Conservatives Go After Gingrich On Abortion

Some Republicans, including Michele Bachmann, have begun attacking current GOP presidential frontrunner Newt Gingrich on abortion, claiming that the former House Speaker is insufficiently conservative on the issue. Before Thanksgiving, Bachmann accused Gingrich of failing to “uphold a consistently pro-life stance throughout his career in public life” and “stem the flow of taxpayer dollars to Planned Parenthood.”

If anything, Bachmann’s attacks are an indication of how far the Republican party has shifted, that there is now room on the right to attack Gingrich’s anti-abortion record. As the Des Moines Register’s Jennifer Jacobs notes, the places where Gingrich has fallen short have been mainstream GOP policy positions for decades:

– On abortion: The New York Times on April 10, 1995, reported, “House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Sunday supported the availability of federally financed abortions for poor women who are victims of rape or incest and expressed opposition to organized school prayer, positions that are at odds with many conservatives in his party.” Also asked that year on CBS’s “Face the Nation” whether he agrees with Republicans who oppose federal abortion payments in cases of rape or incest or to protect the life of the mother, Gingrich answered: “No. First of all, I think you should have funding in the case of rape or incest or life of the mother, which is the first step.

– On partial birth abortion: Gingrich addressed the RNC meeting on Jan. 16, 1998, calling for tolerance of candidates who support partial-birth abortion, saying he would campaign for them: “It’s the voters of America who have a right — in some places they’re going to pick people who are to my right, some places they’re going to pick people who are to my left and in both cases, if they’re the Republican nominee, I am going to actively campaign for them.”

– On stem-cell research: On ABC News’ “This Week” on July 8, 2001, Sam Donaldson asked: “So he should approve stem cell research on embryos?” Gingrich answered: “On embryonic cells that, that are pre-fetal.”

Recall that even President George W. Bush — no friend to the pro-choice movement — supported abortion in cases of rape, incest, and the life of the mother and his father had been an outspoken proponent of family planning earlier in his career. As a congressman, the elder Bush advocated for family planning services to be available to every woman, calling it a “public health matter,” championed Title X funding, lobbied President Richard Nixon to enact the program, and described family planning as an effort “that help[s] further work of such worldwide importance, something for which this country can be justly proud.” In 1967, Governor Ronald Reagan even signed “one of the nation’s most liberal abortion laws, which permitted abortion in cases of rape or incest or to save the mother’s life.”