OR-1: Rob Cornilles would take away a woman's right to choose

Kari Chisholm

Back in 1996, Gordon Smith broadcast an ad in which he donned a sweater, took a stroll through a wooded glen, and tried to convince Oregonians that even though he was personally pro-life, the issue wasn't really a priority for him, and besides, the U.S. Senate just doesn't have all that much to do with the issue. (Funny, right?)

Now, in the OR-1 special election, Rob Cornilles is trying on the same approach. The difference now? The Democrats have him on tape. Check it out.

Of course, now that the Democrats have released the tape and connected the dots - telling voters exactly what the endorsement from Oregon Right to Life means - Cornilles is backpedaling furiously, desperately trying to find Gordon Smith's sweater.

Here's his response, courtesy of the O's Jeff Mapes:

This is a very sensitive issue, one that can easily divide Oregonians. So let me explain my thinking.

I'm pro-life with exceptions in the case of rape, incest, and the life of the mother.

And let's keep in mind, I'm running for the House of Representatives, the fiscal body of the federal government. The House has a very limited role to play in this issue.

A very limited role? Really, Rob? Time and again, we've seen Republicans in the House (along with a few misguided Democrats) take every opportunity to whittle away at women's health care - including ending funding for basic birth control, denying overseas military personnel services that are legal in the United States, and even raising taxes on employers that offer privately-funded health plans that cover reproductive care.

But setting aside the argument Cornilles makes about the small federal role, his second sentence is enough for me. He's can parse the issue thirty-two different ways, but the bottom line is this: Rob Cornilles doesn't believe that women should have the right to make their own health care choices.

By Kari Chisholm Dec. 02, 2011 Posted in Video.