PRESS RELEASES received during the May 3, 2007 California Debate:
-GIULIANI:  Setting The Record Straight #1: Public Funding Of Abortion (8:35 p.m.)
 

PRESS RELEASE from Rudy Giuliani Presidential Committee, Inc

SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT #1:

PUBLIC FUNDING OF ABORTION

 
 

“As I have indicated before I will not seek to change current law as described in the Hyde Amendment.” 

– Mayor Rudy Giuliani, National Review’s “The Corner,” corner.nationalreview.com, 4/4/07


 
 

In March 2007, Mayor Giuliani Told Reporters That He Has No Agenda To Change Current Law, Which Restricts Federal Funding For Abortion. REPORTER: “Mr. Mayor, there is a video clip around the internet today out today from your ’89 Mayor’s race where you came out in favor you support taxpayer funded abortions for poor women. Is that still your position today and what do you make of this early attempt to discredit you with conservative voters?” GIULIANI: “Well, everybody has a right to do that. I think that basically my position on abortion is that I oppose it, I think it’s wrong, everything should be done to discourage it, and I would discourage it personally. Ultimately however I think the law has to permit people to make that choice, we can’t make that choice for them, and as far as the state of the law as it presently exists, I don’t have any real agenda to change that.  I think that has to be decided on a state by state basis even so far as issues beyond that.  ”(Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Press Availability, Chicago, IL, 3/12/07)

 

Mayor Giuliani Supports Reasonable Restrictions To Abortion. “[T]he Supreme Court is gonna decide issues like parental notification, which I think is appropriate if you have judicial bypass, and they’re going to decide about late-term abortion … and as long as there’s an exception for the life of the mother, I think that banning of partial-birth abortion is the appropriate thing. So, you know, I’ve explained this many, many times and I think people have to kind of evaluate what my position is and I do ultimately, however, support a woman’s right to choose, and if there are some people who just feel they can’t vote for me because of that, well they have to make that decision for themselves, and then if they think other things are more important, or they understand that my position is a balanced one, well then maybe they will be.”  (Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Press Availability, Chicago, IL, 3/12/07)

 

Mayor Giuliani Believes Funding Should Be Decided On State-By-State Basis. GIULIANI: “The Hyde Amendment is the law. I said that I’d be a strict constructionist for judges, I’d be a strict constructionist for myself. And the Hyde Amendment I would not seek to change, which basically says federal funding shouldn’t be used for abortions except in some very limited circumstances and you should decide it on a state-by-state basis. I’ve, I’ve explained that this morning, yesterday and throughout and that’s … That I think means that the area of difference isn’t as great. But there is an area of difference and if your conscience tells you that this is so important to you that you can’t support me, I respect that.”  (“The Mike Gallagher Show,” 4/5/07)

 

Mayor Giuliani Described Hyde Amendment As “Part Of Constitutional Balance.” GIULIANI: “[O]n public funding or funding of abortion said I would want to see it decided on a state by state basis. And what that means is I would leave the Hyde Amendment in place. It’s been the law now, 17, 18 years, it’s part of the constitutional balance that I talked about yesterday and the Hyde Amendment leaves the funding issue largely to the states. They have to decide how they’re going to do it. And same thing on the issue that you’re giving me now, which is I believe that the state should decide. And that’s largely my approach not only in the area of abortion but in the area of guns and other things. I think these things are best decided on a state by state basis and would have as limited a federal role as the law requires.”  (Rudy Giuliani, Press Availability, Columbia, SC, 4/5/07)

 

During Mayor Giuliani’s Tenure In New York, Adoptions Increased 66% While Abortions Decreased 16%. (City Of New York Office Of Operations, Reengineering Municipal Services 1994-2001, p. 98; New York State Office Of Vital Statistics, 1993 Annual Report,; New York State Office Of Vital Statistics, 2001 Annual Report, www.health.state.ny.us)
 
 

 

During Giuliani’s Tenure, Medicaid-Funded Abortions In New York City Dropped 22.85%.  (Deroy Murdock, Op-Ed, “Giuliani’s Choices,” National Review, 1/22/07)
 

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