There seems to be a great deal of misinformation spread recently concerning Arizona Senator John McCain’s voting record with regard to abortion. I didn’t realize the full extent of this until talking to several friends, who insisted that McCain’s voting record betrays his actual pro-choice stance. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth - since at least 1995, McCain has voted against bills that would advance abortion, and for bills that would hinder it. There is little to no ambiguity here - the man is solidly against abortion. Any information to the contrary is either from a parallel universe, or an outright lie.
From Project Vote Smart - a description of the bill with Senator McCain’s vote.
Some of the votes, from OnTheIssues.org:
Supports repealing Roe v. Wade. (May 2007)
Voted YES on barring HHS grants to organizations that perform abortions. (Oct 2007)
Voted YES on expanding research to more embryonic stem cell lines. (Apr 2007)
Voted YES on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions. (Jul 2006)
Voted NO on $100M to reduce teen pregnancy by education & contraceptives. (Mar 2005)
Voted YES on criminal penalty for harming unborn fetus during other crime. (Mar 2004)
Voted YES on banning partial birth abortions except for maternal life. (Mar 2003)
Voted YES on maintaining ban on Military Base Abortions. (Jun 2000)
Voted YES on banning partial birth abortions. (Oct 1999)
Voted YES on banning human cloning. (Feb 1998)
Rated 0% by NARAL, indicating a pro-life voting record. (Dec 2003)
Expand embryonic stem cell research. (Jun 2004)
Rated 75% by the NRLC, indicating a mixed record on abortion. (Dec 2006)
Where are people getting the bizarre idea that John McCain is a “liberal” on abortion? Don’t believe anything you hear from the weird, distorted land of talk radio - it’s probably a good idea to check your facts before repeating anything.
February 7th, 2008 at 5:10 am
hmmm though isnt stem cells the same thing? I think they have to do w/ abortion right? i heard they kill babies to make them because it comes from the womb.
February 7th, 2008 at 5:27 am
Twin Peaks,
You are a moron.
Stem cells from non-embryonic sources is a strong area of bio research. We can make these cells with amazing healing properties without killing embryos. Stem cell research does not equal to abortion.
February 7th, 2008 at 7:40 am
I’ve never understood this suspicion of the far right about McCain. He’s one of them. Opposes abortion rights? Check. For vast amounts of military spending? Yep. Wants to continue this unconscionable war in Iraq? Oh yeah… he’ll send more troops. Almost down the line John McCain has always supported the far right’s agenda in the United States. If you like big government and big spending and high taxes and more federal debt, you’ll love this senile asshole for President.
February 7th, 2008 at 7:54 am
I think the name of the site should be changed to McCain Pulse.
February 7th, 2008 at 8:27 am
Mark,
Actually, we’re just supporting the conservative (per our name) front runner in the Presidential primary. The other conservative who is not doing quite as well is Huckabee. Romney is also running as a Republican, but his record doesn’t make a credible case for being a conservative.
Unlike Limbaugh and FNC, however, we do provide information without sensationalism, and typically provide sources. As an added bonus, it’s also not a big pile of lies. If Fox News reported that the Sun is coming up tomorrow, I’d stock up on batteries. They seem to be able to randomly report things that aren’t true with absolutely no consequences.
February 7th, 2008 at 11:52 am
“I think the name of the site should be changed to McCain Pulse.
Comment by Mark — February 7, 2008 @ 7:54 am”
LOL! You nailed it! HAHAHA!
February 7th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Stephen, How in the hell is McCain a conservative? Is it his stand on immigration? His stand on campaign finance reform? His support of tax cuts? His stance on class warfare? LOL! The guy is a liberal.
February 7th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
He refused to support tax cuts without backing them up by cutting spending as well. If we had listened to him, we might not have a $10 trillion debt right now.
Immigration? He supports securing the borders and giving immigrants already here a legal path to citizenship. Reagan was more “liberal” on immigration than McCain.
As for campaign finance reform… he’s admitted it didn’t work like it was intended. And that’s unfortunate, because it was intended to control the massive amounts of corporate and special interest money pouring into political campaigns. You’re not supposed to have to raise $10 million to be able to run for a seat in Congress… it doesn’t produce good candidates.
February 7th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Sorry Austin, you are backing Clinton’s twin. Face it, the SOB isn’t a conservative and never will be.
As for Reagan, he admitted what he did was a mistake.
So looks like for ‘08 it doesn’t matter which person wins the White House, it’ll be a Democrat either way.
February 7th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
McCain will cut spending, Clinton will raise it.
McCain is pro-life, Clinton is pro-choice.
McCain will cut taxes, Clinton will raise them.
McCain supported the surge in Iraq, Clinton wants to set an immediate timetable to pull out.
How in the world are these two the same candidate?
February 7th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Real campaign finance reform (that actually works) is something that’s sorely needed, and McCain made a serious attempt at getting there. It’s not a partisan issue - it’s about keeping the political system healthy, and that should be a concern of every American, regardless of political ideology. These spending wars between candidates do nothing but cause voters to become disillusioned with the system meant to represent them.
The mistake here that some make is that limiting money means limiting speech. That’s not the case at all. Speech is free, regardless of spending limits - anyone can do or say anything they want. Raising money to purchase a political office is in an entirely different category.
February 7th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Austin, if he will cut taxes then he would have voted for the tax cut, not against it.
I don’t give a shit about abortion, that’s not something the government should be involved in at all.
He supports letting illegals come on in and soak up our social programs.
Then he steps all over free speech with that idiotic campaign finance reform.
Sorry Austin, but you have backed a Liberal Democrat.