Comment: Johnson on abortion

He was interviewed by PLAYBOY on a host of issues in 2000:

PLAYBOY: Where do you stand on abortion rights?
JOHNSON: It should be left up to the woman. If my daughter were pregnant and she came to me and asked me what she ought to do, I would advise her to have the child. But I would not for a minute pretend that I should make that decision for her or any other woman.

PLAYBOY: But you have supported legislation that requires parental consent and signed a ban on partial birth abortions.
JOHNSON: I think the decision can be made at an earlier stage. That's why I don't support partial birth abortions. I realize it's a fine line, but I generally come down on a woman's right to decide.

PLAYBOY: Do you disagree that parental consent is problematic for teenagers who can't talk to their parents?
JOHNSON: I believe that parents ought to know. Where that can't occur, there needs to be a process in place, which we have in New Mexico.

Some will object to his stance. I do not. Abortion studies place women's reasons for abortion in a number of categories but they all boil down to two considerations: 1) health of the mother and fetus and 2) money. If you could wave a magic wand and make all expecting women millionaires, few of them would abort. So the way to reduce abortion is to increase economic opportunity for women. The way to do that is to increase their freedom. Johnson stands for eliminating central banking, fiat currency and fractional reserve lending; sharply curtailing the scale and scope of the federal government; and engaging a foreign policy of freedom. Johnson has the right agenda.