Earlier, I wrote about Giuliani’s flip-flops on public funding for abortion:
A top Rudy advisor has told the conservative National Review that Rudy opposes public funding for abortions. That’s very different from Rudy’s position in the 90s, when he ran for office touting his support for public funding.
CNN dug further into this recently when it interviewed Giuliani, and some poor writer had to figure out how to transcribe Giuliani’s endless maneuvering and non-answers. Check it out.
In a 1989 speech now being widely circulated on the Internet, Giuliani called for public funding of abortions for poor women, saying, “We cannot deny any woman the right to make her own decision about abortion because she lacks resources.”
Asked by Bash [the interviewer] if he would maintain that position as president, Giuliani said “probably.”
“I would have to re-examine all of those issues and exactly what was at stake then — that was a long time ago,” he said. “When I was mayor, adoptions went up, abortions went down. But ultimately, it’s a constitutional right, and therefore if it’s a constitutional right … you have to make sure that people are protected.”
Pressed if he would support public funding for abortions, Giuliani said, “If it would deprive someone of a constitutional right, yes, if that’s the status of the law, then I would, yes.”
After the interview, Giuliani’s campaign clarified that if elected, he would not seek to change current federal law, which limits public funding for abortions to cases of rape, incest or where the life of the pregnant woman is in danger.
So within the space of one interview, Giuliani says he would “probably” support public funding for abortions, then says he would have to support public funding because choice is a constitutional right, then says he would not support public funding except in a few instances.
All of this from a guy who has spent his career being a strong pro-choice advocate, and is known for his strength and resolve.
