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PrintWASHINGTON — Missouri’s U.S. Senate candidates have sharply different views on the issue of abortion and the kind of restrictions that should be placed on the procedure.
While Republican Sen. Jim Talent is a longtime abortion opponent and his rival — Democratic State Auditor Claire McCaskill — is a strong supporter of abortion rights, the debate more often focuses on laws that can impose waiting periods, mandatory counseling or limit access to the procedure.
Here, Talent and McCaskill explain their views on abortion and other related issues in answers they provided to written questions.
Q: Please explain your position on abortion.
McCASKILL: Everyone needs to focus on our common goal of preventing abortions, instead of criminalizing women and their doctors. Abortion should be safe, legal and rare. I believe the decision to have an abortion is up to the woman in conjunction with her family, doctor and whatever spiritual guidance she seeks, not in the hands of the government.
TALENT: I believe in the dignity and value of life at all stages, and I’m the only candidate for U.S. Senate who does.
I look forward to the day when we can all agree that there is room in our laws and our hearts for all the children we are given and for their moms as well.
I recognize there is still great disagreement on this issue, and I have tried to work on legislation where there is at least a fairly broad consensus. For example, I co-sponsored the ban on partial birth abortions and hope it will be upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. I am also a co-sponsor of the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act and the Child Custody Protection Act, which was passed by the Senate on July 25, 2006.
Q: Do you support legalized abortion if a woman is the victim of rape or incest? What about if a woman’s health or life is in danger? Please explain your answer.
McCASKILL: As a former prosecutor who handled hundreds of rape and incest cases, I feel very strongly that the women and children who have been victimized by the horrific crimes should have the access to emergency contraception and safe abortions if they so chose.
TALENT: I have supported exceptions in the case of rape, incest or life of the mother. For example, the Child Custody Protection Act contains exceptions for minors that are victims of sexual abuse or face life-endangering situations.
The law banning partial birth abortion ban also contains an exception for the life of the mother.
Q: Do you support certain restrictions on access to abortions? Should there be a 24-hour waiting period to obtain an abortion? Should spousal consent be required? Should minors need a parent’s signature to receive an abortion?
McCASKILL: I support certain restrictions on a woman’s access to an abortion. I support parental consent laws for minors under 15 years of age to obtain abortions, so long as there is a judicial bypass option for those who suffer from abusive households or are the victims of incest.
TALENT: I support the waiting period in order to ensure that a woman has consented to an abortion without coercion and is making her decision with informed consent. I am pleased that Missouri’s 24-hour waiting period law was upheld in the federal court system after it was challenged. This law was supported strongly by the Missouri state legislature, who overturned Governor Bob Holden’s veto of the legislation.
I’ve co-sponsored legislation to make it a federal offense to transport a minor across a state line for an abortion if the action circumvents a state’s parental involvement law. This legislation was passed by the Senate on July 25, 2006, by a vote of 65 to 34.
Q: Do you support the Missouri law that allows civil lawsuits against people who help minors evade Missouri’s parental consent laws to obtain abortions in other states?
McCASKILL: As a former prosecutor, I believe we must enforce our laws. However, I do not believe that this fight should be waged in the civil court system.
TALENT: Yes. Missouri is one of 45 states that have adopted some form of parental notification or consent legislation. These are commonsense laws that recognize the primary and irreplaceable role that parents have in the lives and welfare of their children. If a teenage girl needs parental permission before getting her ears pierced, or receiving aspirin at school, then parents should certainly be involved in something as drastic and life changing as these decisions.
Q: Do you support the Missouri law that requires doctors who perform abortions to have clinical privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of where the abortion takes place?
McCASKILL: No. I believe this law is an unreasonable restriction on the practice of medicine.
TALENT: Yes. Because an abortion is a dangerous medical procedure, I think it is essential that a person performing them be not only a licensed physician, but should also have access to a hospital in case of medical emergency.
Q: Last month, the Food and Drug Administration approved sales of the emergency contraceptive, Plan B (commonly referred to as the “morning after pill”) without a prescription for women ages 18 and over. Do you support this decision?
McCASKILL: I agree with President Bush’s decision to make Plan B available over the counter to adult women. We need to do everything we can to prevent unintended pregnancies instead of criminalizing women.
TALENT: I was very concerned by this decision, which stated that it is OK for an individual to purchase Plan B — an extremely high dosage of birth control — without a prescription when the FDA still requires a prescription for a lower dosage of the drug.
Q: Please explain whether or not you support laws that allow a pharmacist to deny filling a prescription for contraception if the pharmacist is opposed to doing so on moral or religious grounds.
McCASKILL: A pharmacist has a right to refuse to fill prescriptions that contradict his or her religious beliefs. However, policies must be in place to protect a patient’s rights to obtain valid prescriptions without delay or other interference. Pharmacies must ensure that there is at least one employee on staff who can fill out a prescription without delay.
TALENT: Pharmacies are private businesses, and I see no reason to force them to sell contraceptives if they choose not to. Second, while an employer could require his or her employees to fill contraceptive prescriptions, I am not in favor of the government forcing them to do so.
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