Abortion

Question:

What is your stance on abortion? -Isabel (Danville, CA)

Answer:

I am in the middle on this issue. I am not pro-life from conception. I am not pro-choice until birth. I believe this is a private, sensitive matter that involves personal health and moral decisions and should balance choice, responsibility, and exceptions.

Every pregnancy is different and every woman holds different beliefs. I do not believe the federal government’s collective “morality”, which changes depending on who is in control of Congress and the Presidency, should supersede a woman’s right to make important decisions about her health and life.

That said, I do believe that when a pregnancy approaches viability around 20-24 weeks, a woman should have obtained the information she needs to make a decision, and has an ethical responsibility to make that decision. After viability, I believe interventions should only be allowed if there is a serious health risk to the mother or a terminal condition in the child arises. I would consider extending the timeline for incidents of rape or incest because it may take these victims longer to come forward.

I also do not believe the Alabama Supreme Court arrived at the correct conclusion about the characterization of embryos and would support legislation to protect their use in IVF treatments.

I will undoubtedly lose pro-life and pro-choice absolutists because of my stance. But I am an independent and have the respect to tell you where I stand so you can decide how important this issue is to you relative to all others, and which candidate’s stance is closest to your own.

Question Submitted: 2/22/24
Answered: 2/26/24