Gingrich Fills Out National Right to Life Committee Candidate Questionnaire

8/3/2019 Gingrich Fills Out National Right to Life Committee Candidate Questionnaire

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nationalNV;

FAX'RIGHT TO LIFEcommittee, inc.2012 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE

ABORTIONThe National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) believes thatunborn child ren should be protected by law, and that abortionshould be permitted only when necessary to prevent thedeath of the mother. Under what circumstances, if any, doyou believe that abortion should be legal?(a)__ Only to prevent the death of the mother (the NRLCposition).(bL t_ To prevent the mother's death, in cases of incestcommitted against a minor, and in reported cases of rape involvingforce or threat of force.(c) Other (please explain): ___________

PLEASE NOTE: Ineveryquestionbelow, a "yes" responseindicates agreement with the position of NRLC.ROEV.WADE

In its 1973 rulings in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, the U.S.Supreme Court created a "right to abortion" for any reasonuntil "viability" (into the sixth month), and for any "health"reasons - including "emotional" health - even during thefinal three months of pregnancy. This ruling invalidatedthe abortion laws that were in effect in all 50 states at thattime. In the 1992 ruling of Casey v. Planned Parenthood,the Supreme Court reaffirmed the "core holdings" of Roe v.Wade, and said that any law placing an "undue burden" onaccess to abortion would be struck down.(1) Do you advocate changing the Roe v. Wade and Qoe'v. Bolton decisions, so that elected legislative bodies(the state legislatures and Congress) may once againprotect unborn children by limiting and/or prohibitingabortion?

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capable of experiencing pain when subjected to abortion.On this basis, in 2010, Nebraska enacted the Pain-CapableUnborn Child Protection Act to prohibit abortions after thatpoint (with narrow exceptions). A number of other statessubsequently enacted similar bills, and legislation along thesame lines could be introduced in Congress.(7) Would you actively support and sign legislation tostrictly limit abortion from the point in development thatevidence suggests an unborn child has the capacity tofeel pain?

YES ) ( NO

GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIESFOR ABORTION

On May 4, 2011, the U. S. House of Representativesapproved the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act (H.R.3). This bill would establish a permanent policy againstfunding abortions and health plans that cover abortions,consistent with the principles of the Hyde Amendment, toall federal programs, including those created by the PatientProtection and Affordable Care Act (pub. L. No. 111-148)("ObamaCare").(8) Would you actively support, and sign into law, theNo Taxpayer Funding fo r Abortion Act?

YES )1 NOCongress votes from time to time on the "Hyde Amendment,"a law that prohibits federal Medicaid money from being usedto pay for abortions or for health care plans that includeabortion, except to save the life of the mother, or in casesof rape or incest. Other similar provisions of law restrictfederal subsidies for abortion in certain other federal healthprograms, including those covering the military and federalemployees.(9) As president, would you use the powers of your office- including the veto power, if necessary - to prevent anyweakening of the Hyde Amendment and other currentlaws that restrict federal subsidies for abortion, and toensure the fullest possible enforcement of such lawsand application wherever appropriate of their underlyingprinciples?

YES X NO__The District of Columbia is an exclusively federal jurisdiction.Article I of the Constitution provides that Congress mustexercise "exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever" overthe District. In December 2009, at the urging of PresidentObama, Congress effectively repealed a longstanding banon government funding of abortions in the District. However,in April 2011, at the insistence of congressional Republicanleaders, a prohibition was restored to prohibit any useof government funds for abortion in the District, whetherdesigned as "federal" funds or so-called "local" funds (exceptto save the life of the mother, or in cases of rape or incest).This issue will continue to arise during future congressionalappropriations cycles.

(10) As president, would you use the powers of youroffice - including the veto power, if necessary - topreserve the prohibition on public funding of abortionin the District of Columbia, applicable to all governmentfunds however they are labeled?YES 'X. NO- - -

The federal government annually provides many millionsof dollars to organizations that operate abortion clinics.For example, roughly one-third of the aggregate incomeof clinics operated by affiliates of the Planned ParenthoodFederation of America (PPFA) comes from selling abortions(PPFA-affiliated clinics perform more than 300,000 abortionsannually). Yet, PPFA affiliates are also major recipients offunds from various federal programs, including the Title X"family planning" program and Medicaid.(11) As president, would you support administrativeand legislative reforms that would make organizationsthat operate abortion clinics (not bona fide hospitals),including Planned Parenthood, ineligible to receivefederal funding?

YES V NOFOREIGN AID FOR ABORTION

The U.S. spends about $600 million annually for birth-controlprograms overseas. Under President Reagan, George H.WBush, and George W Bush, executive orders collectivelyreferred to as the "Mexico City Policy" established thatin order to be eligible for U.S. population-control funds, aprivate overseas organization must agree not to performabortions (except to save the life of the mother, or in cases ofrape or incest) or to "actively promote abortion as a methodof family planning." However, in January 2009, PresidentObama overturned this pro-life policy by executive order. Incongressional testimony on April 22, 2009, Secretary of StateHillary Clinton said that the Administration's internationalpolicy is to "protect the rights of women, including their rightsto reproductive health care," and that "reproductive healthincludes access to abortion."(12) As president, would you restore the "Mexico CityPolicy" by executive order, and would you supportlegislation to codify (enact into permanent law) theprinciples of this pro-life policy?

YES 'X NOThe United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) participatesin China's population control program, which relies heavilyon coerced abortion. The UNFPA also promotes expandedaccess to abortion in developing nations, and has promotedthe abortion pill, RU 486. The administrations of PresidentsReagan, G.H.W Bush and George W Bush cut off U.S.funding to the UNFPA because of its role in China, but theObama Administration restored U.S. funding to the UNFPA.(13) As president, would you use the powers of youroffice to prevent U.S. funding of the United NationsPopulation Fund (UNFPA), and to prevent any otherdisregard for. or weakening or repeal of. the 1985'iJ'b

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Kasten anti-coercion law, which prohibits U.S. fundingof any agency that supports a program of coerciveabortion?YES X NO__

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms ofDiscrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is a treaty,submitted to the Senate in 1980 but never ratified, thatexplicitly obligates ratifying nations to ensure equal accessto "health care services, including those related to familyplanning," and says that parties shall ensure that men andwomen have "the same rights to decide freely and responsiblyon the number and spacing of their children." These andother provisions have been construed by official bodies,including the official UN CEDAW Compliance Committee, torule that any type of limitation on abortion is a violation of thetreaty. This is one of the reasons that the U.S. Senate hasnever ratified the CEDAW, and it is the reason that NRLCopposes ratification of the CEDAW(14) As president, will you use the powers of your officeto prevent the CEDAW from being ratified?

YES 'I: NO---PARENTAL NOTIFICATION/CONSENTFOR MINORS' ABORTIONSLaws are already in effect in about half the states that requirenotification or consent of at least one parent (or authorizationby a judge) before an abortion can be performed on a minor.However, these laws are often circumvented by minorswho cross state lines in order to evade parental notificationrequirements (often with the aid of older boyfriends, abortionclinic staff, or other adults lacking parental authority).The Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (CIANA),sponsored by Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FI.)(H.R. 2299) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FI.) (S. 1241),would require any abortionist, encountering a minor clientfrom another state, to notify one parent before performing anabortion, unless presented with authorization from a court,or in cases of life endangerment, or in cases of sexual orphysical abuse or neglect by a parent, in which case theappropriate state agency must be notified instead of aparent. The bill would also make it an offense to transporta minor across state lines to evade a parental involvementrequirement.(15) As president, would you advocate fo r enactmentof the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, opposeweakening amendments, and sign the bill?

YES ) ( NO_ _ABORTION:CONSCIENCE PROTECTION

Across the nation, pro abortion officials and advocacy groupshave sought to use the compulsory powers of governmentto compel health care providers to partiCipate in abortion.

As one response, in 2004 Congress first attached the"Hyde-Weldon Amendment" to the appropriations measurethat funds the federal Department of Health and HumanServices (DHHS). The amendment prohibits state andlocal governments that receive federal DHHS funds fromdiscriminating against any health care professional, hospital,HMO, insurance plan, or other "health care entity" becauseof that provider'S decision not to perform, cover, or pay forinduced abortions. However, the Obama Administrationhas greatly weakened enforcement of the law. Moreover,this restriction must be renewed annually. In contrast, the"Abortion Non-Discrimination Act" (ANDA) (H.R. 361, S.165), as proposed in the 112th Congress, would permanentlycodify the principles of the Hyde-Weldon provision, andwould provide for private lawsuits to enforce its provisions.(16) As preSident, would you use the powers of youroffice to actively protect the conscience rights of prO-lifehealth care providers, including vigorous enforcementof existing conSCience-protection laws, and activelysupport enactment of the Abortion Non-DiscriminationAct (ANDA)?

YES NO___SEX DISCRIMINATION

Some federal and state courts have construed laws that bandiscrimination "on account of sex" or "on the basis of sex"as inconsistent with limitations on abortion or governmentfunding of abortion. In addition, some U.N. agencies andother international bodies have adopted the position that limitson abortion are a form of gender-based discrimination.(17) As president, would you reject claims that lawsprotecting unborn children are a form of gender-baseddiscrimination, and would you insist on the addition of"abortion-neutral" language to any proposed federalstatutes or regulations that mandate "gender equality"or that restrict distinctions on the basis of sex, to ensurethat such laws or executive actions cannot be misusedto advance pro-abortion policies?

YES X NO---PROTECTION OF HUMAN EMBRYOS

The right to life of human beings must be respected at everystage of their biological development. Human individualswho are at the embryonic stage of development should notbe used for harmful or lethal medical experimentation. Thisapplies equally to human beings whether their lives werebegun by in vitro fertilization, by somatic cell nuclear transfer(human cloning), or by any other laboratory techniques.NRLC opposes harvesting "stem cells" from living humanembryos, since this kills the embryos. Note: NRLC is NOTopposed to other research on "stem cells" that are obtainedwithout killing embryos - for example, stem cells harvestedfrom umbilical cord blood and from adult tissue.In 2001, President George W Bush issued an executive orderto prevent the federal government from funding IJ J rCh

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that would encourage the destruction of human embryos,and vetoed bills that would have overturned that policy - butin 2009, President Obama issued a new executive order thatnullified the previous pro-life policy, which has allowed federalfunding of stem cell research that requires the destruction ofhuman embryos.(18) As president, would you use the powers of youroffice - including the power of executive order, and theveto power, if necessary - to prevent federal supportof research that harms or destroys human embryos, orthat uses cells or tissues that are obtained by harmingor killing human embryos?

YES y NO___HUMAN CLONING

Human cloning is a process (technically known as "somaticcell nuclear transfer") in which genetic material from oneperson is artificially transferred into a human or animal eggcell, thereby beginning the life of a new human individualwho is genetically nearly identical to the unitary parent.NRLC believes that human life at every stage of biologicaldevelopment is deserving of respect and protectionregardless of the circumstances under which that human lifewas created. Some researchers wish to create human lifethrough cloning for the purpose of destructive experimentson those humans, resulting in their deaths, a processsometimes referred to as "therapeutic cloning."In Congress, NRLC-backed legislation would prohibit theuse of somatic cell nuclear transfer (cloning) to create anyhumans, including human embryos. In order to deflect agenuine ban on all human cloning, some members ofCongress have proposed legislation (such as H.R. 2376,sponsored by Reps. Diana DeGette, D-Co., and CharlieDent, R-Pa.) that would permit the use of cloning to createhuman embryos to be used in medical research (so called"therapeutic cloning"), but prohibit the implantation ofsuch an embryo into a uterus. These bills are sometimesmisleadingly referred to as "bans on reproductive cloning,"but they really do not ban human cloning at all - rather, theyban the survival of the human embryos who are created bycloning. Such a bill would impose a legal mandate that everysuch human embryo must be killed or allowed to die. NRLCstrongly opposes such "clone-and-kill" legislation.(19) As president, would you support a ban on thecreation of human embryos by cloning, and would youoppose (including a veto, if necessary) enactment of"clone and kill" legislation (i.e., legislation that wouldallow the creation of human embryos by cloning bu tprohibit allowing such human clones to live past adefined point of development)?

YES X NO_ _(20) As president, would you support legislationto prohibit any recipient of federal NIH funds frominvolvement in the creation of human embryos bycloning, and from use of such human embryos in

HEALTH CARERESTRUCTURING LEGISLATIONOn March 23,2010, President Obama signed into law "ThePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act" (Pub. L. No.111-148) ("ObamaCare"), which passed Congress over theobjections of NRLC. When the government rations healthcare in a way that makes it illegal or impossible for Americansto choose life-saving medical treatment, food, and fluids, itimposes a type of involuntary euthanasia.Through objectionable features separately describedin questions 24-27 below, this legislation will result inunacceptable involuntary denial of life-saving medicaltreatment through rationing. It also provides subsidies forprivate health plans that cover elective abortion, and containsprovisions that are likely to result in further expansions ofabortion through administrative actions by various federalagencies.(21) Would you actively support and sign repealof the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act"("ObamaCare")?

YES )< NORegardless of your answer to question 21,please answer the following additionalquestions about the PPACA as well.

ABORTION IN HEALTH INSURANCEThe PPACA ("ObamaCare") established a new program toassist tens of millions of Americans to purchase private healthinsurance, including plans that cover elective abortions. Thelaw also created a program under which a federal agency,the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), will administerprivate plans that will be offered across the nation, but failedto prohibit the agency from including in the program healthplans that cover elective abortion.(22) Would you support legislation to revise the law topermanently prohibit federal premium subsidies frombeing spent on plans that cover elective abortions,prohibit federal agencies from administering plans thatcover elective abortions, and prohibit federal mandatesrequiring private health plans to cover or provide accessto abortions?

YES X NO__(23) Would you withhold support from any new healthcare legislation intended to comprehensively revise orreplace the PPACA unless it contains explicit language,covering all provisions of the legislation, prohibitingfederal subsidies fo r abortion and fo r insurance plansthat cover abortion, and preventing federal pro-abortionregulatory mandates, on a permanent basis?research?

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is an "excessive or unjustified" amount on their own healthRATIONING IN HEALTH CARE(24) As a general principle, do you agree with thisstatement?: "Federal law ought not to limit what privatecitizens can choose, out of their own funds, to spend onmedical treatment to save the lives of their own family."

The law establishes an "Independent Payment AdvisoryCommission" which is directed to make recommendationsto. prevent private health care spending from keeping upwith the rate of medical inflation. The federal Departmentof Health and Human Services (HHS) is empowered toimplement these recommendations through the imposition of"quality and efficiency" measures on health care providers.For example, no insurance plan offered through any of thestate insurance exchanges may contract with a health careprovider who fails to abide by the federally imposed "qualityand efficiency" measures.DOCUMENTATION:ht tp : / /www.nr lc . 0 r g / He a I t h Car eRa t i 0 n in g /ObamaHCRationingBasicDOCUMENTATION.pdf(25) Would you support and sign legislation that wouldeliminate the law's directive and authority to imposemeasures to limit what private citizens are allowed tospend fo r health care?

YEslNOWhile cutting hundreds of billions of dollars from federalpayments in Medicare, the law empowers HHS to limitsenior citizens in spending their own money to make up thedifference.Under the law as it existed before, older Americans werepermitted to add their own money, if they chose, on top ofthe governmental payment, in order to get insurance plansless likely to ration care (known as Medicare Advantageprivate-fee-for-service plans). The new law gives HHS thestandardless discretion to reject any such plan and thus tolimit or even eliminate senior citizens' legal ability to add theirown money to obtain health insurance less likely to rationtheir health care.DOCUMENTATION:ht tp : / /www.nr lc . 0 r g / He a It h Car eRa t i 0 n in g /MedicareLimitsPFFS.html(26) Would you support and sign legislation that wouldrestore the previous law so that HHS could not limitthe right of senior citizens to choose to add their ownmoney on top of the government Medicare payment toobtain private-fee-for-service plans less likely to rationhealth care?

YES NOHealth insurers will be excluded from the new state-basedinsurance exchanges whenever government officials thinkplans offered by the insurers inside or outside the exchangeallow private citizens to choose to spend whatever thegovernment officials, in their standardless discretion, think

insurance.DOCUMENTATION:www.nrlc.orglHealthCareRationing/ExchangeLimits.html(27) Would you support and sign legislation that wouldremove the authority of state-based insurance exchangeofficials to exclude health insurers from competingwithin the exchange on the basis of how much theinsurers permit private citizens to choose to spend onhealth insurance?

PRICE CONTROLSWhen the government limits by law what can be chargedfor health care, it limits what people are allowed to pay forhealth care. While everyone would prefer to pay less - ornothing - for health care (as for anything else), governmentprice controls in fact prevent access to life-saving medicaltreatment that costs more to supply than the price set bythe government. The same is true when price controls areimposed on what people are permitted to pay for healthinsurance.(28) Would you oppose and veto legislation that wouldimpose price controls on health care?

YES)l. . NO(29) Would you oppose and veto legislation that wouldimpose price controls on health insurance premiums?

YES X NO__INFANTICIDE

The Child Abuse Amendments of 1984 provided, infederally funded child abuse and neglect programs, forthe enforcement of standards to prevent the withholding ofmedically indicated treatment from disabled infants with life-threatening conditions. 42 U.S.C. 51 06a(b)(2) (8);42 U.S.C.5106g(6); 45CFR 1340.15. However, it is well known thatthe law is essentially unenforced, and children are regularlyleft to die without treatment because their disabilities areconsidered to give them a "poor quality of life."One law review article, noting "the striking incongruitybetween federally derived legal doctrine and normativemedical practice," concluded, "it should come as no surprisethat professional adherence to federal policy remains afiction in the United States." Sadath A. Sayeed, Baby Doe Redux?The Department of Health and Human Services and the Bom-Alive InfantsProtection Act of 2002: ACautionary Note on Normative Neonatal Practice,116 Pediatrics 1576, 1585(2005).(30) Would you direct the Department of Health andHuman Services to take steps to ensure effectiveenforcement of the provisions of the Child AbuseAmendments of 1984 protecting children born withdisabilities from denial of life-preserving medicaltreatment?

YES '& NO___5
http://www.nrlc/http://www.nrlc/http://www.nrlc.orglhealthcarerationing/ExchangeLimits.htmlhttp://www.nrlc/http://www.nrlc/http://www.nrlc.orglhealthcarerationing/ExchangeLimits.html


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this right.- for by telling corporations that if theyPOLITICAL SPEECH AND engage In constitutionally protected speech on politicalGRASSROOTS ADVOCACY matters, they will lose other rights.In recent years, some powerful members of Congress andsome special-interest groups, have pushed for ofregulations on what they call "grassroots lobbying," by whichthey mean organized efforts to encourage citizens to contactof Congress and federal officials, including theto exp.ress a point of view about a public policyIssue. NRLC believes that such communication by citizensto their leaders should be encouraged, and that efforts tosuch activity should not be subjected to federallyImposed record keeping and reporting requirements.(31) As president, would you use your executiveauthority, including the veto if necessary to resistimposition of any regulatory burdens on' efforts tomotivate citizens to contact federal offi cials (so-called"grassroots lobbying")? yESThe .federal Disclosure Act is a law that alreadyreqUIres organlzattons that lobby Congress to report, on aquarterly basis, all of the legislative matters on which theycontacted members of Congress or Executive Branchagencies, but the law does not require the reporting of thenames specific lawmakers or officials with whom theycommunicated. In January, 2010, President Obama urgedCongress to adopt legislation under which every contactbetween lobbying organizations and lawmakers wouldbe reported into a publicly accessible database. NRLCthat such "contact reporting" is an infringement onFirst right to petition government officials,IS burdensome, and serves no legitimate publicpolicy purpose.(32) As would you oppose - including use ofthe veto, If necessary - any legislation that would requiremembers of Congress or Executive Branch officials toreport, into a public database, every contact they receivefrom an advocacy organization such as NRLC, or thatwould require an advocacy organization such as NRLCto report its contacts with individual elected officials?

YES NO---In its January 2010 ruling in Citizens United v. FEC, theU.S. Supreme Court ruled that the First Amendment to theU.S. Constitution protects the right of corporations (whichincludes nonprofit corporations, such as NRLC) to spendmoney to express viewpoints regarding those who hold orseek political office. Subsequently, President Obama, andsome members of Congress, have advocated adoption ofnew restrictions to discourage corporations from exercising

(33) As preSident, would you oppose - including useof the veto, if necessary - any legislation that wouldpenalize corporations, including nonprofit corporationssuch as NRLC, for engaging in the types of free speechthat the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled are protected bythe First Amendment?YES X NO___

President Obama, and some members of Congress, havepushed for enactment of legislation (such as the so-called"DISCLOSE Act") that attempts to discourage donations toorganizations (such as NRLC) that comment on the actionsof elected federal officials, by requiring the publication ofthe identities of such donors. Such restrictions would harmorganizations engaged in advocacy on contentious issuesincluding pro-life issues, because manyand others would be deterred from supporting advocacyorganizations for fear of harassment, abuse, or boycotts bypeople who do not share their political opinions.As. president, would you oppose any legislation- including use of the veto, if necessary - to prevent.o f legislation that would curb the right ofprivate citizens to support advocacy organizationswithout being "outed" by the government?

YES X NO---Under the BCRA, the Federal Election Commissionpromulgated new rules on defining what constitutes illegal"coordination" between candidates (including incumbentmembers of Congress and incumbent presidents) and citizengroups. The new rules specifically do not require that therebe "formal agreement or collaboration" with a member ofCongress or other candidate in order for an expenditure by acitizen group or political action committee to be a "coordinatedexpenditure" and thus a campaign "contribution." Under theloose new definition of "coordination," citizen groups andPACs that communicate with Congress on legislative mattersand also conduct independent expenditures are at risk ofunintentionally "coordinated," thereby making theirIndependent expenditures illegal campaign "contributions."(35) Would you work to reestablish that "coordination"means only a formal agreement or collaboration on aspecific project between a candidate and a citizen groupor PAC? XYES NO---

Signature of Ca idateUcw'''' 'abld...Name of Campaign Committee Contact PersonCampaign Address Campaign WebsitePhone Number Fax Number Email Address

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PO Box 550769 Atlanta, GA 30355

Brady Cassis

www.newt.org

678.973.2306 703-678-2253 [email protected]

Gingrich Fills Out National Right to Life Committee Candidate Questionnaire

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