Get the Facts on Governor Sarah Palin
Alaska Governor and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin is the wrong choice for women.
Choosing Sarah Palin as a running mate makes clear that Senator John McCain is completely out of touch on the issues that matter to American women.
Here are the facts:
- CNN reported that women were required to pay for their own rape examinations in the town of Wasilla, Alaska, while Palin was mayor.
- The Alaska Journal of Commerce reported that in 2002, when Gov. Palin was running for lieutenant governor, she sent an e-mail to the Alaska Right to Life board saying she was as "pro-life as any candidate can be."
- In an Eagle Forum questionnaire, Gov. Palin responded: "I am pro-life. With the exception of a doctor’s determination that the mother’s life would end if the pregnancy continued. I believe that no matter what mistakes we make as a society, we cannot condone ending an innocent’s life.” RHRealtyCheck.com writes: "This means that the health of the mother would never be a consideration, only if her life was actually threatened. She does not support abortion rights for victims of rape or incest either.”
- Gov. Palin backed abstinence-only programs during her 2006 race for the governor of Alaska.
- Gov. Palin cut funding for teen moms. As the Washington Post blog wrote: "After the legislature passed a spending bill in April, Palin went through the measure reducing and eliminating funds for programs she opposed. Inking her initials on the legislation — 'SP' — Palin reduced funding for Covenant House Alaska by more than 20 percent, cutting funds from $5 million to $3.9 million. Covenant House is a mix of programs and shelters for troubled youths, including Passage House, which is a transitional home for teenage mothers.”
- Gov. Palin supported legislation that restricts public funding to be used only for abortions in cases of rape, incest, or life endangerment (HB 312). Even these extreme restrictions aren’t as extreme as Palin’s personal views. She is on the record as opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest.
- When the Alaska Supreme Court struck down a never-enforced mandatory parental involvement law, Gov. Palin called the decision "outrageous." She continued, saying, "the State Supreme Court has failed Alaska by separating parents from their children during such a critical decision, moving in the exact opposite direction from the law's intent." She also directed the attorney general to file for a rehearing.