"I do not like abortions. I will do everything in my power to restrict abortions." The Dallas Morning News, 10/22/94

"America is not ready to overturn Roe v. Wade because America's hearts are not right." The Associated Press, 3/8/99

"I think it's very important for the Republican Party to be viewed as the pro-life party." Austin American-Statesmen, 6/12/96

"I personally believe there is life, and therefore take the position I take." The Associated Press, 3/8/99

"There are a lot of Americans who don't view the abortion issue as a matter of life. I do. That's one reason why I'm a pro-life person." The Associate Press, 3/8/99

"Does that mean if it were up to him, that all abortions would be constitutionally banned? Yes, replied the governor, except for the circumstances threatening the life of the mother, rape, or incest. That applies to all three trimesters? 'Right,' he said." The Associated Press, 3/8/99

"I'm a realistic enough person to know that America is not ready to ban abortions. America as a country is not prepared to send a message to Senators and House members that we want you to do this -- we want you do amend the Constitution." The Associated Press, date unknown

Conservative Statements of Support for G.W.

"Bush is not soft on abortion. He is a good pro-life candidate," Darla St. Martin, Associate Director of the National Right to Life Committee. Washington Post, 5/23/99

"Governor Bush has a pro-life record and has taken a pro-life position," said David O'Steen, Executive Director of the National Right to Life Committee. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3/17/99

Bush is "profoundly on the pro-life side...I'm not going to take issue with a few words," said Pat Robertson, Founder of the Christian Coalition. The San Francisco Chronicle, 3/13/99

"In a way, he was savvy about it. He chose some pro-life issues that are fairly well accepted by the general public. That's just smart politics. I don't criticize him for that," said Bill Price, President of Texans United for Life. Houston Chronicle, 11/8/98

Joseph Graham, president of Texas Right to Life speaks glowingly of Bush's commitment to them. He has praised Bush for, "going out of his way each time his organization asked Bush to support or oppose a particular piece of legislation." Bush also found the time to help Texas Right to Life with a fundraiser.

What George W. Bush has done to Restrict Choice

As Governor of Texas he has neither offered nor led a program to reduce abortions. He has done nothing to address the causes of unintended pregnancy; he has only offered restrictions on access to abortion for women already facing crisis pregnancies.

With the end of the 1999 Texas State Legislative session, Bush will have signed into law 16 separate anti-choice measures, including:

Texas' first parental involvement law

Texas' first waiting period

Onerous regulations that single out abortion clinics for mandatory government oversight and control

A law prohibiting family planning funding for organizations that offer abortion services

A law prohibiting publicly funded attorneys from assisting poor women in exercising their constitutional right to choose

A law prohibiting family planning funding to dispense prescription contraceptives to minors without parental consent.

Despite signing 16 anti-choice bills into laws himself, George doesn't seem to remember any of them when asked by reporter Tucker Carlson whether abortions had gone up or down in the state of Texas. "I don't know," the governor is reported to have replied. "Probably down. Not because of anything we've done, though. We haven't passed any laws." A case of selective amnesia perhaps?

Bush has offered no preventative policy initiatives to reduce unintended pregnancies and the need for abortion. No expansion of family planning funding and services, in fact he cut their funding, no insurance coverage of contraceptives, and no comprehensive sexuality education program. Yet he goes on to say,"America is not ready to overturn Roe v. Wade, because America's hearts are not right. So, in the meantime...what we ought to do is promote policies that reduce abortions." And that's exactly what we should be doing. However, that is exactly what George W. Bush hasn't done and will not do.

Bush also says,"Part of our responsibility era understands the value of life. I would hope the next leader would lead America to respect life at all levels, including life of the unborn." Bush said for the U.S. Supreme Court he would pick "people who interpret the law as opposed to writing the law. Those are the types I've named to the bench in Texas. They are not judicial activists but judicial scholars." This is political code for Bush saying he will only appoint pro-life judges. Bush is considered the most anti-choice governor in the nation, having consistently pushed restrictive legislation through the Texas legislature. To a vacancy on the Texas Supreme Court, Bush appointed a defense lawyer from Houston who has written what many believe to be the most radical anti-abortion decision handed down by one of the most conservative courts in the nation.

Click here for more on Bush's stance on abortion

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