By Peter J. Smith

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 23, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Although US President Richard Nixon remained silent on the landmark 1973 Supreme Court rulings that legalized abortion on demand, newly released tapes show the disgraced President actually believed legal abortion was “necessary” in certain cases, such as when the baby was of mixed-race or conceived through rape.

The information has come to light thanks to the Nixon Presidential Library releasing today over 154 hours of tape recordings from the Nixon White House that were recorded in January and February 1973.

Although the quality of the recordings are poor, Nixon and an aide held a conversation recorded on January 23, 1973, discussing that day’s Supreme Court’s decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton.

“This in effect shows the Supreme Court has declared unconstitutional state laws” on abortion restrictions, Nixon says, adding that any 14-year-old girl who “gets knocked up” would be able to get an abortion for “five dollars.”

“I know that there are times when abortions are necessary. I know that,” Nixon tells an aide, then adding, “When you have a black and a white.”

The aide interrupts, “or for rape,” to which Nixon quickly responds, “or rape.”

However, Nixon and the aide express their reservations for allowing abortion on demand. The aide says it promotes “permissiveness” and “promiscuousness.” Nixon replies that “it breaks the family.”

A chronology of the conversation can be found here

The audio recording containing the Nixon discussion of abortion can be found here