August 09, 2012 03:31 PM UTC

Caplis confirms that Coffman wanted people to know, for sure, he's against abortion even after rape

• 10 Comments
• by: Jason Salzman

(Can’t hide it under a bush, oh no! – promoted by Colorado Pols)

UPDATE: Coffman told The Denver Post late yesterday that, because he’s running for federal office, he would not endorse personhood or any state ballot measure this year. He also said he’s against all abortions, except when necessary to save the life of the mother, so presumbably that would include opposition to abortion even in the case of rape and incest. Also, by Coffman’s definition of abortion, he’d oppose some common forms of birth control. Coffman did not say why he supported personhood while he was running for federal office in 2008 and 2010.  

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If you dig deep on the Colorado Right to Life website, you find a letter from Mike Coffman to Dan Caplis, host of KHOW’s now-defunct Caplis & Silverman Show. Part of the letter reads:

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.

I’ve listened to a lot of talk radio, and you don’t hear about guests asking for clarifications very often. Amplification they’ll ask for, but clarification, not so much.

So you have to wonder if this letter from Coffman is real. And did Caplis actually clarify Coffman’s position on air?

Coffman’s letter to Caplis has no date, but Colorado Right to Life’s website states that Coffman made his original rape-and-incest comments on the Caplis & Silverman show during the week of Oct. 14, 2009.

The Caplis-&-Silverman show’s archives don’t go back that far, unfortunately, but one person popped into my mind who ought to remember the incident: Dan Caplis!

“I had forgotten all about that until I saw your note,” Caplis wrote in response to my email about Coffman. “That’s a long time ago, but I do have a vague recollection of that happening, and of reporting Mike’s clarification on air. Mike has always been such a champion of the pro-life cause that I think the issue was quickly resolved.”

Caplis’ confirmation of Coffman’s abortion stance will be useful as the debate about the personhood amendment heats up.

Colorado’s proposed personhood amendment would outlaw all abortions, including those performed after rape or incest.

Personhood supporters make no attempt to hide this. Their belief, reflected in Coffman’s letter above, is that a zygote (fertilized egg) conceived after a rape should not be punished (aborted) for the crime (rape) committed by the father.

Coffman endorsed Colorado’s personhood amendments in both 2008 and again 2010, according to the Colorado Right to Life blog.

But Coffman has yet to tell personhood organizers, who submitted signatures Tues. to place their measure on the ballot, if he’ll back their amendment this year.

You’d think, given Coffman’s unwavering opposition to all abortion and his deep ties to the anti-abortion movement, that he’d endorse personhood again.

If he backpedals, like Ken Buck before him, and Joe Coors yesterday, reporters would obviously want to know why.

But they’ll also want to know what components of the personhood amendment Coffman still stands by, like his view, duly clarified by Dan Caplis on his former radio show, that abortion should banned even for a women who’s been raped by her father.