Dick Cheney on Abortion Vice President of the United States; Former Republican Representative (WY)

Supports stem-cell research

Polls taken after this press barrage showed that 2/3 of the public favored stem-cell research. So did many of the party's biggest donors. So did Nancy Reagan. So did a large majority of the White House senior staff. So did Vice President Cheney and Andy Card.

If Bush were the puppet of his staff or his vice president that so many journalists still believed him to be, now was the moment for him to snap to. But he didn't. He did something I had never seen him do: He brooded.

Reach across the divide on adoptions & notification

What we’d like to be able to do is to look for ways to reach across the divide between the two points of view and find things that we can do together to reduce the incidence of abortion. We look at such things as promoting adoption as an alternative, encouraging the parental notification, and we also think banning the horrific practice of partial-birth abortions is an area where there could be agreement.

Congress has twice passed, by overwhelming margins, significant number of votes from both parties, the ban on partial-birth abortions. Twice it’s been vetoed by Bill Clinton and Al Gore.

Let FDA’s RU-486 decision stand; it’s only based on safety

CHENEY: The approval of RU-486 by the FDA really was a question of whether or not it was safe to be used by women. They didn’t address the question of whether or not there should or should not be abortion in the society, so much as evaluate that particular drug. With respect to the RU-486 proposal [currently before Congress], Governor Bush does not anticipate directing the FDA to reverse course on that particular issue, primarily because the decision they made was [solely] on the efficacy of the drug.

LIEBERMAN: My answer is no, I would not support legislation that is being introduced in Congress to override the FDA decision on RU-486. The FDA worked 12 years on this serious problem, they made a judgment based on what was good for women’s health; a doctor has to prescribe and care for a woman using it. I think it’s a decision that we ought to let stand because it was made by experts.

Exemptions for rape, incest or woman’s life now OK

In Congress: No exceptions in the case of rape or incest

Against abortion rights

Where he stands:
• opposed the Equal Rights Amendment
• anti-abortion rights
• supported prayer in schools
• supported balanced budget amendment

Co-sponsored “Preborn Children’s Civil Rights Act of 1985”

Cheney co-sponsored the following bills in Congress:
• H.R.555 (1986):A bill entitled the “Preborn Children’s Civil Rights Act of 1985”. Prohibits: (1) use of appropriated funds to counsel or encourage an abortion; (2) use of appropriated funds to reimburse or refer for abortions; (3) use of funds for research with respect to abortion; or (4) contracting for insurance which pays or reimburses for abortion.
• H.R.1729 (1988):A bill to prohibit the use of Federal funds for abortions except where the life of the mother would be endangered, and to prohibit the provision under title X of the Public Health Service Act of Federal family planning funds to organizations that perform or refer for abortions, except where the life of the mother would be endangered, and for other purposes.
• H.R.5020 (1988):A bill to prohibit the use of Federal funds for abortions except where the life of the mother would be endangered.