23 Associated Press dispatch from New Hampshire reported on McCain's answer to a question from a pro- abortion voter: "'It is long past time that pro-life and pro- choice people sat down and agreed on goals we can agree on.' [said McCain]. The traditional adversaries can agree on the need for adoption and foster care and get beyond the debate over abortion, which he said interest groups want to keep alive because it helps them raise money."

NRLC President Wanda Franz, Ph.D., commented, "It is a grave insult to all pro-life activists for McCain to suggest that pro- life groups want to keep the abortion issue 'alive' in order to raise money, when in reality it is unborn babies we work day and night to keep alive. In case Senator McCain didn't notice, there were over 1.3 million legal abortions last year - - which hardly supports his suggestion that legal protection for unborn children is a manufactured issue."

"Need for Abortion"
McCain's latest actions and words will surely increase the already deep distrust of McCain among many pro-life activists.

On August 19, McCain told the San Francisco Chronicle editorial board, "I'd love to see a point where it [Roe v. Wade] 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."

Subsequently, McCain admitted that he'd been quoted accurately. He issued a number of ambiguous and confusing "clarifications" which failed to explain why he had said that legal abortion is " necessary," and left it unclear when or how he would seek to overturn Roe v. Wade.

For example, three days after his Chronicle interview, McCain issued a statement that he would "work toward its [Roe v. Wade's] repeal," but also would "work with both pro-life and pro-choice Americans so that we can eliminate the need for abortions...."

NRLC Executive Director David N. O'Steen, Ph.D., commented, "The National Right to Life Committee vigorously disagrees with Senator McCain's repeated assertions that there is a 'need' to kill unborn children."

Media Elite's Candidate
The centerpiece of McCain's presidential campaign is his so- called "campaign reform" legislation, which is strongly opposed by many groups - - especially organizations such as NRLC, the Christian Coalition, and the NRA, which represent viewpoints disfavored by the institutional news media. The news media have heavily promoted the bill, and McCain, for several years.

"The McCain-Feingold bill would further enhance the already formidable power of the major institutional news media to define the public policy agenda for America, so it's no wonder that the same media ceaselessly promote this legislation," said O'Steen. " For fighting on behalf of this cause so dear to the interests of the networks and the other elite media, McCain has been rewarded with free promotional coverage equivalent to millions of dollars worth of campaign contributions. Senator McCain is indeed the candidate of the media elite."

However, adulation for McCain is not monolithic among journalists. On October 31, the Arizona Republic, the major daily newspaper in McCain's home state, published an editorial referring to McCain's "volcanic temper," concluding, "If McCain is truly a serious contender for the presidency, it is time the rest of the nation learned about the John McCain we know in Arizona. ... There is also reason to seriously question whether McCain has the temperament, and the political approach and skills, we want in the next president of the United States."

McCain promptly claimed that the paper has a "vendetta" against him, but in fact, the Republic has endorsed McCain in all five of his campaigns.