Senator John McCain--who almost certainly will become the Republican nominee for president--has an undeserved reputation of being a "moderate" or a "maverick" that has positions contrary to traditional Republican policies. Despite this reputation and the inaccuracies of it, the media continues to report on him as a "maverick." However, on the issue of abortion and the right to chose, McCain is clearly anything but a moderate. NARAL Pro-Choice America has released a detailed overview of McCain's record on choice,/a> finding that:
* 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 defund 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.
* 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
