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Healthcare Prof:
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Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who supports abortion rights and is operating for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, on Tuesday in a debate at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., said that some religious and moral people choose to have abortions, USA Today reports. He asked, “Should government put them in jail?” (Lawrence/Wolf, USA Today, 6/6). Based on the Washington Post, Giuliani was responding to Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin — head of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence, R.I. — who criticized Giuliani’s position on abortion (Balz/Shear, Washington Post, 6/6).
Tobin’s comments appeared in a column for the diocese’s newspaper, the Rhode Island Catholic, the New York Times reports (Santora, New York Times, 6/5). Tobin in the column stated Giuliani’s “public proclamations on abortion are pathetic and confusing,” adding, “Even worse, they are hypocritical” (Gordon, Long Island Newsday, 6/5).
Tobin also stated that he never ever would support a candidate who supports abortion rights. According to Tobin, Catholics are “required to be pro-life, to cherish and protect human life as a precious gift of God from the moment of conception until the time of natural death” (Sidoti, AP/San Luis Obispo Tribune, 6/4). Based on Newsday, Tobin will be the first bishop to “confront” Giuliani, who’s Catholic, “so directly” on his abortion-rights position (Long Island Newsday, 6/5).
At the debate on Tuesday, Giuliani was prompted by moderator Wolf Blitzer of CNN to respond to Tobin’s comments. He stated, “My view on abortion is that it is wrong but that ultimately government ought to not be enforcing that choice on a woman” (Reuters, 6/5).
Video of Giuliani’s comments on abortion is available online.
A CNN transcript of the complete debate is available online. Video and expanded CNN coverage also are available online.
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