Couric: Let me get your take, if I could Gov. Palin, on a number of social issues. Because that's, they've gotten some attention, your position. If a 15-year-old is raped by her father,you believe it should be illegal for her to get an abortion. Why?Palin: I am pro-life. And I'm unapologetic about my position there on pro-life. And I understand good people on both sides of the abortion debate. In fact, good people in my own family have differing views on abortion and when it should be allowed. So ... I respect people's opinion on this.
Now, I would counsel to choose life. I would like to see a culture of life in this country. But I would also like to see taking it one step further. Not just saying I am pro-life, and I want fewer and fewer abortions in this country. But I want, then, those women who find themselves in circumstances that are absolutely less than ideal, for them to be supported for adoptions to be made easier. For more support given to foster parents and adoptive families. That is my personal opinion on this.
Couric: But, ideally, you think it should be illegal ...
Palin: If you ...
Couric: ...for a girl who was raped or the victim of incest to get an abortion?
Palin: I'm saying that, personally, I would counsel the person to choose life, despite horrific, horrific circumstances that this person would find themselves in. And, um, if you're asking, though, kind of foundationally here, should anyone end up in jail for having an ... abortion, absolutely not. That's nothing I would ever support.
Then, now, some may characterize my position as being extreme, because I am pro-life ... and I want women empowered to know that, you know, we can help them. They can be strong enough, and they can have the resources provided them to give that child life.
The extremism, to me, is those who would support partial-birth abortion. Those who would disallow parental consent when it comes to a minor child who would seek an abortion. I think parents should have a say in that. They should be a part of their child's health care there. And those who, like Barack Obama, would support measures that would actually allow in a botched abortion, late-term abortion, that child being born alive, to allow it to not receive medical help to save that child's life. That's extremism to me. That is so far on the left side of the political spectrum and public sentiment in this country. That's the extremism to me.
Couric: So you want more support so women have more options, or girls have more options. But you also think it should be illegal, that there should be no punishment if a woman does break the law...
Palin: I would like to see more women given more support so that those of us who say, "You know, a culture of life is what we believe." Is best ... for human kind, you know, to respect the sanctity of every human life. And to understand ... that we live in a pretty messed up world sometimes.
When you consider what's going on in this world. The most promising and good ingredients in this world ... is a child. The hope that a child brings. And just understanding that. Being near and dear to my heart. I want to do all that I can to reduce the number abortions.
And to usher in that culture of life. And in my respect for the other side of this issue, I have not spoken with one woman who do, may disagree with me on, when abortions could or should be allowed, not one woman has disagreed, as we sit down and rationally talk about ... the common goal we have, and that is to see fewer and fewer abortions. And to provide more and more women support in this world.
Couric: Some people have credited the morning-after pill as for decreasing the number of abortions. How do you feel about the morning after pill?
Palin: Well ...I'm all for contraception. And I'm all for any preventative measures that are legal and safe and should be taken. But, Katie, again and we can go round and round about the abortion issue, but I am one to seek a culture of life. I am one to believe that life starts at the moment of conception. And I would like to see ...
Couric: And so you don't believe in the morning-after pill.
Palin: I would like to see fewer and fewer abortions in this world. And, again, I haven't spoken with anyone who disagrees with my position on that.
Couric: I'm sorry. I just want to ask you again. Do you not support or do you condone or condemn the morning after pill?
Palin: Personally, and this is isn't McCain-Palin policy ...
Couric: That's OK. I'm just asking you.
Palin: But, personally, I would not choose to participate in that kind of contraception. It ...
Couric: Do you think it should be illegal?
Palin: I don't think that it should necessarily be illegal. But we can go, again, round and round. And what the foundation I believe of this debate, of this discussion, even of your questions, is do you believe in the sanctity of life? Are you are you gonna side on the pro-life position or not when decisions are in front of you and you have to make them? Now, as a vice president, what positions would a vice-president have to take on the abortion issue? They're not legislating. A vice president does not make law.
Couric: But if you have a moral problem with abortion, it seems to me you would do everything in your power to make it illegal and overturn Roe v. Wade and ...
Palin: Of course, it's the legislature, the law-making branch of our third, of our three branches of government ...
Couric: But they ...
Palin: ...makes the laws.
Couric: ...your vision or the administration's vision.
Palin: Well, let's be practical about it and let's be realistic about a vice-president's role in this debate. I can personally share my views, which I don't apologize when I share my views of being pro-life. And, you know, I'll do that all day long if you want me to. But a vice-president does not make law. And a vice-president does not interpret the law either.
Couric: So you're saying this won't be a top issue for you if you're elected?
Palin: I will do all that I can personally to encourage that culture of life, to remind women that I believe with more empowerment, they - more and more women will realize that they are strong enough ... and they are able to carry a child and still continue a career, still continue education opportunities, all with the goal being fewer and fewer abortions in this world.
I'll give you the Tony Perkin's response first:
The Republican vice-presidential candidate, Governor Sarah Palin, continues to be refreshing in her outside-the-beltway behavior. In her second interview with Katie Couric the popular Alaskan governor was asked about her views on abortion to which she replied, "I am pro-life. And I'm unapologetic in my position that I am pro-life." Governor Palin elaborated further that as she strives to create a culture of life our society also must concentrate on counseling and support for "women who find themselves in circumstances that are absolutely less than ideal." That describes perfectly the good work that pregnancy resource centers across the nation do, as opposed to the "abortion on demand" mentality of facilities like Planned Parenthood. Ms. Couric comes off poorly during the interview when she tries to imply that those in the pro-life community, including Governor Palin, would seek to imprison women who have abortions. The only ones that talk about jailing women, it seems, are pro-abortionists and/or television personalities. The act of abortion itself is exploitative of the woman even as it kills her child.Frankly, the interview was not designed to flush out Palin's specific views but to make her appear extreme to middle America. How important is it to know the VP candidate's position on the the morning after pill?
I appreciate Palin's "culture of life" statements because they are said and lived with conviction. She was clear in her view that "life starts at the moment of conception" and did a great job exposing the extremism of Barack Obama and those who support partial birth abortion.
Unfortunatly, Palin said she was for birth control and teaching evolution as science, not theory in government run schools.