Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live At Daybreak
Abortion Debate Rages On
Aired January 22, 2003 - 05:17 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The 30th anniversary of the Supreme Court's "Roe v. Wade" decision will be marked by thousands of Americans who will participate in marches and demonstrations all across the nation. And as the debate rages on, people on both sides of the issue are gearing up for a possible change in the makeup of the Supreme Court.
Bob Franken takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Passion usually wanes over time. But if anything, after 30 years, the bitterness over the "Roe v. Wade" decision has grown even more intense.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pro-choice is alive.
FRANKEN: Abortion opponents are fiercely dedicated to getting "Roe" overturned. On the political front, that would mean the president would have to have the chance to replace at least two retiring justices. The current court majority seems committed to preserving the fundamental "Roe v. Wade" premise, that women have the right to choose an abortion, with some limits.
A constant issue in every campaign then? Abortion and the court.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The voters will know I'll put competent judges on the bench, people who will strictly interpret the constitution and will not use the bench to write social policy.
AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: Those are code words, and nobody should mistake this, for saying that the governor would appoint people who would overturn "Roe v. Wade." I mean it's just, it's very clear to me.
FRANKEN: The polls show that a majority in the United States, despite personal reservation, supports the legal right to abortion with restrictions. And opponents have had some success in chipping away, both directly and indirectly, from access to abortion. They keep trying in state legislatures and Congress, and legally, pursuing issues like late term procedures, cases they hope will force the court to consider overturning "Roe v. Wade."
Every nominee gets the question.
CLARENCE THOMAS, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: Do I have this day an opinion, a personal opinion on the outcome in "Roe v. Wade?" And my answer to you is that I do not.
FRANKEN: But the court is by design insulated from what happens outside its building.
DAVID GARROW, SUPREME COURT HISTORIAN: It's difficult to imagine that today's United States Senate would knowingly approve any Supreme Court nominee who would vote to overturn "Roe."
FRANKEN (on camera): If the past is any guide, then, the future battles will escalate and the abortion war could be one that never ends.
Bob Franken, CNN, the Supreme Court.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And we'll have much more from Bob Franken coming up in our six o'clock hour, when he'll join us live from the Supreme Court.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 22, 2003 - 05:17 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The 30th anniversary of the Supreme Court's "Roe v. Wade" decision will be marked by thousands of Americans who will participate in marches and demonstrations all across the nation. And as the debate rages on, people on both sides of the issue are gearing up for a possible change in the makeup of the Supreme Court.
Bob Franken takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Passion usually wanes over time. But if anything, after 30 years, the bitterness over the "Roe v. Wade" decision has grown even more intense.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pro-choice is alive.
FRANKEN: Abortion opponents are fiercely dedicated to getting "Roe" overturned. On the political front, that would mean the president would have to have the chance to replace at least two retiring justices. The current court majority seems committed to preserving the fundamental "Roe v. Wade" premise, that women have the right to choose an abortion, with some limits.
A constant issue in every campaign then? Abortion and the court.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The voters will know I'll put competent judges on the bench, people who will strictly interpret the constitution and will not use the bench to write social policy.
AL GORE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT: Those are code words, and nobody should mistake this, for saying that the governor would appoint people who would overturn "Roe v. Wade." I mean it's just, it's very clear to me.
FRANKEN: The polls show that a majority in the United States, despite personal reservation, supports the legal right to abortion with restrictions. And opponents have had some success in chipping away, both directly and indirectly, from access to abortion. They keep trying in state legislatures and Congress, and legally, pursuing issues like late term procedures, cases they hope will force the court to consider overturning "Roe v. Wade."
Every nominee gets the question.
CLARENCE THOMAS, SUPREME COURT NOMINEE: Do I have this day an opinion, a personal opinion on the outcome in "Roe v. Wade?" And my answer to you is that I do not.
FRANKEN: But the court is by design insulated from what happens outside its building.
DAVID GARROW, SUPREME COURT HISTORIAN: It's difficult to imagine that today's United States Senate would knowingly approve any Supreme Court nominee who would vote to overturn "Roe."
FRANKEN (on camera): If the past is any guide, then, the future battles will escalate and the abortion war could be one that never ends.
Bob Franken, CNN, the Supreme Court.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And we'll have much more from Bob Franken coming up in our six o'clock hour, when he'll join us live from the Supreme Court.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
