Rick Perry Shifts On Abortion, Opposes Abortion Even In Cases Of Rape Or Incest

OSCEOLA, Iowa -- Republican Rick Perry is shifting his opposition to abortion, saying he opposes it even after rape or incest.

Perry on Tuesday told potential caucus-goers in Iowa that he has changed his mind.

Previously, he believed abortion was acceptable in cases of rape, incest or when the mother's life is at risk. Now, he says abortion in all forms should be prohibited.

Perry told a pastor who asked him about his views that, in his words, "you're seeing a transformation."

Perry says he recently watched former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's documentary about abortion. He says he met a woman in the film and that she told him she was the result of rape and that her life has worth.

Perry says that encounter led him to rethink his position.

HuffPost's Christina Wilkie reports:

Four of the seven Republican presidential candidates reaffirmed their pro-life positions and pledged to protect fetal "personhood" both legislatively and constitutionally Tuesday night.
...
Each speaking in turn, Perry stressed his intent to appoint pro-life judges to the Supreme Court, Bachmann underscored her opposition to President Obama's Affordable Care Act, and Santorum reiterated his pro-life record in the Senate. Gingrich, not surprisingly, offered the boldest proposal of the night, saying he would "write [a Personhood] bill so that it is not appealable," and cited an example from 1802, when Thomas Jefferson and James Madison removed more than a dozen federal judges. Gingrich also pointed listeners to an extensive paper on his website, where he offers a controversial plan to subpoena federal judges to testify before Congress in the event that their rulings are deemed "Anti-American" by a hypothetical Gingrich administration.

Speaking first, Perry promised to "enforce the right to life" with a "human life amendment ... without waiting for the courts to overturn Roe Vs. Wade," the current legal precedent that protects a woman's right to an abortion. "Roe Vs. Wade will be overturned," he continued, "with a true pro-life president possibly appointing upwards of two or three new Supreme Court justices, so that would be my goal."

Perry also described a recent shift in his position on abortion in cases of rape or incest, which he first explained earlier Tuesday. The change stemmed from a meeting with Personhood USA spokeswoman Rebecca Kiessling, a pro-life attorney, he said.

"We had a fairly lengthy and heartfelt conversation about how she was conceived in rape," Perry said, "and I couldn't come up with an answer to defend the exceptions [I have previously supported]."

Comments

[jorgeaangulo]

07:08 PM on 01/11/2012

I really think that a woman has the right to have an abortion only if she gets raped, simply because she did not have affection for the father of the baby. However, in cases of incest I think that both, the mother and father should be completely responsible for their baby.

[truly moderate]

11:02 AM on 12/30/2011

Seems I'm dissed by both liberals and conservatives. No offense to liberals or conservatives but I've found the most intelligent conservation and room for detailed solutionism rests with pro gov progressives and independants because they don't see everything so black and white. Often dark gray or off white but still they tend to examine all viewpoints with a genuine grain of salt.

Here, a conservatives attempts to force their "morality" and politicizes their black/white view. THIS is where my issues lies with most conservatives and liberals....the narrow mindset: "Your position belies your actual beliefs. You dont seem to be a moderate, and the term itself means you cant make up your mind which side you are on. Moderate is not the way to govern in my book, thats the reason we are in this mess, and besides moderate actually leans left without some of the nonsense. Taking abortion for example, one is either for life or death, it IS that simple. No exceptions. Even in the case or rape or incest"

[CurlyQSista]

12:39 AM on 12/30/2011

I guess the question is would he try to enact legislation that would prohibit abortion to rape and incest victims. He may be personally against it in those cases, but would he try to force others through policy. I don't believe a woman should have an abortion in most cases, but I'm not for making it illegal for various reasons. Do the conservatives in Iowa truly believe that rape and incest victims shouldn't be able to have abortions? If they do, that is what I would find the most surprising.

[Fan Tastic]

11:19 PM on 12/29/2011

way too little - way too late!

Go home cowboy!

[happybeliever]

09:01 PM on 12/29/2011

I am sorry if anything I have said on this thread has hurt anyone. I have deep compassion for women and the kind of suffering we experience because I have been through so many things myself. So often abortion is touted as the best or only good option for unintended pregnancies when in fact there is compassionate help available for women in difficult pregnancies.

If you don't like that, don't worry, even if Rick Perry is elected I can't imagine anything changing. We've had pro life presidents come and go, but Roe v. Wade is still the law of the land after nearly 39 years.

To all women out there who are suffering or hurting for any reason, take heart. God loves you so much more than you can ever know.

[talkstocoyotes]

11:48 AM on 12/30/2011

But what would your god be doing for a woman who has an ectopic pregnancy or some other urgent medical reason, and couldn't get an abortion due to "God's people" and Mr. Perry having banned it?

[happybeliever]

02:01 PM on 12/30/2011

That is a false argument. An ectopic pregnancy is always a medical emergency for the mother. There is a 100% chance the pregnancy will fail and always or almost always take the mother's life. It is always necessary to terminate ectopic pregnancies and that procedure would never be banned.

[ProgressivesLoveAmerica]

07:00 PM on 12/29/2011

Is it that Republicans like Rick Perry enjoy humiliating and exposing our women to brutality?

This is really frightening.

[pixeloid]

11:31 PM on 12/29/2011

Yes, they enjoy it a lot. However, they don't just hate women; they hate any person that's not a rich, white, conservative, Christian, straight male.

[motor48]

02:18 PM on 12/29/2011

This Guy is wacked out Why dont he just roll another and Chill out

[happybeliever]

01:46 PM on 12/29/2011

I have mentioned adoption on this thread and have received a lot of comments about the large number of children in foster care, the older children with special needs, children who have been abused, etc. who are available for adoption. That is all true, but legal abortion was supposed to stop all of those things. A world of wanted children was supposed to make a world of difference. After nearly 39 years of legal abortion, there isn't much difference, if anything things have gotten a lot worse. Legal abortion was supposed to bring down out-of-wedlock births. There are far more out of wedlock births now, and in fact, very few people care much about marriage anymore. A world where personal choice trumps all other consideration has not made for a better world, not for women, and not for children.

[AfterSomeThought]

05:08 PM on 12/29/2011

You continue to miss the point - this isn't about "personal choice" and other abortion issues. Do you think people CHOOSE to get raped? But they should be able to choose how they deal with the consequences. Some women would rather have the biological material of their attacker out of their bodies as soon as possible. It is UTTERLY NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS - AND NONE OF PERRY'S - to decide otherwise!

As I've said elsewhere, and you have refused to address, can you imagine a society in which rapists know that their victims must carry the children to term? These awful men that want to brutalize, control and terrify women would like nothing better than to extend that torture from one horrible moment to a lifetime.

So please address the real issue of this article - do you believe a woman who has been attacked and forcibly inseminated should have no other choice but to carry the child to term? ANSWER THAT!

[AfterSomeThought]

05:30 PM on 12/29/2011

BTW, anyone worried about "out-of-wedlock births" should blame poor sex education, not abortion. Perry has pushed "abstinence-only" sex ed for ten years in Texas and consequently, the state has climbed the ladder in teen pregnancies every year to now be the third highest in the nation.

Once again, conservative views - out of touch with reality - only do more harm than good.

[SoCalDoc]

12:39 AM on 12/29/2011

So the Republicans have another flipflopper! Karl had better check the Republican playbook just to make sure somebody hasn't slipped something past him.

[bogey1]

12:31 AM on 12/29/2011

when under stress, GOPers always go back to the base

[heatherjocross]

11:46 PM on 12/28/2011

ARE YOU FXCKING KIDDING ME?!?!

[QuercusQate]

11:32 PM on 12/28/2011

Every time I hear a man express anti-choice sentiments, I feel compelled to ask them for a Quid Pro Quo. If men get to impose laws that adversely affect women's bodies, women should be allowed the same opportunity. Personally, I think the quantity of testosterone in men is much too high, and it leads to hostilities such as domestic abuse, wars and rapes. Therefore, I would like to legislate that every adult man undergo castration, chemical or physical. If I don't get a choice, I don't think you should either.

[beccawentzler]

12:03 AM on 12/29/2011

This would most definitely be the solution to the problem, then there would be no need for abortions. Thanks for making a very good point!

[The Linda]

12:37 AM on 12/29/2011

Amen!

[bmitche]

11:14 PM on 12/28/2011

Opposes abortion even in cases of rape or incest ? Good luck on that one.

[beccawentzler]

11:10 PM on 12/28/2011

If Perry thinks abortion isn't alright, than may be he ought to support all those unwanted children and out of his own pocket, than may be he'll change his tune.

[AhmazingBailey]

08:37 AM on 12/29/2011

Yes, and he should pay for the medical bills and therapy bills for the mothers and the children.

[realwoman8]

11:03 PM on 12/28/2011

Why don't we follow biblical principles all the way, then? Deuteronomy says that if a woman is raped but she doesn't yell loud enough for help, she should be put to death. Then you won't have to worry if she's pregnant. :-P