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Sarah Palin Speaks on Abortion, Contraception, Homosexuality

By John Jalsevac

October 1, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a wide-ranging interview with CBS' Katie Couric, Gov. Sarah Palin responded to a series of tough questions on a variety of controversial topics, including abortion, homosexuality, global warming, evolution and contraception.

Throughout the interview Palin largely stood by her strong pro-life convictions, although a distinct shift in tactic was notable, particularly in her repeated efforts to find "common ground" by suggesting that her primary goal is simply to ensure there are "fewer abortions" - a line frequently used by both Democrats and Republicans seeking to garner bipartisan appeal.

At one point, however, Palin said that she would counsel a 15-year-old girl who was raped by her father to keep the child and offer it up for adoption instead of seeking an abortion. When asked by Couric if she would support abortion in the hard-case of an incestuous rape of a 15-year-old, Palin responded, saying, "I am pro-life. And I'm unapologetic about my position."

Palin said that part of her position is that adoptions should be made easier to obtain as part of the effort to ensure that there are "fewer abortions," even in the sorts of extreme hard-cases posited by Couric.

The vice-presidential candidate went on to affirm that as vice president she would do everything in her power to promote a "culture of life."

"I will do all that I can personally to encourage that culture of life," she said, "to remind women that I believe with more empowerment, they - more and more women will realize that they are strong enough … and they are able to carry a child and still continue a career, still continue education opportunities."

Palin, however, stopped short of saying that abortion should be illegal. Instead she softened her position, saying that steps should be taken to ensure that there should be "fewer abortions."

The Republican VP candidate also said that she would not support putting women who obtain abortions in jail: "If you're asking, though, kind of foundationally here, should anyone end up in jail for having an … abortion, absolutely not. That's nothing I would ever support."

Palin made a jab at Democrat rival Barack Obama on the abortion issue, characterizing his position as being "extremist."

"The extremism, to me, is those who would support partial-birth abortion," she said. "Those who would disallow parental consent when it comes to a minor child who would seek an abortion. I think parents should have a say in that. They should be a part of their child's health care there. And those who, like Barack Obama, would support measures that would actually allow in a botched abortion, late-term abortion, that child being born alive, to allow it to not receive medical help to save that child's life. That's extremism to me. That is so far on the left side of the political spectrum and public sentiment in this country. That's the extremism to me."

Besides abortion, Palin also answered questions on global-warming, homosexuality and contraception. While Palin said that she supported the use of contraception, she expressed her personal disagreement with so-called "emergency contraception."

The Alaskan governor made pains to explain that her views on the morning-after-pill do not constitute a McCain-Palin policy, but then said, "Personally, I would not choose to participate in that kind of contraception." 

When pushed by Couric to say whether or not she would seek to make the morning-after-pill illegal, Palin responded, "I don't think that it should necessarily be illegal."

On the question of homosexuality, Palin responded much the same as she did in her interviews with ABC's Charlie Gibson, saying that she would not "judge" homosexuals and highlighting the fact that she has shared friendships with homosexuals. She demurred from saying whether or not she believed that homosexuals could change, although she did suggest that active homosexuals have "made a choice."

"I have, one of my absolute best friends for the last 30 years who happens to be gay," she said. "And I love her dearly. And she is not my 'gay friend.' She is one of my best friends who happens to have made a choice that isn't a choice that I have made. But I am not gonna judge people."

On global warming Palin repeated her former statements that human behaviour may or may not be responsible for global warming, but that steps should be taken to curb pollution regardless of the cause.

"Human beings certainly are contributing to pollution today," she said. "And to some adverse effects on the environment. And it's all of our jobs to do to clean things up. And that's what we're committed to doing."

The Alaskan governor faces a crucial test in her bid for the vice-presidency tomorrow evening, when she faces Sen. Joseph Biden in the one and only vice-presidential debate. 

Read the full text of Couric's interview with Palin:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/09/30/eveningnews/main4490788.shtml

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