Sarah Palin's Real Record on Abortion | Newsweek Politics: Conventions

Family Matters

On Gov. Sarah Palin's watch, Alaska liberalized its abortion laws.

By Katie Paul | Newsweek Web Exclusive

Sep 6, 2008 | Updated: 11:36 a.m. ET Sep 6, 2008

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It didn't take long for Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin to make a name for herself on the family-values front. Tapped only a week ago to join presidential contender Sen. John McCain on the GOP ticket, the little-known first-term governor of Alaska walked on stage with a reputation as a staunchly pro-life crusader. The details emerging about Palin's personal life—her special-needs baby and her pregnant teenage daughter—had supporters hailing her as a politician who "walked the walk." Within days of her entrance into the race, the entire campaign narrative had shifted, from a post-partisan battle for independents to a revival of the culture wars. "McCain wants to take away our right to choose," intoned an ad released by the Obama camp, shortly after Palin's selection as veep. "That's what women need to understand. That's how high the stakes are."

But the intense media focus on the personal choices Palin has made at home has obscured her record at work in the Alaska statehouse. Palin proudly advertises her membership in the national pro-life group Feminists for Life, which discourages abortion by addressing "the root causes that drive women to abortion—primarily lack of practical resources and support." No woman should have to choose between her career, education, and child, Palin told the Anchorage Daily News while running for governor back in 2006, arguing for more family-friendly environments. The question is, how often has her record backed up her rhetoric on issues of interest to families?

Not much, it turns out. Restrictions on abortion in Alaska have actually been loosened during her tenure. Last November, the Alaska Supreme Court rejected a 1997 law requiring girls younger than 16 to obtain parental consent before getting an abortion. Palin slammed the ruling as "outrageous" and had her attorney general file for a rehearing, but it was promptly denied.

Meanwhile, both this year and last year, she has used her line-item veto to slash state funds for programs providing precisely the kinds of resources Feminists for Life supports for at-risk mothers on the fence about abortion. She cut by 20 percent the funding for Covenant House Alaska, a state-supported program that includes a transitional home where new teenage mothers can spend up to 18 months learning money management and parenting skills. Critics have jumped all over that decision, arguing that the decision looks especially bad in light of the news that Palin's 17-year-old daughter has since become pregnant.

Palin has also voided funds for two other similar projects during her tenure as governor. One, a provider of the WIC (Women, Infants, Children) Program, would have provided additional breastfeeding and nutrition support to low-income rural women, for a total cost of $15,840. Another, the Cook Inlet Housing Authority's student housing and daycare facility project, would have built a childcare facility and family-style housing units for students pursuing vocational education in Anchorage, most of whom come from rural areas.

Even Palin's commitment to pro-life legislation has been questioned back home. In April, the governor denied the state legislature's request for extra debates on two controversial anti-abortion bills, one requiring minors to obtain parental consent before having abortions and another outlawing partial-birth abortion except to save the life of the mother. After state senators failed to reach agreement, the chamber's president tried to attach them to the agenda of a special legislative session being held on Palin's top legislative priority: a new natural gas pipeline. Palin demurred. "Alaskans know I am pro-life and have never wavered in my belief in the sanctity of every human life," she said in a statement. "These issues are so important they shouldn't be diluted with oil and gas deliberations."

Posted By: sgtdmski @ 10/23/2008 3:30:40 AM

Alaska has a part-time Legislature. They have 90 days to accomplish what they must and then they can have a Special session only if the Governor calls for it. Like everything else, this special session requires funding. Governor Palin acted the Fiscal Conservative that she is and cut funding to programs throughout Alaska, including programs Conservatives champion as well as programs Liberals champion.

Grow up, had she been a partisan hack and chopped only from Liberals, she would never have heard the end of it. She did what she had to in a fair and balanced manner. She acted professionally.

Regardless of what Sarah has done, or will do in the future she will never please the members of your staff, for the simple fact she is conservative!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank God for Sarah!!

dmk

Posted By: Jim Johnson @ 10/16/2008 7:58:48 PM

Obama's view of the future of America - Socialism which is the next step to Communism!!

Under socialism a ruling class of intellectuals, bureaucrats and social planners decide what people want or what is good for society and then use the coercive power of the State to regulate, tax, and redistribute the wealth of those who work for a living. In other words, socialism is a form of legalized theft.

The morality of socialism can be summed-up in two words: envy and self-sacrifice. Envy is the desire to not only possess another's wealth but also the desire to see another's wealth lowered to the level of one's own. Socialism's teaching on self-sacrifice was nicely summarized by two of its greatest defenders, Hermann Goering and Bennito Mussolini. The highest principle of Nazism (National Socialism), said Goering, is: "Common good comes before private good." Fascism, said
Mussolini, is "a life in which the individual, through the sacrifice of his own private interests??realizes that completely spiritual existence in which his value as a man lies."

Socialism is the social system which institutionalizes envy and self-sacrifice: It is the social system which uses compulsion and the organized violence of the State to expropriate wealth from the producer class for its redistribution to the parasitical class.

Despite the intellectuals' psychotic hatred of capitalism, it is the only moral and just social system.

Capitalism is the only moral system because it requires human beings to deal with one another as traders--that is, as free moral agents trading and selling goods and services on the basis of mutual consent.

Capitalism is the only just system because the sole criterion that determines the value of thing exchanged is the free, voluntary, universal judgement of the consumer. Coercion and fraud are anathema to the free-market system.

It is both moral and just because the degree to which man rises or falls in society is determined by the degree to which he uses his mind. Capitalism is the only social system that rewards merit, ability and achievement, regardless of one's birth or station in life.

Yes, there are winners and losers in capitalism. The winners are those who are honest, industrious, thoughtful, prudent, frugal, responsible, disciplined, and efficient. The losers are those who are shiftless, lazy, imprudent, extravagant, negligent, impractical, and inefficient. [What about the role of luckbeing in the right place at the right time or the wrong place at the wrong time? R. R. Pope}

Capitalism is the only social system that rewards virtue and punishes vice. This applies to both the business executive and the carpenter, the lawyer and the factory worker.

Member Comments

Posted By: sgtdmski @ 10/23/2008 3:30:40 AM

Alaska has a part-time Legislature. They have 90 days to accomplish what they must and then they can have a Special session only if the Governor calls for it. Like everything else, this special session requires funding. Governor Palin acted the Fiscal Conservative that she is and cut funding to programs throughout Alaska, including programs Conservatives champion as well as programs Liberals champion.

Grow up, had she been a partisan hack and chopped only from Liberals, she would never have heard the end of it. She did what she had to in a fair and balanced manner. She acted professionally.

Regardless of what Sarah has done, or will do in the future she will never please the members of your staff, for the simple fact she is conservative!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank God for Sarah!!

dmk
Posted By: TruthForward @ 10/17/2008 8:09:32 PM

McCain is connected to Nazi supporters and Central American death squads.. so says
FoxNews and Washington Post (two Republican news publishers)

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/07/attention-ayers-renew-focus-mccains-iran-contra-connection/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/07/AR2008100700025.html

The old guy has a long infamous past.
Posted By: Jim Johnson @ 10/16/2008 7:58:48 PM

Obama's view of the future of America - Socialism which is the next step to Communism!!

Under socialism a ruling class of intellectuals, bureaucrats and social planners decide what people want or what is good for society and then use the coercive power of the State to regulate, tax, and redistribute the wealth of those who work for a living. In other words, socialism is a form of legalized theft.

The morality of socialism can be summed-up in two words: envy and self-sacrifice. Envy is the desire to not only possess another's wealth but also the desire to see another's wealth lowered to the level of one's own. Socialism's teaching on self-sacrifice was nicely summarized by two of its greatest defenders, Hermann Goering and Bennito Mussolini. The highest principle of Nazism (National Socialism), said Goering, is: "Common good comes before private good." Fascism, said
Mussolini, is "a life in which the individual, through the sacrifice of his own private interests??realizes that completely spiritual existence in which his value as a man lies."

Socialism is the social system which institutionalizes envy and self-sacrifice: It is the social system which uses compulsion and the organized violence of the State to expropriate wealth from the producer class for its redistribution to the parasitical class.

Despite the intellectuals' psychotic hatred of capitalism, it is the only moral and just social system.

Capitalism is the only moral system because it requires human beings to deal with one another as traders--that is, as free moral agents trading and selling goods and services on the basis of mutual consent.

Capitalism is the only just system because the sole criterion that determines the value of thing exchanged is the free, voluntary, universal judgement of the consumer. Coercion and fraud are anathema to the free-market system.

It is both moral and just because the degree to which man rises or falls in society is determined by the degree to which he uses his mind. Capitalism is the only social system that rewards merit, ability and achievement, regardless of one's birth or station in life.

Yes, there are winners and losers in capitalism. The winners are those who are honest, industrious, thoughtful, prudent, frugal, responsible, disciplined, and efficient. The losers are those who are shiftless, lazy, imprudent, extravagant, negligent, impractical, and inefficient. [What about the role of luckbeing in the right place at the right time or the wrong place at the wrong time? R. R. Pope}

Capitalism is the only social system that rewards virtue and punishes vice. This applies to both the business executive and the carpenter, the lawyer and the factory worker.