Wesley Clark
finally divulged his extreme pro-abortion views. Clark said he would never appoint
pro-life judges and that he supported keeping abortion legal until the day of birth. More
Below
Clark told the New Hampshire
newspaper that he would never appoint a pro-life judge to any federal court because the
appointee wouldn't be able to follow the precedent of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court
decision that legalized abortion on demand.
Clark flashed his extreme pro-abortion credentials by saying that, "until the moment
of birth, the government has no right to influence a mother's decision on whether to have
an abortion," the paper reported. "Life begins with the mother's decision,"
Clark said.
Clark told the Union Leader that he would discern a potential judicial candidate's
position on abortion not with a litmus test, but by sifting through previous cases and
legal decisions. "I don't believe people whose ideological agenda is to burn the law
or remake the law or reshape it should be appointed whether they are from either
side," Clark said during an interview with editors and reporters from the paper.
The comments are upsetting to many who are pro-life, and Wendy Wright of Concerned Women
for America said Clark was "catering to the extreme edge to win the Democratic
primary."
"Clark goes beyond Roe v Wade. There is no medical or legal precedence for saying
life doesn't begin until a woman decides. It would be difficult for him to find people
that extreme to fill all the judicial slots," Wright told LifeNews.com.
When the newspaper asked Clark if he would appoint someone who passed all of Clark's
criteria, but was pro-life, Clark said, "I don't know. It would depend. I don't have
litmus tests. I want a guy who will do judicial precedent."
Following the interview with the newspaper, Clark called the Union Leader to clarify his
position.
"I'm not going to be appointing judges who are pro-life," he said.
When the newspaper asked him if that meant he would use a litmus test, Clark replied,
"You just work through what the judge has done and if you find guys who follow
judicial and established precedent, you're not going to find a judge who is
pro-life."
"Is Clark not aware that liberal court decisions on abortion, and the recent Supreme
Court decision on the Texas sodomy law, overturned precedents," Wright wondered.
Though he already indicated he thought life begins at birth, Clark also told the New
Hampshire paper, "I'm not going to get into a discussion of when life begins. I'm in
favor of choice, period. Pure and simple.
"I don't think you should get the law involved in abortion," Clark concluded.
"It's between a woman, her doctor, her faith and her family and her conscience. You
don't put the law in there."
Wright said Clark's comments come across as discriminatory.
"Clark has exposed how unknowledgeable he is on abortion and legal issues. His
prejudice against two entire classes of people, compassionate, intelligent people in all
walks of life -- pro-lifers, who are now the majority of Americans, and unborn babies --
would render him incapable of making rational decisions," Wright said. |