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Arkansas Senate Debate: Blanche Lincoln Attacks John Boozman on Abortion Vote

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Arkansas Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln took a swing at her Republican opponent Rep. John Boozman in a Friday afternoon debate. The issue: Boozman's record on parental rights for rapists.

Part of the debate allowed the candidates to pose questions to each other. In her final question, Lincoln, who is down by 40 points in some polls, asked Boozman this:
"Congressman, you have voted to protect the rights of fathers who committed rape or incest against a minor that resulted in a pregnancy, to be able to sue the doctor who performed an abortion on that victim. Do you believe that the majority of Arkansas agree with your stance that the rights of rapists take priority of the rights of women who
they have assaulted?"
"I really don't know what you're talking about," Boozman said.
He added that he had a 100 percent pro-life voting record. Boozman said he always allowed exceptions for rape, incest or to save the life of the mother. Boozman stressed that he has three daughters.
Boozman asked Lincoln what bill she was referring to in her question. Lincoln said she didn't have the bill number but that her campaign research staff did.
"It would be nice if you are going to make accusations, if you bring it," Boozman said.
The 2005 bill in question -- H.R. 748, or the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act -- passed the House of Representatives in April 2005. Boozman was a co-sponsor. The purpose was to make it a federal crime for any adult to transport an under-age girl across state lines to have an abortion "if this is done to evade a parental notification or parental consent law that is in effect in the girl's home state," Patrick Creamer, the Boozman campaign's communications director, said in a statement. The bill never became law.
The Lincoln campaign alleged that Boozman voted against sending the parental notification bill back to committee for an amendment to bar certain fathers -- those who committed rape or incest against a minor that resulted in a pregnancy -- from being able to sue a doctor for performing an abortion on the minor.
In response, the Boozman campaign's statement blasted Lincoln's characterization of the congressman's record.

"
HR748 explicitly provided exceptions for cases where minors were the subject of sexual abuse or other physical abuse by a parent,
" said Creamer. "Representative Jerry Nadler, a pro-abortion advocate in Congress, utilized a procedural tactic, on this same legislation, designed explicitly to delay and kill the bill. John Boozman opposed this maneuver that would have killed sound, prolife legislation. Blanche Lincoln's efforts to paint Congressman Boozman as an advocate for 'rapists rights' are preposterous and shameful."

Until Lincoln's question, the debate focused on Boozman's support of the fair tax and abolishment of the Internal Revenue Service, Lincoln's health care vote and talking points from both sides about the deficit. Lincoln touted her position as chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee. Boozman argued against earmarks.

Former president Bill Clinton appeared in Arkansas this week with Lincoln for an event celebrating her one-year anniversary as chair of the Agriculture Committee and for a breakfast fundraiser. Boozman launched his first general election television ad this week. He was forced to tweak the commercial because the University of Arkansas thought some of the ad's images violated copyright laws.
Lincoln's abortion question returned to an issue that crippled Boozman's late brother, Fay, in 1998 when he ran against Lincoln in her first United States senate bid. During his campaign, Fay Boozman said rape and incest victims seldom got pregnant because they had "God's protective little shield" to prevent pregnancy. Lincoln won that race to become the youngest elected woman to serve in the Senate at age 38.

Filed Under: Woman Up, 2010 Elections

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15 Comments

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bluemist235

The notion that it's a woman's right to kill her unborn child after allowing a man to plant his seed in her has to be THE most illogical, flat out asinine stance anoyone could have. Abortion is NOT a right. It's a man-made operation. But one right that everyone DOES have is the right to life. So in the issue of abortion, the only one who's rights can be violated is the fetus's. I wish you pro-choicers would at LEAST give up this "women's rights" masquerade and admit the real reason you are pro-abortion, which is because you are cowardly and irresponsible. Stop acting like women are victims just because we are born with the reproductive parts to give birth. It's sickening to say that it should be a woman's decision whether or not to kill her child when the fetus wouldn't even exist in the first place had it not been for the CHOICE the woman made. Be an adult and live up to the consequences that you have created for yourself. Just because someone causes discomfort for you is no reason to kill them. Abortion is first-degree murder and women who have abortions as a result of consensual sex should be treated like the criminals they are.

September 11 2010 at 6:53 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Ken Cook

I have been a supporter of Blanche Lincoln for a long time but no more. I'll never vote for her again. This was nothing more than a despicable attempt at character assasination on her part, I have to ask myself, if she is willing to act this way in front of the cameras, what is she capable of doing when no one is watching? Blanche Lincoln did what she did because she believes we voters are so stupid and uninformed, we have no concept of how the legislative process works and can be easily fooled with such baseless and fraudulent accusations. Well, she'll probably get re-elected, there are plenty of uninformed and uneducated voters out there to keep her in office, but those with an iota of intelligence are going to abandon her in droves if she continues such deplorable tactics.

September 11 2010 at 12:55 AM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply
DV

She is GONE

September 10 2010 at 9:29 PM Report abuse +5 rate up rate down Reply
thorn11acr

To understand her all one has to do is look at her donor list. Every one of the Waltons (Walmart) donate to her, right down to the infants. I'm in Arkansas and she is not popular. Her voting record is all about Washington largeness and power. She is no friend of the people who elect her. I hope she and Mike Ross get ran out of town on a rail... both are career politicians who do nothing but line their nests as soon as they get in office. TOM

September 10 2010 at 9:14 PM Report abuse +5 rate up rate down Reply
dixfiles

It is a fact he is not pro-choice!

September 10 2010 at 9:10 PM Report abuse +6 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to dixfiles's comment
Ken Cook

The majority of people in Arkansas as not "pro-choice." (A misleading euphemism for "pro-abortion.) Therefore, the elected officials of Arkansas, seeing as they were elected to carry out the will of their constituents, should not be pro-abortion either.

September 11 2010 at 12:57 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Johnny !

This is why we need to stop Republicans. They're deluded with religion.

September 10 2010 at 8:32 PM Report abuse -8 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Johnny !'s comment
Kenneth

Explain how anyone can be deluded with religion. Most people worship or practice a religious believe but I have never head someone being deluded with religion. Am I missing something is this one of the latest crazes.

September 10 2010 at 9:13 PM Report abuse +9 rate up rate down Reply
sysaphus71

Blanche..... you 40 plus points down....unless you plan on rising from the dead in 3 days with a halo ....I'd give it up while you still got some money in the kitty. 1 DOWN 9 TO GO.

September 10 2010 at 8:17 PM Report abuse +9 rate up rate down Reply
Storm

You are so right. This whole thing is a joke. We cannot say GOD at school or say a prayer but we can use religion to say people cannot have control over their own reproductive system. I am tired of the one way street. Abortion is a woman business not anyones elses. Married or not it is the womans body not the mans. As far as suing a doctor for doing an abortion that is another joke. The doctor is allowed by the state to perform abortions and it is too bad for the man if he gets someone pregnant that does not want to use her body to carry a child. If the men can tell women what to do with their bodies then we should have the right to force men to get "fixed" so they cannot make women pregnant .let us see how well that bill goes over. lol

September 10 2010 at 5:18 PM Report abuse +6 rate up rate down Reply
Kenneth

First of all Abortion should not be a government or a voting issue. It is each individual woman's right a sole decision. You get pregnant and choose to have and raise the child that is your decision and no one should have a say. On the other hand if you choose to have an abortion again that is your decision and no one should have a say without violating your rights.

September 10 2010 at 5:01 PM Report abuse +14 rate up rate down Reply
4 replies to Kenneth's comment

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