Debate Issues [9]
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Debate Issues [9] Folder Citation: Collection: Records of the 1976 Campaign Committee to Elect Jimmy Carter; Series: Noel Sterrett Subject File; Folder: Debate Issues [9]; Container 80 To See Complete Finding Aid: http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.gov/library/findingaids/Carter-Mondale%20Campaign_1976.pdf ' • QUESTION: Governor, what is your position on abortion? ANSWER: As I have stated numerous times in the campaign, I personally disapprove of abortions. I do not believe government should encourage abortions nor pay for the cost of abortions. The efforts of government should be directed towards minimizing abortions. However, I do not support Constitutional amendments to overturn the current Supreme Court ruling on abortions. I do recognize the right of those who wish to amend the Constitution to do so and would certainly not impede the exercise of their rights to amend th� Constitution on a matt�r about which they obviously feel they have a very strong religious and moral concern. If within the confines of the Supreme Court ruling we can work out legislation to minimize abortion with bettet family. planning, adoptidn procedures, and contraception for those who desire it, I �auld favor such.a law. Abortion is the result of the failure of measures to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Abortion should never be considered just as one bf a number of equally acceptable methods of contraception; LIKELY FOLLOW-UP QUESTION: But Governor, after you met with the u. s. Catholic Cortference and their representatives, didn't you indicate that you might support some amendment to the Constitution _ which would be a partial ban on abortions? ANSWER: The bishops indicated to me that their staff was working on some alternatives to the present Constitutional amendments to which I have expressed objection; I indicated to them that I would ' • .• -2- certainly Took over any other suggestions that might be forthcoming ' ,from them. However, as you· are aware, Bishop Bernadine after the 1· "!•. :: meeting reiterated the fact that I had maintained my previous po- .,. : � .· sition in objecting to the current Constitutional amendments being ' "' -::· . proposed. That was my position before the meeting, during the meeting, and remains my position. 2ND POSSIBLE FOLLOW-UP QUESTION: But Governor during the 1973 legislative session you signed into law and supported a bill which gives a woman a virtually unlimited right during her fir�t six months of pregnancy to an abortion. How does this square with your opposition to abortion? ANSWER: It was the original Georgia law which was very restrictive on· granting abortions. Abortions could only be granted if there was rape, possible damage to the fetus, or possible damage tb mother's physical health. It was this law which the U.S. Supreme Court struck down in its abortion decision. Therefore the State of Georgia was left without any law on abortion and the legislature simply sub stituted a law in conformance with the letter and spirit of the u.s. Supreme Court decision. And as Governor I sign�d that law so r'; , � . ,;· that we would no� be in violation of the U.S. Supreme Court and their. interpretation of the United State Constitution. -�;�:y. 3RD POSSIBLE FOLLOW-UP QUESTION: Governor, in light of your opposition to abortion, is it that in a foreward to a book by ' • -3- Dr. Robert Hatcher you stated as follows: ANSWER: As is clear· from the wording of that sentence, I simply indicated that the author in his book was discussing a variety of family planning devices of which this was one. That foreward clearly did not act as an endorsement of abortion and Dr. Hatcher, the author of the book, has so indicated. My position is what I have previou�ly stated. 2. QUESTION: There seem to be some inconsistencies with your statements about ethnic purity and your support of civi.l rights. How do you explain these inconsistencies? I ANSWER: As you are aware I apologized for a poor choice of words. i i I The thought I was qttempting to convey is one I think is very important. And that is that in many �espects, led by the civil i: rights movement itself, there is a restoration of pride in our ! ethnic heritage. The ethnic diversity of our country and the compositiori of our neighborhoods is something that adds strength and character to our country. It is this diversity which distinguishes us from many other countries and the history and culture which each of our ethnic groups has brought to this country has greatly en riched this.nation. That is something which should never be lost. This thought is entirely consistent with my support of .civil rights. I did express this thought with a poor choice of words and for that poor choice of words I apologized. ' • .. -4- 3. QUESTION: You've taken the position that ybu wou i d balance the budget of the federal government by the end of your first term if elected. Why then do you support the spending program in the· Democratic platform which would bankrupt the budget? ANSWER: (See Jerry Jasinowski) The position taken by our opponents on this is really a big lie. The Democratic Party platform sets out in clear and unmistakable terms certain goals toward which we should seek. It makes it clear however that these goals can b� achieved only within the context of a reduction of unemployment and the availability of adequate revenues. There is nothing inconsistent about setting out in an orderly way to achieve these goals as revenues permit and seeking to balance the budget with the revenues that will be forthcoming from full em- ployment which we hope to achieve by the end of a four-ye�r term. 4. QUESTION: There have been seemingly equivocal statements for and ag�inst the Vietnam war which you have made at various times. What are your views on the Vietn�m war and why have these state- ments appeared to be equivocal? For example, you have stated that you see.a "unconscionable attitude of racial discrimination in in- ternational affairs. I don't believe, for instance, that we would have ever bombed or strafed villages in France or in Germany as we did in Vietnam; and this kind of attitude of concentrating our own emphasis in foreign policy on the white-skinned people is felt throughout the world." Moreover, you also stated in a newspaper column in 197i that "there is no doubt in my mind that we went into ' • -5- that Conflict with the best of intentions. We believed that it ·was not right to allow Communist·aggression to be rewarded and a .small nation to be c6nquered. There is no doubt in my mind that this country still believes in honoring its commitments and in halting the spread of Communism. There is also no doubt that America is powerful enough to·accomplish those things we set out to do. But a decision was made at high levels that the full re� sources of this nation would not be committed. History will be the judge of the wisdom bf that decision. I am convinced and I believe that the vast majority of American people are convinced do what it takes to that since we are not going to/win, it is time to come home.". ANSWER: Like many Americans, I initially felt that our involvement in Vietnam was necessary to halt the spread·of Communism. However, as events unfolded and it became clear that we were supporting a corrupt regime, I Cftme to a different conclusion and felt that our policy was ill�ad�ised. If elected Presiderit, I have learned a lesson from Vietnam that we should never become militarily involved in the internal affairs of another nation unless there is a direct and obvious threat to the security of the United States or its people; and that we cannot impose democracy on another country by force. (Secret decisions; American people not informed fully on the Vietnam war by the government) • • ·· . ... -6- 5. QUESTION: You have taken the position as an efficiency expert, why do you refuse to put price tags on the expensive Democratic proposals? .� . �:· \ . • ANSWER: The R�publitan Administration has failed to meet many ! unaddressed needs in this country for jobs, for a form of our bloated and wasteful welfare system, for health insurance. We have all be�n paying as a country the terrible pri�e that Republican mismanagemerit of the economy ha� brought. Due to the recession, the federal government has lost --------billion of dollars over the last 8 years in revenues which could have gone to begin meeting these unm�t needs. Moreover. mismanagement o£ the government in general has created an enormous amount of waste. For example,.only within the last few weeks it has been disclosed up to 7� billion dollars has been lost annually of the $15 bi llion spent for Medicaid. This is money which could have gone to legitimate uses instead of to those who were defrauding federal government. "We will add to this answer with figures supplied to us by the Congressional Budget Office as to what amounts are currently ;;_ � '. r· within the Concurrent Budget Resolution for the beginning of ?. � ·� national health insur�ncei welfare reform, and jobs. ��· 6. QUESTION: You have been proposing programs for full employment and decrying the unemployment rate and yet you have suggested there should be a $5-$7 billion defense cut which would lose several hundred thousand jobs. How do you reconcile those views? What cuts do you ' propose and how many jobs will be lost? • . • ... -7- ANSWER: A. My suggestion fo� a reduction in the Defense budget will not cause a loss of jobs.