Fred Thompson was on “Meet the Press” yesterday and got into some substantial questions about abortion. The headline from many news accounts is that Fred said no to supporting a constitutional amendment that would ban abortion. However, there is a much bigger story than just that.

In line with his view of federalism, Fred also said that he could not support a federal law that would ban abortion as well:

While he called for no federal funding or legislation that would assist in abortion, Thompson also came out against a federal law. "Nobody's proposed a federal law on this,” he said. “Nobody's recently proposed a federal constitutional amendment."

Here is where it gets interesting. At this point Fred Thompson seems to get away from the issue of federalism and tackle the issue of whether in his view abortion should be outlawed at all:

He continued, "I do not think it is a wise thing to criminalize young girls. It's not a sense of the Senate. You're talking about potential criminal law. I said those things are going to ultimately be one in the hearts and minds of people."

The interview continues, and Fred starts to step in a little deeper:

RUSSERT: You would allow abortion to be performed in states if chosen by states for people who think otherwise.

THOMPSON: I do not think that you can have a law that would be effective and that would be the right thing to do, as I say, in terms of potentially — you can't have a law that cuts off an age group or something like that which potentially would take young girls in extreme situations and say, basically, we're going to put them in jail to do that. I just don't think that that's the right thing to do. It cannot change the way I feel about it morally, but legally and practically, I've got to recognize that fact. It is a dilemma that I'm not totally comfortable with, but that's the best I can do in resolving it in my own mind.


Just to show that this is not a one interview mistake, here is what Fred started to say in an interview in June of this year, before being cut off by Sean Hannity:

“And I would not be and never have been for a law that says, on the state level, if I were back in Tennessee voting on this, for example, that if they chose to criminalize a young woman, and...

HANNITY: So states' rights for you?”

So Fred Thompson believes abortion should not be criminalized and instead should be decided, “in the hearts and minds of people.” Sorry folks, Fred Thompson is still pro-choice. He may have a pro-life voting record as far as opposing taxpayer funding of abortion and voting to ban “partial-birth” abortion, but when it comes down to it he would still allow almost all abortions to be legal.

If Republicans want somebody who is a true pro-life leader, they will have to look elsewhere than Fred Thompson.