GOP Presidential Candidates United in Repeal of Roe v. Wade

Washington, DC – Nancy Keenan, the president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said Republican presidential candidates' statements on a woman's right to choose will only galvanize the country's pro-choice majority in the 2008 elections.

"All 10 candidates tonight told Americans that, if elected, they will continue George W. Bush's divisive attacks on a woman's right to choose," Keenan said. "Even former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who has professed pro-choice beliefs in the past, conceded that he would not defend Roe v. Wade and said that it would be 'okay' if the Supreme Court overturned the landmark decision."

Keenan said the candidates obviously missed the message voters sent in the 2006 midterm elections, where pro-choice forces gained 23 new seats in the U.S. House and three in the Senate. Voters in three states, including South Dakota, also rejected anti-choice ballot measures.

"The bottom line is elections matter. We are committed to protecting the gains we made in 2006, and we will elect even more pro-choice candidates and a pro-choice president in November 2008," Keenan said. "Americans are tired of politicians interfering in our most personal, private medical decisions, including a woman's right to choose. In stark contrast to tonight's GOP debate, on April 26, Democratic presidential candidates affirmed that Roe v. Wade should remain the law of the land. They even went beyond the rhetoric and endorsed commonsense policies that would prevent unintended pregnancies and thereby reduce the need for abortion, without making it more dangerous or difficult. That's the leadership Americans are looking for in the next president."

NARAL Pro-Choice America has asked all presidential candidates to share their views on a woman's right to choose. That information will be available on the organization's website on May 14.

Contact:
Ted Miller, 202.973.3032