Today’s Washington Times editorial page raises more of a stink over Fred Thompson’s recent endorsement from the National Right to Life Committee, given the former senator’s mixed record on abortion. Some highlights:
In 1991, Mr. Thompson served as the White House liaison for the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, a pro-choice group that lobbied former President George H.W. Bush to overturn a ban put in place by the Reagan administration preventing the government from funding family planning clinics providing abortion information.
Mr. Thompson, who was a lobbyist working at a prominent Washington law firm, voluntarily agreed to take the case.
Recently, Mr. Thompson refused to support a constitutional amendment that would protect innocent life by restricting the availability of abortions. The sanctity-of-life amendment was a core plank in the Republican Party’s 2004 election platform, and yet Mr. Thompson said he could not support it, saying his objection stems from his federalist views.
However, in 1995 he voted for a constitutional amendment to ban flag burning. If he were concerned about states rights he would have let them issue their own laws on the matter. Also, if Mr. Thompson were concerned about cluttering the constitution with superfluous amendments, he would not have supported a 1997 constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget.
God-o-Meter’s decision to lower Thompson’s rating speaks for itself.
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