Ralph Nader on Abortion 2004 Reform nominee; 2000 Green Candidate for President

Supports NOW's agenda on Reproductive Rights

A: Ralph Nader endorses the full eleven-point agenda for economic, social and political rights of women put forward by the National Organization for Women, which includes the following section on Reproductive Rights: "NOW supports access to safe and legal abortion, to effective birth control, to reproductive health and education. We oppose attempts to restrict these rights through legislation."

Supports stem cell research

A: Ralph Nader supports stem cell research. Through two organizations Nader created, the Center for the Study of Responsive Law in 1968 and the Consumer Project on Technology in 1995, he has contributed to efforts to insure stem cell research advances developed with public money are made available to the public and not held back by corporate or university patent holders.

If Roe is reversed, decision just reverts to the states

If his opponents were livid before, this pushed people to the brink of apoplexy. As a fine point of judicial procedure, this was undoubtedly true. Each of the fifty states would still be able to make an individual decision about abortion. But for many, this did not seem like the kind of point that would be made by someone who cared a whit about the issue. It registered as further confirmation of what Rep. Barney Frank had once described as "Nader's lifelong lack of interest in major social causes like civil rights, women's rights, gay rights, and poverty." Nader's disinterest was no big deal--opponents contended--so long as Nader remained a consumer advocate. But now he was a presidential candidate, peddling a message of major-party indistinguishability.

Threats to overturn Roe are “scare tactics”

”Here’s what happened on that,“ he said wearily. ”The scare tactic is that would end choice in America and I just said that’s not true, but I should have been astute enough not to mention that.“ He said he did not in any case believe for a moment that Bush would seek to overturn Roe v. Wade. ”The first back alley death, and the Republican Party is in deep trouble and they know it,“ he said. He described the party’s opposition to abortion as just for show, ”just for Pat Robertson.“

Women should decide whether to use RU-486, not government

A: It’s up to the woman, not the government. This is a pill that’s been shown to be safe in Europe for numerous years. And it’s preferable to surgical procedure.

No government role; let women privately decide

Roe v Wade is safe; GOP must back off pushing it