30 Days, 30 deceptions - 19th of 30

by 'raindrop'

The Born-Alive Infants Protection Act

Obama's hesitant statement at Rev. Rick Warren's Saddleback Civil Forum in California, on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2008,. that defining the beginning of life is "above my pay grade" took even some supporters by surprise.

From the Washington Post on Aug. 20, 2008::

At issue is a measure in both Illinois and Congress called the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which defines as a protected human any life expelled from a mother. Abortion foes championed the cause when an Illinois nurse and antiabortion activist said some pre-viable fetuses were being aborted by inducing labor and then being allowed to die.
Obama, then a state senator, opposed the anti-abortion measure in 2001, saying it crossed the line of constitutionality and "essentially says that a doctor is required to provide treatment to a pre-viable child, or fetus."

As a committee chairman in the state Senate in 2003, Obama supported GOP efforts to add language to the act, copied from federal legislation, clarifying that it would have no legal impact on the availability of abortions. Obama then OPPOSED the bill's final passage. Since then, he has said he WOULD HAVE BACKED the bill as it was written and approved almost unanimously the year before.

Douglas Johnson, legislative director of the National Right to Life Committee, charged that Obama is trying to have it both ways because the Illinois bill he opposed was virtually identical to the federal law he said he would support.

Obama aides acknowledge that the wording of the state and federal bills was virtually IDENTICAL.