Political positions of Jimmy Carter explained

Jimmy Carter was the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981.[1] Below is a list of his political positions, some of which he expressed during his presidency and others during his post-presidency.

Abortion

Although Carter was personally opposed to abortion, he supported legalized abortion after the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, 410 US 113 (1973).[2] Early in his term as governor, Carter had strongly supported family planning programs including abortion to save the life of a woman, birth defects, or in other extreme circumstances. Years later, he had written the foreword to a book, Women in Need, that favored a woman's right to abortion. He had given private encouragement to the plaintiffs in a lawsuit, Doe v. Bolton, filed against the state of Georgia to overturn its abortion laws.[3] As president, he did not support increased federal funding for abortion services. He was criticized by the American Civil Liberties Union for not doing enough to find alternatives.[4]

In a March 29, 2012, interview with Laura Ingraham, Carter expressed his wish to see the Democratic Party becoming more anti-abortion, allowing it only in the case of rape, incest or risk of maternal death.[5]

Death penalty

Carter is known for his strong opposition to the death penalty, which he expressed during his presidential campaigns. In his Nobel Prize lecture, Carter urged "prohibition of the death penalty".[6] He has continued to speak out against the death penalty in the U.S. and abroad.[7] In a letter to the governor of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, Carter urged the governor to sign a bill to eliminate the death penalty and institute life in prison without parole instead. New Mexico abolished the death penalty in 2009. Carter wrote: "As you know, the United States is one of the few countries, along with nations such as Saudi Arabia, China, and Cuba, which still carry out the death penalty despite the ongoing tragedy of wrongful conviction and gross racial and class-based disparities that make impossible the fair implementation of this ultimate punishment."[8] In 2012, Carter wrote an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times supporting passage of a state referendum which would have ended the death penalty.[9] Carter has also called for commutations of death sentences for many death-row inmates, including Brian K. Baldwin (executed in 1999),[10] Kenneth Foster (commuted in 2007)[11] [12] and Troy Davis (executed in 2011).[13]

Baptist women pastors

In October 2000, Carter, a third-generation Southern Baptist, severed connections to the Southern Baptist Convention over its opposition to women as pastors. Carter took this action due to a doctrinal statement by the convention, adopted in June 2000, advocating for a literal interpretation of the Bible. This statement followed a position of the convention two years previously advocating the submission of wives to their husbands. Carter described the reason for his decision as due to: "an increasing inclination on the part of Southern Baptist Convention leaders to be more rigid on what is a Southern Baptist and exclusionary of accommodating those who differ from them." The New York Times called Carter's action "the highest-profile defection yet from the Southern Baptist Convention".[14]

On July 15, 2009, Carter wrote an opinion piece about equality for women in which he stated that he chooses equality for women over the dictates of the leadership of what has been a lifetime religious commitment. He said that the view that women are inferior is not confined to one faith, "nor, tragically does its influence stop at the walls of the church, mosque, synagogue or temple."[15] In 2014, he published A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power.[16]

Gun control

Carter has publicly expressed support for both a ban on assault weapons and for background checks of gun buyers.[17] In May 1994, Carter and former presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan wrote to the U.S. House of Representatives in support of banning "semi-automatic assault guns."[18] In a February 2013 appearance on Piers Morgan Tonight, Carter agreed that if the assault weapons ban did not pass, it would be mainly due to lobbying by the National Rifle Association and its pressure on "weak-kneed" politicians.[19]

Same-sex marriage

Carter has stated that he supports same-sex marriage in civil ceremonies.[20] He said: "I believe Jesus would. I don't have any verse in scripture ... I believe Jesus would approve gay marriage, but that's just my own personal belief. I think Jesus would encourage any love affair if it was honest and sincere and was not damaging to anyone else, and I don't see that gay marriage damages anyone else".[20] Evangelist Franklin Graham criticized the assertion as "absolutely wrong".[21] [22] In October 2014, Carter argued ahead of a Supreme Court ruling that legalization of same-sex marriage should be left up to the states and not mandated by federal law.[23]

Race

Carter ignited debate in September 2009 when he stated: "I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man, that he is African-American".[24] Obama disagreed with Carter's assessment. On CNN, Obama stated, "Are there people out there who don't like me because of race? I'm sure there are... that's not the overriding issue here".[25]

Torture

In 2005, Carter criticized the use of torture at Guantánamo Bay, demanding that it be closed.[26] He stated that the next president should make the promise that the United States will "never again torture a prisoner."[27]

Health care

In 2013, Carter praised the Affordable Care Act (the major health care reform law put forward by President Obama), but criticized its implementation as "questionable at best".[28] In 2017, Carter predicted that the U.S. would eventually adopt a single-payer healthcare system.[29] [30]

Campaign finance reform

Carter vigorously opposed the Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC that struck down limits on campaign spending by corporations and unions, going so far as to saying that the U.S. is "no longer a functioning democracy" and now has a system of "unlimited political bribery".[31]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jimmy Carter, the 39th U.S. president, enters hospice care. Heyward. Giulia. NPR. March 5, 2023.
  2. Web site: Interview With Jimmy Carter. February 1, 2006. September 7, 2021. James Earl. Carter. CNN. May 18, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210518192641/http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0602/01/lkl.02.html. live.
  3. Bourne, p. 279.
  4. Book: The Strategy of Campaigning . Skinner . Kiron . Kudelia . Serhiy . Bueno de Mesquita . Bruce . Rice . Condoleezza . University of Michigan Press . 2007 . 978-0-472-11627-0 . October 20, 2008 . February 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210204092411/https://books.google.com/books?id=F0dCiDh4fMsC . live .
  5. Web site: Jimmy Carter: Democratic Party Should Be More Pro-Life . March 29, 2012 . RealClearPolitics . August 25, 2019 . October 26, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191026180216/https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/03/29/jimmy_carter_democratic_party_should_be_more_pro-life.html . live .
  6. News: Carter Nobel Peace Prize speech . CNN archives . December 10, 2002 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071116064036/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/12/10/carter.transcript/ . November 16, 2007.
  7. Book: Hill, Elias C. . The Mirage of Human Rights . October 9, 2012 . iUniverse . 978-1-4759-4888-2 . 200 . March 21, 2022 . December 13, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211213121742/https://books.google.com/books?id=XIl3Td_tcssC&pg=PA200 . live .
  8. Web site: NEW VOICES: Jimmy Carter Urges New Mexico Governor to Support Death Penalty Repeal | Death Penalty Information Center . Deathpenaltyinfo.org . June 8, 2010 . June 19, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100619143855/http://deathpenaltyinfo.org/new-voices-jimmy-carter-urges-new-mexico-governor-support-death-penalty-repeal . live .
  9. Carter, Jimmy (October 28, 2012). "Jimmy Carter to California: Yes on Prop. 34" . op-ed. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  10. Web site: Brian Baldwin, Center on Wrongful Convictions . Law.northwestern.edu . June 8, 2010 . May 23, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100523031301/http://www.law.northwestern.edu/wrongfulconvictions/issues/deathpenalty/executinginnocent/alBaldwinbsummary.html . live .
  11. Web site: Jimmy Carter, Desmond Tutu Urge Texas to Stay Execution of Kenneth Foster . Democracynow.org . June 8, 2010 . June 17, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100617033940/http://www.democracynow.org/2007/8/29/jimmy_carter_desmond_tutu_urge_texas . live .
  12. Web site: Clemency | Death Penalty Information Center . Deathpenaltyinfo.org . June 8, 2010 . June 12, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100612195654/http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/clemency . live .
  13. The Carter Center . Carter Center Press Releases – President Carter Calls for Clemency for Troy Davis . The Carter Center . September 19, 2008 . June 8, 2010 . September 4, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120904130619/http://www.cartercenter.org/news/pr/clemency_troy_davis.html . live .
  14. News: Sengupta . Somini . October 21, 2000 . Carter Sadly Turns Back On National Baptist Body . The New York Times . December 17, 2014 . December 17, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141217225008/http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/21/us/carter-sadly-turns-back-on-national-baptist-body.html . live .
  15. Web site: Losing my religion for equality. The Age. July 15, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20130704055257/http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/losing-my-religion-for-equality-20090714-dk0v.html. September 9, 2021. July 4, 2013.
  16. Book: A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power . Simon & Schuster . 2014 . 978-1-4767-7395-7 . 868276576.
  17. News: Carter . Jimmy . April 26, 2009 . What Happened to the Ban on Assault Weapons? . Op-ed . The New York Times . July 4, 2014 . May 16, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130516100314/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/opinion/27Carter.html . live .
  18. News: Eaton . William J. . May 5, 1994 . Ford, Carter, Reagan Push for Gun Ban . Los Angeles Times . July 4, 2014 . September 10, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140910132000/http://articles.latimes.com/1994-05-05/news/mn-54185_1_assault-weapons-ban/2 . live .
  19. News: Kurtz . Jason . February 22, 2013 . Clips From Last Night: Jimmy Carter on firearm legislation, the NRA, and the conflict in the Middle East . Cable News Network . July 4, 2014 . October 15, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141015033145/http://piersmorgan.blogs.cnn.com/2013/02/22/clips-from-last-night-jimmy-carter-on-firearm-legislation-the-nra-and-the-conflict-in-the-middle-east/ . live .
  20. News: Jimmy Carter Says Jesus Would Approve Of Gay Marriage . Buxton . Ryan . July 7, 2015 . HuffPost . en . September 24, 2018 . September 24, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180924070607/https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/jimmy-carter-gay-marriage_n_7744390 . live .
  21. News: Franklin Graham: Carter 'Absolutely Wrong' That Jesus Would Approve of Same-Sex Marriage . Robertson . Abigail . Charisma News . September 24, 2018 . September 24, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180924070733/https://www.charismanews.com/politics/72101-franklin-graham-carter-absolutely-wrong-that-jesus-would-approve-of-same-sex-marriage . live .
  22. Web site: Franklin Graham: President Carter 'Absolutely Wrong' on Jesus Approving of Gay Marriage . July 11, 2018 . CBN News . November 16, 2019 . November 16, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191116214018/https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2018/july/franklin-graham-says-former-president-carter-is-absolutely-wrong-nbsp-on-jesus-approving-of-gay-marriage . live .
  23. News: Jimmy Carter: Gay marriage should be up to states . USA Today . October 27, 2014 . January 21, 2017 . February 4, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170204041214/http://www.usatoday.com/videos/news/nation/2014/10/27/17977371/ . live .
  24. Web site: White House disputes Carter's analysis – Capitol Hill . NBC News . September 16, 2009 . June 8, 2010 . August 4, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200804162944/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/32869276 . live .
  25. Web site: O'Brien . Michael . Obama plays down role of race in criticism – The Hill's Blog Briefing Room . The Hill . September 19, 2009 . June 8, 2010 . December 26, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101226164130/http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/59451-obama-plays-down-role-of-race-in-criticism . live .
  26. News: Carter Says U.S. Should Close Down Center At Guantánamo. The New York Times. June 8, 2005. September 7, 2021. September 7, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210907171600/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/08/us/nationalspecial3/carter-says-us-should-close-detention-center-at.html. live.
  27. News: Freedland, Jonathan . I have moral authority . The Guardian . June 6, 2008 . December 28, 2014 . May 17, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200517135238/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jun/07/usforeignpolicy.jimmycarter . live .
  28. News: Carter: ACA rollout 'questionable' . October 31, 2013 . September 9, 2021 . Jose . Delreal . Politico . August 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210804145006/https://www.politico.com/story/2013/10/jimmy-carter-affordable-care-act-099193 . live .
  29. News: Jimmy Carter Believes U.S. Will Eventually Go to Single-Payer Health System . Louise . Radnofsky . The Wall Street Journal . July 23, 2017 . September 9, 2021 . February 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210204094430/https://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2017/07/23/jimmy-carter-believes-u-s-will-eventually-go-to-single-payer-health-system/ . live .
  30. News: Jimmy Carter predicts US will eventually have single-payer healthcare system . Robin . Eberhardt . The Hill . July 24, 2017 . September 9, 2021 . August 21, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210821085052/https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/343481-jimmy-carter-predicts-us-will-eventually-have-single-payer-healthcare . live .
  31. News: Lavender . Paige . July 31, 2015 . Jimmy Carter Blasts U.S. 'Political Bribery' . HuffPost . March 21, 2022 . March 23, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190323002448/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jimmy-carter-us-politics_us_55bbb3c9e4b0d4f33a02ae2b . live .

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