WASHINGTON (National Catholic Register) – “Make no mistake about it, Rudy Giuliani is pro-choice.” Those were the words of former television anchorwoman Donna Hanover, married at the time to New York City mayoral aspirant Rudolph Giuliani.
Hanover was speaking in a TV advertisement for her husband’s second attempt for mayor.
Such was the political pressure of the 1993 New York mayoral race, as incumbent David Dinkins charged that Giuliani was changing his position on abortion.
Seeking the office of mayor in early 1989, Giuliani, who had won a reputation as a tough prosecutor going after organized crime, tried to avoid the issue. According to a New York Times article published that year, Giuliani cited his personal and religious opposition to abortion but would not thwart a woman’s effort to seek an abortion if it were the law of the land.
After a close loss to Democratic candidate David Dinkins, Giuliani came out more strongly in favor of abortion rights in his 1993 campaign in an attempt to win more women voters. Dinkins challenged him for flip-flopping, but New Yorkers liked Giuliani’s promise of cleaning up the Big Apple of crime and “quality of life” issues and voted him in.
Fourteen years later, some Catholics and pro-lifers are echoing Hanover’s “make no mistake” line. But now it’s a warning, urging voters not to let a strongly pro-abortion candidate become the standard bearer of a party whose platform has long been pro-life.
But others see hope in a Giuliani candidacy, which, they suspect, would downplay the candidate’s religious affiliation while winning over voters worried about national security. At the same time, some voters say, Giuliani promises “strict constructionist” judges on federal benches who would not be inclined to uphold Roe v. Wade as settled precedent.
“If Giuliani gives me the judges who will not play fast and loose with the Constitution, which is how we got into the [abortion] mess in the first place, then that’s good enough for me,” said New Yorker Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights. Donohue admitted that he was conflicted, echoing common sentiment that Giuliani would be preferable over Hilary Clinton. “If it’s a choice between him and her, I would support Rudy,” said Donohue, noting that the Clintons have always supported abortion. “Hilary Clinton never found an abortion she couldn’t justify.”
But Stephen Dillard, head of Catholics Against Rudy, believes that a Giuliani nomination would be disastrous for the pro-life positions in the Republican Party.
“The GOP has won five of the last seven presidential elections, in large part due to the energetic and tireless support it received at the grassroots level from faithful Catholics and evangelicals, who fervently believe in creating a culture of life in this country,” said Dillard. “If the Republican Party nominates Rudy Giuliani as its presidential candidate, a significant number of Christians will either stay home on election day or vote for a third party.”
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Dillard said he started a Web site (www.catholicsagainstrudy.com) to educate Catholics about Giuliani’s “abysmal” record on non-negotiable “culture of life” issues, such as abortion, embryonic stem-cell research and traditional marriage.
In many ways, Giuliani’s early life follows a typical Catholic immigrant family’s success story. Born into an Italian immigrant family in New York, he was formed by the church as he attended Bishop Loughlin High School in Brooklyn and Christian Brothers-run Manhattan College in the Bronx.
Although Giuliani has avoided talking about his religion in his presidential campaign, he told Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody while campaigning in California at the end of September that he prays to Jesus for guidance. “I have very, very strong views on religion that come about from having wanted to be a priest when I was younger, having studied theology for four years in college,” he said.
But law beat out seminary, and after graduation from New York University Law School, he embarked on a successful career that led to his appointment in 1983 as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. According to an official biography on the website of the New York City Mayor’s Office, he won 4,152 convictions with only 25 reversals. Many were for drug dealers, mob figures, corrupt government officials and white-collar criminals.
Giuliani, who may face an old rival, Hilary Clinton, in the general election, continues to perform strongly in polls. While on the campaign trail, he only cautiously courts pro-life voters and values-based politics. He asserts the independence of his political platform in spite of criticism from Catholic leaders.
“I have my personal beliefs. I know what they are,” said Giuliani in a statement released by a press aide. “I’m not running for chief priest or chief minister. I’m running for president of the United States and I know the role.”
On the campaign trail recently in Iowa, he said, “My religious affiliation, my religious ...
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