John Kerry's position on

Abortion: In 1973, in the case of Roe v. Wade, the US Supreme Court legalized abortions. Today, the court is perceived to have 5 justices believing Roe v. Wade should be upheld and 4 who believe it should be repealed. However, Sandra Day O'Connor, whose record shows support of abortion, is believed to be near retirement. Recently, Congress Passed and Bush signed the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act, making partial birth abortions illegal.

Description of candidate's position: Citing his Catholic morals, Kerry personally opposes abortion because he believes that life begins at contraception. However, Kerry believes that the constitutional separation of church and state requires that he keeps his religious values separated from his political stances. Kerry also fears that if the legal right to abortion is eliminated, the US will return to the days of back-alley abortions and the constitutional right to privacy will be violated. Thus, Kerry pledges to only nominate Supreme Court justices who will uphold Roe v. Wade. Furthermore, Kerry's voting record shows support for both "partial birth abortions" and the performance of abortions on US military bases.

Quotation from the Candidate: "The Republicans want to criminalize the right of women to choose, take us back to the days of back alleys, gag doctors and deny families the right to plan and be aware of their choices - we Democrats want to protect the Constitutional right of privacy and make clear that at the center of this struggle is our commitment to have a Supreme Court that will protect the equal rights, the civil rights, and the right to choose in this nation." Keynote Speech to Democratic Issues Convention, June 7, 2003

"And finally there is the issue of choice. This issue is about the right of American women to control their own bodies, their own lives, and their own destinies. It is about their right to make their own decisions in consultation with their doctor, their conscience, and their God. Anyone who has talked to or knows a woman who has faced this dilemma knows how difficult, how painful and how lonely it can be. We can't go back to the days of back alleys - days in which women were shamed by the high and mighty and forced to put their lives at risk. We can't put women in the place where their choice is to break the law and be branded a criminal. Women need access to information, to choices, and to their legal rights. […] And we must ensure that the right to choose is never abridged, never weakened, and never taken away." March 8, 2004. Link.

Assessment of the proposal:

Positive: Planned Parenthood, the nation's oldest and largest abortion rights organization, has endorsed John Kerry's Presidential campaign because he "has been a consistent and passionate advocate for women's rights throughout his distinguished career." This is the first time in history this organization has endorsed a candidate in a presidential race.

Negative: National Right to Life, one of the largest pro-life organizations in the nation, believes that Kerry has been "zigzagging" on the issue of abortion, attempting to paint himself as both pro-life and pro-choice. Furthermore, they believe that Kerry's pledge to support only pro-choice Supreme Court justices effectively "invents constitutional rights."

Comparison: President Bush, on the other hand, does not support abortion. He pledges to maintain the recently-passed Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act, prevent federal funding of abortions, and support laws requiring parental notification before a minor can get an abortion. However, Bush does not claim that he will only support Supreme Court Justices who are pro-life.

Link to Bush's issue brief