OneWorld.net (U.S.)

OneWorld.net note: Both major U.S. presidential candidates want to reduce the number of abortions in the United States. While McCain's preferred approach is to make abortion illegal, Obama has been a strong supporter of family planning and sex education programs, write reproductive health analysts.

• Demonstrating for abortion rights. © Feminist Majority FoundationThis article has been included in OneWorld.net's "Campaign '08" edition of Perspectives magazine, which examines where the major presidential candidates stand on key issues affecting all the world's people. Add your thoughts on the campaign today and get the background from experts on foreign policy, national security, foreign aid, global health, the environment, and much more.

• Republican candidate John McCain has expressed his opposition to Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that established the legal right to abortion. McCain has also indicated that he would choose Supreme Court justices amenable to overturning Roe v. Wade.

• Liberal evangelical Reverend Jim Wallis has challenged Obama to accept an "abortion reduction" agenda that would facilitate adoption, support low-income women, and strengthen unintended-pregnancy prevention efforts. An Obama spokesperson responded to the challenge by stating that Senator Obama has repeatedly shown his commitment to reducing unintended pregnancies.

2008 Election and Reproductive Health

From: RH Reality Check

RH Reality Check does not endorse or lobby on behalf of any one candidate or political party. RH Reality Check has and continues to work hard to reach out to all of the candidates to ensure that all perspectives and voices on the issues central to our focus are represented.

The 2008 Presidential campaign season has been historic in many ways. Senator Hillary Clinton, who waged a spirited and historic campaign, lost to Senator Barack Obama, who is now the first African-American to become the presumptive nominee of a major party. Senator John McCain is the presumptive nominee for the Republican party. Bob Barr is the Libertarian choice and Ralph Nader is running as an Independent.

Barack Obama

Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) has taken a proactive approach to reproductive health. He's a cosponsor of the Prevention First Act of 2007, introduced the Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act, and has earned a 100 percent score from NARAL Pro-Choice America:

"I believe we must work together to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies. I support legislation to expand access to contraception, health information, and preventative services to help reduce unintended pregnancies. That is why I co-sponsored the Prevention First Act of 2007, which will increase funding for family planning and comprehensive sex education that teaches both abstinence and safe sex methods. It will also end insurance discrimination against contraception, improve awareness about emergency contraception, and provide compassionate assistance to rape victims."

Obama has also voted to expand access to contraceptives and education in order to reduce teen pregnancy.

On HIV/AIDS, Obama has supported funding for global efforts:

"[The US should] lead the global fight against the AIDS virus. The US must give its fair share to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to avoid both a humanitarian and economic crisis. President Bush's budget this year actually cuts the U.S. contribution to the Global Fund by 65 percent. As Senator, I will hold President Bush to his word and fully fund our commitment to the war on AIDS. We must also increase the availability of generic drugs to AIDS victims around the world."

Obama also took a public HIV test to raise awareness and reduce stigma.

Obama criticized the Supreme Court decision to uphold the federal abortion ban:

"I strongly disagree with today's Supreme Court ruling, which dramatically departs from previous precedents safeguarding the health of pregnant women. As Justice Ginsburg emphasized in her dissenting opinion, this ruling signals an alarming willingness on the part of the conservative majority to disregard its prior rulings respecting a woman's medical concerns and the very personal decisions between a doctor and patient. I am extremely concerned that this ruling will embolden state legislatures to enact further measures to restrict a woman's right to choose, and that the conservative Supreme Court justices will look for other opportunities to erode Roe v. Wade, which is established federal law and a matter of equal rights for women."

Obama says he trusts women to make a prayerful decision and that gay couples should have equal rights, including marriage:

Obama addresses an audience at the SEIU's Health Care Forum promising universal health insurance by then end of his first term:

John McCain

U.S. Senator from Arizona John McCain is the flip to Rep. Dennis Kucinich's flop. According to the New York Times Caucus page, McCain had this to say about Roe v. Wade in 1999, "I'd love to see a point where it 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."

Zoom ahead to 2007, when McCain was asked in a debate whether he would support a repeal of Roe v. Wade and his answer was unequivocally, "A repeal." In an interview on Meet the Press just a few days later, McCain had this to say about his apparent conflicting statements, "No, I would hope that X women in America would bring those children into life in this world, and that I could do whatever I could to assist them. Again, that conversation from 1999, so often quoted, was in the context of my concerns about changing the culture in America to understand the importance of the rights of the unborn."

Senator McCain's campaign web site contains a section entitled "Human Dignity and The Sanctity of Life" which combines his personal and political stances on the seemingly unrelated issues of Roe v. Wade, adoption, protecting children from internet pornography and online predators, and the moral consequences of advanced technology.

As President, McCain would nominate judges who would "not legislate from the bench" but who would "restore constitutional balance by reversing Roe v. Wade." McCain believes that "At its core, abortion is a human tragedy. To effect meaningful change, we must engage the debate at a human level."

McCain does support federal funding for embryonic stem cell research having advocated for the passage of stem cell research bills before Congress over the years. In a press release on his government web site McCain is quoted as saying "We must create a framework for federal support of stem cell research now, since research involving embryonic stem cells is also proceeding outside the United States."

According to answers to a survey on Project Vote Smart, John McCain believes abortion should be legal in cases of rape, incest, or if the woman's health or life is in danger. Public funding for abortion or for organizations that advocate for abortion, however, should be prohibited.

McCain seeks the elimination of the right to choose:

McCain discusses health care coverage with Charlie Rose:

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