2016 USA Vice Presidential Debate between Mike Pence and Tim Kaine
Watch the 2016 Vice Presidential Debate between Mike Pence and Tim Kaine, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is8cx0q39bI, around 2 hours (actual debate would be around 1 hr 30 mins), October 4th 2016.
A transcript along with fact-check of this debate can be viewed here: http://www.npr.org/2016/10/04/496452797/fact-check-vice-presidential-debate-with-tim-kaine-and-mike-pence.
Ravi: I found the faith and abortion related part of this debate to be of great interest. So I have provided that part below (from around 1 hr 22 min in the video):
Debate moderator: I would like to turn to our next segment now -- and in this I would like to focus on social issues. You have both been open about the role that faith has played in your lives. Can you discuss in detail a time when you struggled to balance your personal faith and a public policy position? Senator Kaine.
Tim Kaine: That is an easy one for me, I am really fortunate. I grew up in a wonderful household with great Irish Catholic parents - my mom and dad are sitting right here. I was educated by Jesuits at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City. My 40th reunion is in ten days. And I worked with Jesuit missionaries in Honduras now nearly thirty five years ago, and they were the heroes of my life. I try to practice my religion in a very devout way and follow the teachings of my church in my own personal life. But I don’t believe in this nation, a first amendment nation, where we don't raise any religion over the other and we allow people to worship as they please, that the doctrines of any one religion should be mandated for everyone.
For me, the hardest struggle in my faith life was - the Catholic Church is against the death penalty and so am I. But I was governor of a state, and the state law said there was a death penalty for crimes that the jury determined to be heinous. So I had to grapple with that. When I was running for governor I was attacked pretty strongly because of my position on the death penalty.
But I looked the voters of Virginia in the eye and said look, this is my religion. I'm not going to change my religious practice to get one vote but I know how to take an oath and uphold the law, and if you elect me I will uphold the law. And I was elected and I did. It was very, very difficult to allow executions to go forward but in circumstances where I did not feel like there's a case for clemency, I told Virginia voters I would uphold the law and I did. That was a real struggle but I think it is really, really important that those of us who have deep faith lives don’t feel like we can just substitute our own views for everybody else in society regardless of their views.
Mike Pence: It’s a wonderful question and my Christian faith is at the very heart of who I am. I was also raised in a wonderful family of faith. It was church on Sunday morning and grace before dinner. But my Christian faith became real for me when I made a personal decision for Christ when I was a freshman in college. And I have tried to live that out, however imperfectly every day of my life since. With my wife at my side, we have followed a calling into public service where we have tried to keep faith with the values that we cherish. And with regard to when I struggle, I appreciate and I have a great deal of respect for Senator Kaine’s sincere faith. I truly do. But for me, I have to tell you - for me the sanctity of life proceeds out of the belief, that ancient principle, that where God says before you were formed in the womb I knew you. And so from my first time in public life, I sought to stand with great compassion for the sanctity of life.
The state of Indiana is also - sought to make sure that we expand alternatives and health care counseling for women - non-abortion alternatives. I'm also pleased with the fact we are well on our way in Indiana to becoming the most pro-adoption state in America. I think if you’re going to be pro-life you should be pro-adoption. But what I can’t understand is with Hillary Clinton and now Senator Kaine at her side - is to support a practice like partial birth abortion - and to hold to the view - I know Senator you hold pro-life views personally, but the very idea that a child that is almost born into the world could still have their life taken from them is just anathema to me. I cannot conscience about a party that supports that. Or that - I know you have historically opposed taxpayer funding of abortion - but Hillary Clinton wants to repeal the long-standing provision in the law where we said we wouldn’t use taxpayer dollars to fund abortion. So for me, my faith informs my life. I try and spend a little time on my knees every day. But it all for me begins with cherishing the dignity, the worth, the value of every human life.
Tim Kaine: Elaine, this is a fundamental question, a fundamental question. Hillary and I are both people out of religious backgrounds. Her Methodist church experience was really formative for her as a public servant. But we really feel like you should live fully and with enthusiasm with the commands of your faith but it is not the role of the public servant to mandate that for everybody else.
So let's talk about abortion and choice. Let's talk about that. We support Roe vs. Wade. We support the constitutional right of American women to consult their own conscience, their own - support of partner, their own minister, but then make their own decision about pregnancy. That is something we trust American women to do that. And we don’t think that women should be punished as Donald Trump said they should, for making the decision to have an abortion. Governor Pence wants to repeal Roe vs. Wade. He said he wants to put it on the ash heap of history. We have some young people in the audience who were not even born when Roe was decided. This is pretty important. Before Roe versus Wade, states could pass criminal laws to do just that - to punish women if they made the choice to terminate a pregnancy. I think you should live your moral values but the last thing, the very last thing that government should do is have laws that would punish women who make reproductive choices. And that is the fundamental difference between a Clinton Kaine ticket - and a Trump Pence ticket that wants to punish women who make that choice.
Mike Pence: It is really not. Donald Trump and I would never support legislation that punished women who made the heartbreaking choice to end a pregnancy.
Tim Kaine: Then why did Donald Trump say that?
Mike Pence: Look. Look. He is not a polished politician like you and Hillary Clinton, and so you know -.
--- end faith and abortion related part of Tim Kaine - Mike Pence debate ---
Please note that I have a PUBLICLY NEUTRAL informal-student-observer role in these posts that I put up about the USA presidential elections. Of course, as I am an Indian citizen living in India, there is no question of me voting in these elections.
A transcript along with fact-check of this debate can be viewed here: http://www.npr.org/2016/10/04/496452797/fact-check-vice-presidential-debate-with-tim-kaine-and-mike-pence.
Ravi: I found the faith and abortion related part of this debate to be of great interest. So I have provided that part below (from around 1 hr 22 min in the video):
Debate moderator: I would like to turn to our next segment now -- and in this I would like to focus on social issues. You have both been open about the role that faith has played in your lives. Can you discuss in detail a time when you struggled to balance your personal faith and a public policy position? Senator Kaine.
Tim Kaine: That is an easy one for me, I am really fortunate. I grew up in a wonderful household with great Irish Catholic parents - my mom and dad are sitting right here. I was educated by Jesuits at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City. My 40th reunion is in ten days. And I worked with Jesuit missionaries in Honduras now nearly thirty five years ago, and they were the heroes of my life. I try to practice my religion in a very devout way and follow the teachings of my church in my own personal life. But I don’t believe in this nation, a first amendment nation, where we don't raise any religion over the other and we allow people to worship as they please, that the doctrines of any one religion should be mandated for everyone.
For me, the hardest struggle in my faith life was - the Catholic Church is against the death penalty and so am I. But I was governor of a state, and the state law said there was a death penalty for crimes that the jury determined to be heinous. So I had to grapple with that. When I was running for governor I was attacked pretty strongly because of my position on the death penalty.
But I looked the voters of Virginia in the eye and said look, this is my religion. I'm not going to change my religious practice to get one vote but I know how to take an oath and uphold the law, and if you elect me I will uphold the law. And I was elected and I did. It was very, very difficult to allow executions to go forward but in circumstances where I did not feel like there's a case for clemency, I told Virginia voters I would uphold the law and I did. That was a real struggle but I think it is really, really important that those of us who have deep faith lives don’t feel like we can just substitute our own views for everybody else in society regardless of their views.
Mike Pence: It’s a wonderful question and my Christian faith is at the very heart of who I am. I was also raised in a wonderful family of faith. It was church on Sunday morning and grace before dinner. But my Christian faith became real for me when I made a personal decision for Christ when I was a freshman in college. And I have tried to live that out, however imperfectly every day of my life since. With my wife at my side, we have followed a calling into public service where we have tried to keep faith with the values that we cherish. And with regard to when I struggle, I appreciate and I have a great deal of respect for Senator Kaine’s sincere faith. I truly do. But for me, I have to tell you - for me the sanctity of life proceeds out of the belief, that ancient principle, that where God says before you were formed in the womb I knew you. And so from my first time in public life, I sought to stand with great compassion for the sanctity of life.
The state of Indiana is also - sought to make sure that we expand alternatives and health care counseling for women - non-abortion alternatives. I'm also pleased with the fact we are well on our way in Indiana to becoming the most pro-adoption state in America. I think if you’re going to be pro-life you should be pro-adoption. But what I can’t understand is with Hillary Clinton and now Senator Kaine at her side - is to support a practice like partial birth abortion - and to hold to the view - I know Senator you hold pro-life views personally, but the very idea that a child that is almost born into the world could still have their life taken from them is just anathema to me. I cannot conscience about a party that supports that. Or that - I know you have historically opposed taxpayer funding of abortion - but Hillary Clinton wants to repeal the long-standing provision in the law where we said we wouldn’t use taxpayer dollars to fund abortion. So for me, my faith informs my life. I try and spend a little time on my knees every day. But it all for me begins with cherishing the dignity, the worth, the value of every human life.
Tim Kaine: Elaine, this is a fundamental question, a fundamental question. Hillary and I are both people out of religious backgrounds. Her Methodist church experience was really formative for her as a public servant. But we really feel like you should live fully and with enthusiasm with the commands of your faith but it is not the role of the public servant to mandate that for everybody else.
So let's talk about abortion and choice. Let's talk about that. We support Roe vs. Wade. We support the constitutional right of American women to consult their own conscience, their own - support of partner, their own minister, but then make their own decision about pregnancy. That is something we trust American women to do that. And we don’t think that women should be punished as Donald Trump said they should, for making the decision to have an abortion. Governor Pence wants to repeal Roe vs. Wade. He said he wants to put it on the ash heap of history. We have some young people in the audience who were not even born when Roe was decided. This is pretty important. Before Roe versus Wade, states could pass criminal laws to do just that - to punish women if they made the choice to terminate a pregnancy. I think you should live your moral values but the last thing, the very last thing that government should do is have laws that would punish women who make reproductive choices. And that is the fundamental difference between a Clinton Kaine ticket - and a Trump Pence ticket that wants to punish women who make that choice.
Mike Pence: It is really not. Donald Trump and I would never support legislation that punished women who made the heartbreaking choice to end a pregnancy.
Tim Kaine: Then why did Donald Trump say that?
Mike Pence: Look. Look. He is not a polished politician like you and Hillary Clinton, and so you know -.
--- end faith and abortion related part of Tim Kaine - Mike Pence debate ---
Please note that I have a PUBLICLY NEUTRAL informal-student-observer role in these posts that I put up about the USA presidential elections. Of course, as I am an Indian citizen living in India, there is no question of me voting in these elections.
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