Nixon Tapes: Abortion Necessary "When You Have A Black And A White"

The New York Times:

On Jan. 23, 1973, when the Supreme Court struck down state criminal abortion laws in Roe v. Wade, President Richard M. Nixon made no public statement. But privately, newly released tapes reveal, he expressed ambivalence.

Nixon worried that greater access to abortions would foster "permissiveness," and said that "it breaks the family." But he also saw a need for abortion in some cases, such as interracial pregnancies.

"There are times when an abortion is necessary. I know that. When you have a black and a white," he told an aide, before adding: "Or a rape.

Read the whole story: The New York Times

Comments

[lunchlady]

I would love to see Tricky Dick's reaction to our biracial President!

[Lorianne]

Or any of our past Presidents

[CrzyRussell]

Who cares? It was a different era. I am sure people will look back at today and say the same thing. Such is history.

[Aesthete]

I don't know how old you are, but for those of us who had reached adulthood by that time it doesn't seem so terribly long ago. However, it is my sincere hope that such ideas of that "era" have been discarded.

[Aesthete]

He thought it was OK to kill unborn babies if they were of an "undesirable" racial combination. He must be spinning in his grave over our current president. What a dinosaur!

[Aesthete]

Uh-0h! There goes another debit entry into Nixon's "place" in history. I guess he was totally ignorant of the fact that races have been mixing since the dawn of history. "Race-mixing" was, in fact, rampant among early American colonials.

[WillieLynch]

Not surprising coming from a republican.

I wonder why more black people dont vote for republicans.

[Smurfaveli]

"When you have a black and a white...or a rape".

He equals an interacial pregnancy with pregnancy resulting from rape. Great!

[FanofPaine]

That is EXACTLY what I said.

[Greg2000]

This is supposed to be a killing ad against those wingnuts. "We are not saying that all republicans are rac!sts but why all racists have the same common denominator?"
Which is racism.

[StoicRep]

Nixon was substantially different than "Reagan-type" Republicans. He believed in a balanced budget for one. He had a health care plan for another. He developed an "exit" strategy in Vietnam and paid a price for having done so.

He attitude, contrasting with modern thinking about racial inter-relations, was the common attitude at the time. Although in America we like to think about he great melting pot., different ethnic factions often do not see it that way, including the fact that Blacks felt inter-relations were bad, and many still do.

[VOTER]

Nice try.

[Aesthete]

It's no use trying to "fix" or justify this faux pas. Interracial relationships are as old as history.

[From the Raft]

Sounds like the seeds for focus on the family were planted back in '73. Nixon's comments on abortion show the basic philosophy behind the movement.

[Grulg]

Ah Nixon is Always fun to listen to. Well sorta. Fascinating, anyways. Did you catch the Bobe Hope conversation he had re: returning POW's ?

[wanj]

30+ years layer, Nixon speaks for the GOP.... pure, cold rac!sm. Nothing's changed

[mamala4]

Except that they are more vocal now...otherwiise you are totally correct.

[DonCosenza]

You stay classy, Dick.

[Beowoof]

Can you get this on a T-shirt from the Nixon library?

[sarahmp]

hahahaha

[americanalien]

Richard Nixon was a Republican. Need I say more?

[VirginiaMom]

This type of thinking is consistent for a President who started the "southern strategy" of GOP appeals to white bigots.

[green108]

It's not hard to see why Archie Bunker was a popular & ridiculed character during this time. And of course, Archie loved Nixon. They were peas in a pod as far as ideals. NIxon didn't understand "All in the Family," which I think says it all.

[Alila]

I wish I could say it's surprising he felt that way.