McCain on reproductive rights

Look at the "moderate" "maverick"'s record on reproductve rights. Cause, it still shocks me to see the occassional liberal actually talk about him not being so bad", or being a true supporter of these rights for women. That is patently ridiculous. I talked about some of his other quirks here.

Feministing:
Now that most of us have come to terms with the fact that John McCain is going to be the Republican nominee, it's time to start getting real about his record. On a whole slew of important issues, he's not a maverick or a moderate. (He's pro-war, anti-gay rights, not great on environmental issues, a total idiot on the economy, etc.) Think Bush is awesome? Then you'll love McCain!

And when it comes to choice, don't be fooled just because ultraconservatives like James Dobson have, uh, a few reservations about him. McCain scores a zero from both Planned Parenthood and NARAL on choice issues. At this year's March for Life, he told anti-choicers, "If I am fortunate enough to be elected as the next President of the United States, I pledge to you to be a loyal and unswerving friend of the right to life movement." He also basically compared countries where abortion is not a crime to communist dictatorships. Plus, he's been using his adopted daughter to "prove" his anti-choice street cred on the campaign trail. (Of course, MSNBC has not described this as "pimping.") It's not just that he's anti-Roe. According to NARAL, McCain "has never cosponsored or supported legislation that would prevent unintended pregnancy or reduce the need for abortion."

Here's a convenient bulleted list (largely based on this detailed report (PDF)) breaking down McCain's record on reproductive rights -- just in case you find yourself thinking he'd be any better than Bush on these issues.

• Repeatedly voted for (and cosponsored) the Federal Abortion Ban. After the court upheld the ban, he said, "Today's Supreme Court ruling is a victory for those who cherish the sanctity of life and integrity of the judiciary. The ruling ensures that an unacceptable and unjustifiable practice will not be carried out on our innocent children."
  
• Supported the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, a law that grants separate legal status to an embryo or fetus
  
• Voted in favor of four anti‐choice U.S. Supreme Court nominees. "I’m proud that we have Justice Alito and Roberts on the United States Supreme Court. I’m very proud to have played a very small role in making that happen." (May 3, 2007 Republican debate)
  
• Repeatedly voted to deny low‐income women access to abortion care except in cases of rape, incest, or life endangerment
  
• Voted to permit federally funded Title X family‐planning clinics to decline to counsel women on abortion services
  
• Voted against lifting the ban that forbids U.S. servicewomen from obtaining abortion services at overseas military hospitals with their own funds
  
• Voted to require Title X family‐planning clinics to notify a teen’s parent before providing abortion services
  
• Voted in favor of the Teen Endangerment and Grandmother Incarceration Act
  
• Voted against the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE)
  
• Voted to terminate the Title X family‐planning program
  
• Voted against funding teen‐pregnancy‐prevention programs and ensuring that “abstinence‐only” programs are medically accurate
  
• Voted to uphold the Global Gag Rule
  
• Voted for the domestic gag rule, which would have prohibited federally funded family‐planning clinics from providing women with access to full information about their reproductive‐health options
  
• Voted to de‐fund the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), an organization that provides family‐planning services – not abortion – for the world’s poorest women
  
• Voted to earmark one‐third of all HIV/AIDS prevention funds for abstinence-only programs
  
• Voted to take $75 million from the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant to establish a new “abstinence‐only” program
  
• Voted to impose a federal parental‐consent law on teens seeking birth control. Not abortion. Birth control
  
• Voted against legislation that would have required insurance coverage of prescription birth control, improved access to emergency contraception, and provided more women with prenatal health care
  
• Voted to allow medical residency training programs in obstetrics and gynecology to receive federal assistance even if they ignore abortion training requirements

About the only things that record is missing are a few thinly veiled death threats toward abortion providers and a picture of him escorting his daughter to a Purity Ball.

UPDATE: Planned Parenthood Action Fund is airing radio ads in the DC area to set voters straight on McCain's record on choice.