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Mike Huckabee on Abortion and Birth Control
"This is not about being anti-abortion. Whenever I'm called that I say no, you don't understand, I'm not anti-abortion, I'm pro-life, and there's a fundamental difference. I'm not against something, I'm for something. I'm for the idea that your life, my life, and every other life has equal value."
"I'm pro-life, but I know not everyone agrees with me on that particular topic, and I respect that. I'll probably never change my conviction on that, and some of you won't change yours. But in this day in which we talk about choice and the importance of it, surely we can agree that if under the Supreme Court choice is mandated, that choice should be as educated a choice as is humanly possible."
State of the State address to the Arkansas legislature, Jan 9, 2001
Q: "South Dakota had some proposed legislation to outlaw all abortion except saving the life of a mother, no exceptions for rape or incest. You said you'd sign that. Why?" HUCKABEE: "I always am going to err on the side of life. I believe life is precious. I have been in the pro-life camp since I was a teenager. It's because of my view that God is the creator and instigator of life. But those of us in the pro-life movement have to do also some expanding."
Meet the Press: Meet the Candidates 2008 series, Jan 28, 2007
Q: Would the day that Roe v. Wade is repealed be a good day for America? HUCKABEE: Most certainly.
2007 GOP primary debate, at Reagan library, hosted by MSNBC May 3, 2007
I support and have always supported passage of a constitutional amendment to protect the right to life. My convictions regarding the sanctity of life have always been clear and consistent, without equivocation or wavering. I believe that Roe v. Wade should be over-turned.
"He has not. I have great respect for the mayor, and I -- let me tell you why I have great respect. He's been honest about his opinion. He's been honest about his position, and I think that's a healthy thing for our party and for this debate. But I'm pro-life because I believe life begins at conception, and I believe that we should do everything possible to protect that life because it is the centerpiece of what makes us unique as an American people. We value the life of one as if it's the life of all, and that's why we go out for the 12-year-old Boy Scout in North Carolina when he's lost; that's why we look for the 13 miners in Sago, West Virginia, when the mine explodes; that's why we go looking for the hikers in Mount Hood, because we value life, and it's what separates us from the Islamic jihadists who are out to kill us. They celebrate death. They have a culture of death. Ours is a culture of life."
Q: South Dakota had some proposed legislation to outlaw all abortion except saving the life of a mother, no exceptions for rape or incest. You said you'd sign that. Why? HUCKABEE: I always am going to err on the side of life. I believe life is precious. I have been in the pro-life camp since I was a teenager. It's because of my view that God is the creator and instigator of life. But those of us in the pro-life movement have to do also some expanding. Life begins at conception but it doesn't end at birth. And if we're really pro-life we have to be concerned about more than just the gestation period. [My administration] passed pro-life legislation, but we also did things that improved the environmental quality that would affect a child's air and water; that he had a better education, and better access to affordable health care. So I think that real pro-life people need to be concerned about affordable housing, safe neighborhoods, access to a college education. That, for me, is what pro-life has to mean.
Meet the Press: Meet the Candidates 2008 series, Jan 28, 2007
The record I am proudest of is having signed numerous pieces of pro-life legislation, including a ban on partial-birth abortion.
From Hope to Higher Ground, by Mike Huckabee, p.123-124 Jan 4, 2007
Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas today refused to authorize a Medicaid payment for an abortion for a 15-year-old girl whose stepfather has been charged with incest, despite a Federal judge's order that such payments were required by Federal law.
Q: South Dakota had some proposed legislation to outlaw all abortion except saving the life of a mother, no exceptions for rape or incest. You said you'd sign that. Why? A: I always am going to err on the side of life. I believe life is precious. I have been in the pro-life camp since I was a teenager. It's because of my view that God is the creator and instigator of life. But those of us in the pro-life movement have to do also some expanding. Life begins at conception but it doesn't end at birth. And if we're really pro-life we have to be concerned about more than just the gestation period. [My administration] passed pro-life legislation, but we also did things that improved the environmental quality that would affect a child's air and water; that he had a better education, & better access to affordable health care. So I think that real pro-life people need to be concerned about affordable housing, safe neighborhoods, access to a college education. That, for me, is what pro-life has to mean.
Meet the Press: Meet the Candidates 2008 series, Jan 28, 2007
Indicate which principles you support concerning abortion: - Abortion should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered. - Eliminate public funding for abortions and public funding of organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
2002 AR Gubernatorial National Political Awareness Test Nov 1, 2002
I do not believe in teaching about sex or contraception in public schools.
Indicate which principles you support concerning abortion: - Abortion should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered. - Eliminate public funding for abortions and public funding of organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
2002 AR Gubernatorial National Political Awareness Test Nov 1, 2002
Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas today refused to authorize a Medicaid payment for an abortion for a 15-year-old girl whose stepfather has been charged with incest, despite a Federal judge's order that such payments were required by Federal law.
Abstinence education provides a valuable counterweight to peer pressure and the message young people get from the popular culture encouraging casual relationships and separating sex from love, commitment and marriage. I do not believe in teaching about sex or contraception in public schools. That is the responsibility of parents. I am disappointed that funding for abstinence education is not likely to be renewed by the Democrat Congress. This reversal only emphasizes how important it is for Republicans to take back Congress and win the White House with an authentic conservative in 2008. I miss the America I grew up in where the Gideons gave Bibles to fifth graders instead of school nurses giving condoms to eighth graders. With so much at stake, it's important that we return to the core values and guiding principles which have made our country great.
Mike Huckabee, Tom Tancredo, Ron Paul, Sam Brownback and Duncan Hunter were joined by newly declared candidate Alan Keyes and businessman John Cox. All seven participants said they would work to keep federal funding away from organizations that perform or promote abortions...They all vowed to increase funding for abstinence education, to veto hate crimes legislation and to oppose embryonic stem cell research.
Abstinence education provides a valuable counterweight to peer pressure and the message young people get from the popular culture encouraging casual relationships and separating sex from love, commitment and marriage. I do not believe in teaching about sex or contraception in public schools. That is the responsibility of parents. I am disappointed that funding for abstinence education is not likely to be renewed by the Democrat Congress. This reversal only emphasizes how important it is for Republicans to take back Congress and win the White House with an authentic conservative in 2008. I miss the America I grew up in where the Gideons gave Bibles to fifth graders instead of school nurses giving condoms to eighth graders. With so much at stake, it's important that we return to the core values and guiding principles which have made our country great.