BARACK OBAMA
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KEY ISSUE
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JOHN
MCCAIN |
Supports
• Co-sponsor of the "Freedom of Choice Act" *
• "I have consistently advocated for reproductive choice and will make
preserving women's rights under Roe v. Wade a
priority as President."
•Note: The "Freedom of Choice Act" is a bill that would Invalidate
virtually all state and federal limitations on abortion, including partial-birth
abortion. **60-second
audio clip
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Roe V Wade
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Opposes
• Voted to oppose Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that allows
abortion for any reason.
• We would be better off by having Roe v.
Wade return to the
states...I don't believe the ...Court should be legislating in the
way that they did on Roe v. Wade."
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Opposes Ban
• "I am extremely concerned that [Gonzales v. Carhart*] will embolden
state legislatures to enact further measures to restrict a women's
right to choose, and that the conservative Supreme Court justices will
look for other opportunities to erode Roe v. Wade."
*Note: Gonzales v. Carhart is the April 2007 Supreme Court decision
upholding the constitutionality of the federal Partial-Birth Abortion
Act
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Partial Birth
Abortion Ban
The partial-birth abortion procedure, used from the
fifth month an, involves pulling a living baby feet-first out of the
womb, e»except lor the head, puncturing the skull and suctioning
out the brain. The great majority of partial-birth abortions are
performed on healthy babies of healthy mothers.
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Supports Ban
• Voted for the partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act
• "Today's Supreme Court ruling {in Gonzales v. Carhart*) is a victory
for those who cherish the sanctity of life." |
Supports
• Voted against legislation in the Illinois State Senate that
prohibited taxpayer dollars from being used to pay for abortion.
• His campaign has stated that he "does not support" the Hyde
Amendment, which prohibits taxpayer funding of abortion through the
Medicaid program.
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Taxpayer
Funding
of Abortion
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Opposes
• Voted in favor of the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits taxpayer
funding of abortion through the Medicaid program.
• Voted consistently against federal funding of abortion.
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Opposes
• Voted to block a bill that would have required an abortionist to
notify at least one parent before performing an abortion on a minor
girl from another state.
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Parental
Notification Law
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Supports
* Voted to support a bill that would have required an abortionist to
notify at least one parent before performing an abortion on a minor
girl from another state.
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Opposed
• Voted three times against a bill in the Illinois State Senate that
would have provided protection for babies who survive abortions equal
to protection received by babies who are spontaneously born prematurely.
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Protecting
Abortion Survivors
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Supported
• Voted for legislation that provides protection for babies who
survive abortions equal to protection received by babies who are
spontaneously born prematurely.
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Obama:
• Voted against confirming Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito.
• "With one more vacancy on me Supreme Court, we could be looking at a
majority hostile to a women's fundamental right to choose for the first
time since Roe v. Wade. The next president may be asked to nominate
that Supreme Court justice. That is what is at stake in this election."
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Judges
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McCain:
• Voted to confirm Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito
to the Supreme Court
• Pledged to appoint judges like John Roberts and the late
William Rehnquist.
• Believes that the moral authority of our judiciary depends on
judicial self-restraint. He believes judges should strictly interpret
the law, and not legislate.
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Supports
• Co-sponsored a bill (S. 1520) in 2005 that would allow the cloning of
human embryos to be used in research, but prohibit placing them in
wombs. |
Human
Cloning
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Opposes
• His campaign website states that he "opposes the intentional creation
of human embryos for research purposes."
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Obama:
• Voted in favor of funding embryonic stem cell research.
• "Embryonic stem cells can obtain from a number of sources including
in vitro fertilization.. .We should expand and accelerate research
using these embryos..."
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Embryonic
Stem Cell Research |
McCain:
* Voted in favor of funding embryonic stem cell research.
• "I believe that skin stem cell research has every potential very soon
of making that discussion [embryonic stem cell research] academic." |
Obama:
• Supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples equal
legal rights and privileges as married couples.
• Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would have
defined marriage as between a man and a woman.
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Gay
Marriage
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McCain:
• Believes that marriage must be protected as a sacred institution of a
man and a woman.
• Co-chaired the Arizona Marriage Protection Amendment campaign in 2006.
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Obama:
• "We need stronger enforcement on the border and at the workplace..." |
Immigration
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McCain:
• "As president, I will secure the border..... Tight border security
Immigration includes not just the entry and exit of
people, but also the effective screening of cargo at our ports and
other points of entry."
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Obama:
• "Let me be clear: there is no military solution In Iraq, and there
never was. The best way to protect our security and to pressure Iraq's
leaders to resolve their civil war is to immediately begin to remove
our combat troops. Not in six months or one year - now."
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Iraq
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McCain:
• "I do not want to keep our troops in Iraq a minute longer than
necessary to secure our interests there. Our goal is an Iraq that can
stand on its own as a democratic ally and a responsible force for peace
in its neighborhood. Our goal is an Iraq that no longer needs American
troops."
* Strongly disagrees with those who advocate withdrawing American
troops before Iraq has become capable of governing itself and
safeguarding its people. |
Obama:
• "We had a situation surrounding Terri Schiavo...that eventually
allowed Congress to interject itself into that decision-making process
of the families. It wasn't something I was comfortable with, but it was
not something that I stood on the floor and stopped. And I think that
was a mistake."
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Terri
Schiavo
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McCain:
• "If s an American tragedy and I hope that the next
time we're Terri Schiavo presented with one of these situations we'll
perhaps approach it in a more measured and reasoned fashion."
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