WASHINGTON – American Bridge today launched its #DropHuck petition drive and online ad campaign demanding Mitt Romney drop Todd Akin-backer and Republican leader Mike Huckabee from his prime time speaking slot at the Republican National Convention.
DropHuck.com, the effort’s online hub, is equipped with a petition and web ad allowing voters to see first hand the offensive and inexcusable ideas Huckabee is supporting.
As the research below shows, Huckabee’s steadfast support of Akin is far from an isolated occurrence. Throughout his career, Huckabee has shown he is on the wrong side of issues impacting women and victims of rape.
HUCKABEE HIRED LAWYER WHO WROTE RAPE VICTIMS RARELY GET PREGNANT
Huckabee Hired A Federal Judge Nominee Who Said Victims Of Rape Rarely Got Pregnant – Also Believed A Wife Should “Subordinate Herself, Place Herself Under The Authority” Of Her Husband. According to The Associated Press State & Local Wire, “Bush’s nomination of [Leon] Holmes in January 2003 began an 18-month struggle between supporters and opponents who focused on some of Holmes’ writings on his Catholic faith and rape victims. He was the first district judge nominee to go the Senate floor without a committee recommendation in 52 years. Holmes has apologized for writing in 1980 that rape victims rarely get pregnant, but has said his 1997 comparison of the Catholic Church’s subservient relationship with Jesus Christ to a wife’s duties to her husband was unfairly taken out of context. In an article he co-authored with his wife, he said a wife has an obligation ‘to subordinate herself to her husband’ and ‘to place herself under the authority of the man.’ Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Republican who hired Holmes to advocate for broader school consolidation in the school funding case before the state Supreme Court in his last case as a trial lawyer, said Holmes ‘will not let politics be a part his decisions but will judge according to the law.’” [The Associated Press State & Local Wire, 8/10/04]
REFUSED TO FUND ABORTION IN INCESTUOUS RAPE CASE
Huckabee Directed The Medicaid Office To Deny Abortion Payment For 15-Year-Old Girl Raped By Her Stepfather. According to The Arkansas Times, “Days after he became governor he directed the Medicaid office to deny payment for an abortion for a 15-year-old teenager who had been raped by her stepfather on the ground that Amendment 68 to the Arkansas Constitution permitted public funds to pay for abortions only when the mother’s life was in danger. The amendment conflicted with federal law and Huckabee’s action threatened the whole Medicaid program. He worked out an agreement with the Clinton White House for private arrangements to fund such abortions and keep Medicaid flowing.” [Arkansas Times, 12/21/06]
Huckabee Refused Allowing State Medicaid Funds Be Used For Abortion For A 15-Year-Old. According to Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, “Amendment 68 of the Arkansas Constitution bans state tax dollars from going to abortions except ‘to save the mother’s life.’ In 1994, Congress mandated that Medicaid also fund abortions of pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. In July 1996, shortly after becoming governor, Huckabee, citing Amendment 68, refused to permit use of state Medicaid funds to pay for the abortion for the 15-year-old girl.” [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 06/19/05]
Arkansas Amendment 68 Was Voided In U.S. District Court For Conflicting With Federal Law And Remains An Unenforceable Part Of The State Constitution. According to Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, “The trust was eligible to receive private donations, from which providers could be paid for their services in performing abortions for Arkansas’ Medicaid-eligible victims of rape or incest. The federal government approved its use. Later in 1996, U.S. District Judge Bill Wilson voided Amendment 68 because of its conflict with federal law, but Huckabee said at the time the trust fund would continue to be used. In 1999, the state Supreme Court upheld the dismissal of another case that alleged the state shouldn’t participate in the state Medicaid program if doing so would violate Amendment 68. According to the attorney general’s office, Amendment 68 is still considered part of the constitution, despite its being unenforceable because of the court rulings. It would take a vote of the people to remove it. Shortly after the 1999 ruling, the Arkansas Medicaid program stopped using the trust, but it still exists. Huckabee’s office has declined comment on the trust.” [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 6/19/05]
Huckabee Endangered Medicaid Funding For Arkansas By Refusing To Allow Funds Be Used For An Abortion Of A Raped Teenager. According to Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, “Then-new Gov. Mike Huckabee, his eye on Amendment 68, refused to permit state funds to be used to pay for a Medicaid abortion for a teen-aged girl who had been raped by her stepfather. This appeared to put the entire state Medicaid program in jeopardy because federal law declares that abortions for rape or incest also are eligible for Medicaid funding for those poor enough to qualify, and that girl qualified.” [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 2/16/97]
Huckabee Directed Medicaid To Deny Abortion For Raped Teenager Causing A $1.2 Billion Bind Of Medicaid Funding. According to Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, “Gov. Mike Huckabee is negotiating with high-level members of President Clinton’s administration to solve the $ 1.2 billion bind the state finds itself in after the governor refused to spend Medicaid money for an abortion for a teen-age rape victim, sources said Thursday. State officials say they need a 2/4-year reprieve from provisions of the federal Hyde Amendment to allow time to try to change the state constitution and make it conform to the federal law. Department of Human Services Director Tom Dalton said that getting a waiver through January 1999 may be the only solution to a problem that could cost the state its Medicaid funding. ‘What is needed is a time period to look at changing the state constitution,’ Dalton said. Huckabee found himself in virtually a no-win situation when a 15-year-old girl, who was raped by her stepfather, requested Medicaid money for an abortion. Her case marks the first time in Arkansas that a woman has sought Medicaid reimbursement in a rape or incest case. At Huckabee’s direction, the request was denied because Amendment 68 to the state constitution states that public funds for abortions can only be used if the mother’s life is in danger. The amendment was approved by Arkansas voters in 1988.” [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 8/9/96]
HUCKABEE SAID LIFE OF THE MOTHER IS THE ONLY ABORTION EXCEPTION HE SUPPORTED
Huckabee Believed The Only Exception For Using Medicaid To Pay For Abortions Was To Save The Life Of The Mother. According to Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, “Huckabee: ‘I do not believe federal Medicaid money should be used to finance abortions except to save the life of the mother.’” [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 5/07/98]
Huckabee Only Supported Health Exceptions For Abortion. According to Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, “Gov. Mike Huckabee, who earlier this month became the first governor to participate in a Little Rock anti-abortion parade, testified on behalf of the bill. ‘It is inappropriate to take that life at the moment of birth for any reason … except to save that mother’s life,’ Huckabee said” [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 1/31/97]
HUCKABEE SUPPORTED CONTROVERSIAL SOUTH DAKOTA ABORTION BAN
Huckabee Supported South Dakota Anti-Abortion Bill Banning All Abortion Except For Pregnancies Threatening The Mother’s Life And Accepted States Might Want Other Exceptions For Rape And Incest. According to Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, “Gov. Mike Huckabee said Friday evening that he supports the kind of sweeping anti-abortion bill that South Dakota legislators approved this week. The South Dakota bill, expected to be signed into law by Republican Gov. Mike Rounds, would ban all abortions except in pregnancies that posed a threat to the life of the mother… At the same time, Huckabee, a Republican like Rounds, said he recognizes that some states might want additional exceptions for cases of rape and incest. When asked if he supported those, he said, ‘Accept is a better word than support.’ Only about 1 percent of abortions involve such extreme circumstances, he said.” [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 2/25/06]
- South Dakota’s Abortion Ban Did Not Include Exceptions For Rape, Incest Or The Health Of A Pregnant Woman; The Measure Was Rejected. According to USA Today, “A ballot measure that would ban nearly all abortions in South Dakota was rejected on Tuesday. With 59% of the precincts reporting, opponents of the ban had 55%, or 98,182 votes, to the supporters’ 45%, or 79,444 votes. Jan Nicolay, leader of the group seeking to reject the measure, said the returns indicate that voters understood that the proposed law was too extreme because it did not include exceptions for rape, incest or the health of a pregnant woman.” [USA Today, 11/08/06]
Published: Aug 24, 2012