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June 12, 2012 09:03 PM UTC

Can Coffman oppose abortion in the case of rape and incest, and still be considered moderate?

  • 23 Comments
  • by: Jason Salzman

( – promoted by Colorado Pols)

After Rep. Mike Coffman told supporters that “in his heart,” Obama is “just not an American,” some in the media debated whether Coffman’s statement, which he apologized for, was 1) a departure from Coffman’s image as a moderate or 2) a continuation of his alignment with extremists and fringe causes.

On abortion, the topic of today’s blog post, reporters should note that it’s clearly the latter. That would be number two, above.

In its latest comments on Coffman, Colorado Right to Life’s blog stated in a 2010 update, that Coffman is “on record supporting Personhood and is on record as Pro-Life with no exceptions.”

Earlier this year, Colorado Right to Life Vice President Leslie Hanks told me that “no exceptions” means abortion would not be allowed in the case of rape and incest.

Coffman has opposed abortion even in the case of rape and incest going back to at least 2008, according to the Colorado Right to Life website.

For example, in 2008 Colorado Right to Life complained to Coffman after hearing him say, on the Caplis and Silverman show, that he favored allowing abortion in the case of rape and incest.

Coffman subsequently sent a letter to Caplis and Silverman, and to Colorado Right to Life, clarifying that he is opposed to abortion, even in the case of rape and incest.  Here’s the story, as told on Colorado Right to Life’s website:

Last week, while appearing on the Caplis & Silverman radio show (630 KHOW, Denver), Congressional candidate Mike Coffman was heard to say that he did not oppose abortion in cases of rape or incest. This sent CRTL and many other pro-lifers into a tizzy, because it went against what Mike had pledged in his Candidate Survey, as well as what we all thought we knew about Mike’s beliefs.

When contacted about this, Mike immediately expressed surprise that he’d said any such thing. He thinks he may have gotten confused and said the opposite of what he meant. While with many candidates, we might suspect evasion, this didn’t seem to be the case with Mike. He has written to attempt to clarify with Dan Caplis, so no one will misunderstand. Here is his note (copied to CRTL):

Dan,

First of all, thanks so much for your help with my campaign and for inviting me on your show. During the debate, Craig Silverman was questioning me on the issue of abortion. My response was focused on arguing that Roe v Wade was bad law. During that exchange, Craig asked me about the issue of rape and incest. Apparently, my answer came across as supporting abortions under a rape and incest exception. I absolutely do not believe in that.

Dan, I would deeply appreciate it if, during your show, you could state that I wanted to make sure that my position was clear, unequivocally, that I oppose abortion in all cases of rape and incest. I believe that all life is equally sacred irregardless of how it came into being.

Thanks again, Mike Coffman

It takes a big man to admit such a mistake. And Mike Coffman’s strong relationship with the pro-life community over many years is obviously important enough to him that he wanted to make this correction/clarification despite the fact that he surely has Colorado’s 6th District race locked up and will almost certainly be one of Colorado’s newly elected Congressmen in 2009.

This is great news for unborn children!

The above exchange came after Coffman, who gave $75 to the Colorado Right to Life Committee in 2008, according to campaign donation records on TRACER, defeated Ted Harvey and Wil Armstrong in a tough primary battle to represent the ultra-conservative 6th Congressional district. Now the 6th is considered much more moderate.

During the 2008 primary, Colorado Right to Life wrote of Coffman:

In a previous blog post, we reported that we believed both Sen. Ted Harvey and Sec. State Mike Coffman hold uncompromised positions on Personhood and Life issues, according to the CRTL candidate questionnaire. Sadly, we must correct this information.

We now know that Sec. State Mike Coffman is the only candidate for the GOP 6th District Congressional primary who holds uncompromised views on abortion, and the only candidate who has promised not to continue supporting compromised legislation….

Mike Coffman also has a decades-long history (20 years or more) of not just support, but active involvement in the pro-life community, over and above what would be expected of any typical Republican official.

Mike Coffman has been a good and consistent friend to CRTL for many years, up to and including the last couple of years when even CRTL’s strongest legislative supporters (including Harvey) found excuses not to attend CRTL events.

Coffman has yet to comment this election cycle on his abortion stance, and he hasn’t said whether he’ll support this year’s personhood measure.

Obviously, these are issues that reporters should pursue, assuming Coffman talks to reporters again, as he used to do frequently, before he made his comments about Obama’s heart.

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23 thoughts on “Can Coffman oppose abortion in the case of rape and incest, and still be considered moderate?”

        1. 🙂 I can’t find the diary and then I’m lazy, so stopped looking. It’s basically why Craig said and a nearly random feeling suburban right of center folks have.

          There isn’t really a great explanation. It’s like asking Madonna why she flashed a nipple on stage recently. **mental shrug** But I could make a list if you insist…

  3. That Coffman was a moderate when he was first in public office.  So much so that Bill Owens refused to support him when he ran for office.  So much so that a nut job tried to petition onto the primary ballot at which point Coffman called me (I was with Colorado Republicans for Choice at the time) and asked for help.  (The guy didn’t get enough signatures, so Coffman was off the hook)  He comes from a very blue collar family and didn’t graduate from  high school (he and I were in the same class at Aurora Central).  He still has some moderate tendencies (see his work on cutting defense spending).  But he is definitely off the deep end on social issues.  I don’t think he could give a rats ass about these issues, but figures that it’s just easier to get elected and avoid primaries by being that way.  

    1. The fact that he has one of the most conservative voting records in Congress tells me that if he really is a moderate, he’s willing to sell his soul to the devil (i.e. Grover Norquist) just to get re-elected. Either that, or he has been around right-wing extremists so long, he has started to agree with them. Either way, that’s not what we want, or need, in CO. We need someone who grew up blue collar and can still relate to people who are blue collar. That man is Joe Miklosi.

    2. Dammit.  It pisses me off when “army brats” get a bad deal when they have to go to a civilian  public school.  

      Coffman comes from a military family. His father was stationed at Fitzsimmons which is why Coffman was at Aurora Central. Coffman left school, joined the army, got his GED in the army and graduated from CU in 1979. Coffman spent most of his life in the military.

      I don’t support Coffman, nor am I a resident of CD6.

      However, I don’t like “misinformation” campaigns or this kind of snide, belittling comment:

      a very blue collar family and didn’t graduate from  high school

      People from “blue collar backgrounds” built this country, of course.  But, you did not mean it in any complimentary way.

      As for Coffman’s floating position on abortion, I don’t know his religion, but his position is consistent with catholic theology.

      1. People from “blue collar backgrounds” built this country, of course.  But, you did not mean it in any complimentary way…. As for Coffman’s floating position on abortion, I don’t know his religion, but his position is consistent with catholic theology.

        Hope you don’t mind if I jump in.

        1. I took “blue collar” as a compliment. Guess it all depends on the reader’s prejudice.

        2. Being anti-choice is consistent with Roman Catholic theology pushed by the Vatican. I know far more Catholics who do not identify closely with the Pope, or to orthodox (small o) church doctrine. For many American Catholics, they value their faith tradition but consider themselves free to interpret it in a very personal, very liberal way. So to say being anti-choice is consistent with Catholic theology, I ask, “What gives you the right to say that for all who identify as Catholic?” Perhaps saying Coffman’s position is consistent with the Vatican would be more accurate.

        1. Maybe we should ask Craig to clarify what he meant by “blue-collar.”  Coffman’s background is military.

          As for catholic theology, it comes from the Vatican.

          Theoretically, catholics are not “free” to create their own theology.  catholics did not have a reformation.

          Many catholics choose as a matter of conscience to disagree with various catholic theological points…but that doesn’t change Catholic Theology..that states life begins at conception and abortion is morally wrong at any stage from conception forward.  I have no idea what Coffman’s religion is…my point was only that what he believes is consistent with Catholic theology…there are over 60 million Catholics in the US.

          Few may practice the very strict prohibitions but none are free to say that their personal choice creates a new

          Catholic theology.

          What gives  me the right to say that?  I studied Catholic theology.  I am no longer a practicing Catholic, but I am able to define the theology.

          Catholic theology, developed via the Vatican

           Yes, that is accurate. That is what the Catholic Church teaches.  

          And this is important because?  

          The discussion is about Coffman. I don’t know his religion.  I am just pointing out that he supports a position that is consistent with Catholic Theology, and so is not “wildly extreme.”

          As for how this jives with the Constitution – that is yet another important issue that I discussed at length in response to something that Barron X posted.  

          I can see that as an issue with Coffman – but no one here is discussing that.  I just want to keep the record straight so the discussion does not veer off.

          1. Few may practice the very strict prohibitions but none are free to say that their personal choice creates a new Catholic theology.

            This is the part I disagree with, Dwyer. I think you should insert the word “Roman” to make that statement true. First, let me say I am not Catholic, although my father’s family was, Mom’s family was Baptist, and we attended a Methodist church growing up. I am a Jew by choice who went through a very traditional conversion, and then studied world religions and was ordained as an Interfaith practitioner through a distance-learning Interfaith “seminary”. I also attend Unitarian Universalist services (so I am not an expert on any faith, but a student of all faiths).

            My Cousin is a Bishop in the Anglo-Celtic Catholic church (he was a student in a Roman Catholic seminary decades ago and left because he was outed as gay). I have other friends who are in the Old Catholic church and others in the Reformed Catholic Church. There are many other different offshoots. When asked, all of them have said they consider themselves 100% Catholic. Still others say something to the effect of “I identify as a Roman Catholic because it is my tradition, but I don’t see the Pope as infallible. I have my own personal Catholic theology.”

            True, if asked which is Roman Catholic theology, they would probably point to the same texts and sources you would. If I asked them about Catholic theology in general, I would get a host of different answers. Not everyone agrees the word “theology” is tied to organized, institutionalized religion.

            This happens in many religions. Orthodox Jews in Israel might say Humanistic Jews or Reconstructionist Jews or Reform Jews or Inter-spiritual Jews (and definitely Messianic Jews!) are not really Jewish. There are Hindus who see Hare Krishnas as not really Hindu, and Muslims who say Bahai’i is not Muslim, but if you ask people who identify with those faiths, they may say, “They are not the authority on who belongs and who doesn’t. I will identify as I so choose.”. The most populous or powerful sect of each particular faith often denounces the others as “not one of us”.

            I respect that you studied your faith as a practicing Roman Catholic, and I understand you recognize the Pope and the Vatican as the official church of the Catholic faith, and the Roman Catholic theology as the only official Catholic theology. Most people would probably agree with you. But to say, “None are free to say their personal choice creates a new Catholic theology” I would say, “Not true”. I know plenty of them do just that!

            Perhaps I associate with far more rebellious people of faith than you do, Dwyer. I have come to believe it is not my place to identify another person as a member of any particular group, whether it is one based on theology, race, ethnicity, gender or political affiliation. It is my personal practice to ask them about themselves. Who am I to say a person or a group’s theology or philosophy or identity is “official” or “correct” or “accepted”, etc. Unless I am speaking of myself, I don’t believe I have that right.

            Oh, and by the way, Coffman lists his faith as Methodist. From my growing up years in the Methodist church, I don’t remember any sermons on abortion, but then again, every Methodist church is different too — United, Wesleyan, Nazarene, African/AME, …

            1. If I had done so initially, there would have been no problem.

              Please note:  I am not now, as a matter of informed conscience, a practicing Roman Catholic.

              In identifying Coffman’s belief on abortion, I merely meant to note that his position is consistent with the official theological position of the Roman Catholic Church.

              Quite apart from our discussion is the political influence of the Roman Catholic Church and its current conflict with the Obama administration on issues defined by the Roman Catholic Church as its theology and by the Obama administration as a matter of civil right.  This is a classic constitutional clash.  I do not know if the Supreme Court will be rendering a decision this session, because I think all the cases are still just beginning in the federal judiciary system.

              That said, the Roman Catholic Church certainly intends to make its position a political issue in this election.

              1. Being out where I live, it’s not often I find a lively debate about world religions. 🙂

                I did notice there seems to be a huge push from the Roman Catholics in this election cycle. Did you see this? http://www.catholicnewsagency….

                I continue to be shocked how much they have politicized over the years. I honestly do not know anyone who adheres to strict Roman Catholic religious doctrine. Studies show more than 90% of American women (I’ve heard even 97%) believe in using contraception. I wonder what percentage of those who vote with the Church are men and how many are women. Perhaps this is also a gender issue?

                1. who go to confession EVERYDAY. Figure they must have a lot to feel guilty for. Then yesterday, while serving beer to ALL religions for Ride the Rockies I heard 2 devout RCs say they “hate” going to church on Sunday so they go Saturday evening. “By the time you go to Mass and breakfast half the day is wasted.” Hard not to laugh

                2. You certainly did not hijack the thread.  You pointed out a very needed clarification on my part. I will be careful not to be confusing in the future.

                  Unfortunately, I think we will be referring to the Roman Catholic Church and its hierarchy and their political agenda during this election cycle.  I believe as you have observed and gim has noted, that this has very little to do with faith or believing catholics.  What I don’t know is how much actual influence the Roman Catholic hierarchy will have on this election.

            2. until I realized it is really not that interesting except to discover novelties. I am an apathist. I don’t care. Not an atheist nor an agnostic, they care too much. So, while I agreed with Christopher Hitchens, I listened to him speak because he was a brilliant thinker. most atheists care way too much about something that should have no import at all were it not for others trying to influence public policy and government

          2. Because a position is that of a major religion  does not prevent it from being extreme, particularly when the members of that religion ignore their church’s teachings.

            The position debated here is held by 20% of Amercians, rendering it about as popular as birtherism.  

      2. I read it as reasons why Coffman might have more moderate views, without any subtle inclinations… other than your own, I suppose.

        Not that anyone saying anything ever changes whatever little thing is buried in your head, but just saying all the same. It is nice to be aware of the ever growing list of dwyer dog whistle words to avoid at all costs.

  4. Forcing a woman to carry a child conceived as a result of a crime should be criminal. Mike has clearly gone full tilt, willingly, into the land of the wackadoo extremists.

    “Moderate” and “Mike Coffman” are not words that belong in the same sentence, and Mike Coffman does not belong in Congress as a representative of the people of Colorado, who by and large do not support extreme views. Especially, Colorado women.

    Mike needs to remember that his district has changed, and also that women are very angry with the GOP’s spate of anti-woman legislation. Joe Miklosi is a much better candidate as far as women are concerned. And he’s not hiding 🙂

  5. So if CD6 voters re-elect Mike Coffman because of buying into the Republican agenda for prosperity:

    1. Cut taxes – again – for the wealthy individuals and businesses sitting on $2 trillion in cash

    2. Endanger our health, safety and financial security by cutting regulations

    3. Maintain our dependence on dirty energy while discouraging new energy development

    We also get the radical anti-women, anti-minority social agenda at no extra charge!

    Wonderful!

  7. and hastily backtracked when castigated by the whiny CRTL shows that he is, like Romney, too eager to pander to extremists, and too weak to say, “Yes, I stated my views. Sorry that you don’t like them.” I am sick and tired of wimpy, wishy-washy, pandering Republicans.

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