On Saturday, John Spencer criticized Hillary for her radical abortion views in the pages of The New York Times, claiming that she is no moderate on the issue, as she famously claimed after the 2004 elections.
Spencer, who was adopted and is pro-life, blasted a proposed bill proposed by Democratic Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (the Congresswoman who was supposed to be challenged by Kathleen McFarland before K.T. decided she wanted to be a Senator instead), that would clamp down on advertising for crisis pregnancy centers.
"Hillary Rodham Clinton is telling voters that she is pro-adoption and wants to reduce abortions," said Spencer, "[b]ut now her liberal Democratic friends are trying to hurt crisis pregnancy centers that encourage adoption."
He also noted that "[t]his is just a blatant attack on people who want to exercise a choice for life. I challenge Senator Hillary Clinton to chastise her Democratic liberal colleagues for attacking the work of adoption centers."
However, to be fair to Hillary, she does have a pretty good record promoting adoptions, going back to when she was First Lady. She held an Adoption Month event at the White House with Wendy's founder and adoption advocate Dave Thomas, and she cites the "Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997" as her most satisfying achievement as First Lady.
As senator, she even teamed up with Tom Delay to promote foster care.
But Spencer is correct to note that her alleged moderation on abortion is surely a farce, as she has consistently opposed common-sense bills such as the ban on partial-birth abortion (supported by 70% of Americans), and charging someone who murders a pregnant woman with taking two lives (supported by 80%); as well as the fact that she currently has a hold on President Bush's nominee to be FDA Secretary because the administration will not allow emergency contraception (or "morning after" pills) to be sold over the counter, and she voted against both of President Bush's Supreme Court nominees, in part at least because of their pro-life views and rulings.
Spencer must have seen the recent Zogby poll on abortion, which showed that pro-choice politicians are swimming against the tide of American public opinion. Whether this argument will play in New York, though, is another matter, as the state is probably the most abortion-friendly in the country.
