Legal Commentary

Warren Forum Transcripts and Follow Up

By TChris

Rick Warren has made transcripts of last night's faith forum available here. CNN has video links to some questions and answers. Ryan Corsaro observes that John McCain repeatedly violated Warren's admonition not to answer with his stump speech, a tactic that served McCain well. James Fallows doesn't expect McCain to do as well when under pressure in a debate. Adele Stan compares the candidates' approaches to (and definitions of) evil.

On the topic of abortion, it's interesting to note the wording of Warren's question: [more ...]

This is from volume 2, addressed to Barack Obama:

NOW, LET'S DEAL WITH ABORTION. 40 MILLION ABORTIONS SINCE ROE V. WADE. YOU KNOW, AS A PASTOR I HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS ALL OF THE TIME. ALL OF THE PAIN AND ALL OF THE CONFLICTS. I KNOW THIS IS A VERY COMPLEX ISSUE. 40 MILLION ABORTIONS. AT WHAT POINT DOES A BABY GET HUMAN RIGHTS IN YOUR VIEW?

From volume 5, a similar question addressed to John McCain:

LET'S DEAL WITH ABORTION. I, AS A PASTOR, HAVE TO DEAL WITH THIS ALL THE TIME, EVERY DIFFERENT ANGLE, EVERY DIFFERENT PAIN, ALL THE DECISIONS AND ALL OF THAT. 40 MILLION ABORTIONS SINCE ROE V WADE. SOME PEOPLE WHO -- PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE THAT LIFE BEGINS AT CONCEPTION WOULD SAY THAT'S A HOLOCAUST FOR MANY PEOPLE. AT WHAT POINT IS A BABY ENTITLED TO HUMAN RIGHTS?

Not at what point does a human life come into existence, but at what point does that life acquire human rights? Neither candidate answered that question.

Does a fetus have the right not to lose its liberty without due process? Does the fetus have a right, independent of the mother's, to petition for habeas corpus if the fetus, having committed no crime, finds itself in a prison cell? Is that what John McCain meant when he answered that babies acquire human rights "at the moment of conception"? Is he among those who would lock a woman up at any stage of a pregnancy if she acts in a way that endangers the "rights" of a fetus?

Full post as published by TalkLeft on August 17, 2008 (boomark / email).