Political positions of Jimmy Carter

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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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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[edit | edit source]

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]

Kamala Harris

[edit | edit source]

Carter’s family members had stated that he wanted to live long enough to vote for Kamala Harris, a candidate to 2024 presidential elections. He has now done so and says that he “has fulfilled his end-of-life goal”.[32]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ^ Heyward, Giulia. “Jimmy Carter, the 39th U.S. president, enters hospice care”. NPR. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
  2. ^ Carter, James Earl (February 1, 2006). “Interview With Jimmy Carter”. CNN. Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  3. ^ Bourne, p. 279.
  4. ^ Skinner, Kiron; Kudelia, Serhiy; Bueno de Mesquita, Bruce; Rice, Condoleezza (2007). The Strategy of Campaigning. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 978-0-472-11627-0. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved October 20, 2008.
  5. ^ “Jimmy Carter: Democratic Party Should Be More Pro-Life”. RealClearPolitics. March 29, 2012. Archived from the original on October 26, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  6. ^ “Carter Nobel Peace Prize speech”. CNN archives. December 10, 2002. Archived from the original on November 16, 2007.
  7. ^ Hill, Elias C. (October 9, 2012). The Mirage of Human Rights. iUniverse. p. 200. ISBN 978-1-4759-4888-2. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  8. ^ “NEW VOICES: Jimmy Carter Urges New Mexico Governor to Support Death Penalty Repeal | Death Penalty Information Center”. Deathpenaltyinfo.org. Archived from the original on June 19, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  9. ^ Carter, Jimmy (October 28, 2012). “Jimmy Carter to California: Yes on Prop. 34” Archived 2012-11-11 at the Wayback Machine. op-ed. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  10. ^ “Brian Baldwin, Center on Wrongful Convictions”. Law.northwestern.edu. Archived from the original on May 23, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  11. ^ “Jimmy Carter, Desmond Tutu Urge Texas to Stay Execution of Kenneth Foster”. Democracynow.org. Archived from the original on June 17, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  12. ^ “Clemency | Death Penalty Information Center”. Deathpenaltyinfo.org. Archived from the original on June 12, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  13. ^ The Carter Center (September 19, 2008). “Carter Center Press Releases – President Carter Calls for Clemency for Troy Davis” (Press release). The Carter Center. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  14. ^ Sengupta, Somini (October 21, 2000). “Carter Sadly Turns Back On National Baptist Body”. The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 17, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  15. ^ “Losing my religion for equality”. The Age. July 15, 2009. Archived from the original on July 4, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  16. ^ A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power. Simon & Schuster. 2014. ISBN 978-1-4767-7395-7. OCLC 868276576.
  17. ^ Carter, Jimmy (April 26, 2009). “What Happened to the Ban on Assault Weapons?”. The New York Times (Op-ed). Archived from the original on May 16, 2013. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  18. ^ Eaton, William J. (May 5, 1994). “Ford, Carter, Reagan Push for Gun Ban”. Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 10, 2014. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  19. ^ 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. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved July 4, 2014.
  20. ^ Jump up to:a b Buxton, Ryan (July 7, 2015). “Jimmy Carter Says Jesus Would Approve Of Gay Marriage”. HuffPost. Archived from the original on September 24, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  21. ^ Robertson, Abigail. “Franklin Graham: Carter ‘Absolutely Wrong’ That Jesus Would Approve of Same-Sex Marriage”. Charisma News. Archived from the original on September 24, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  22. ^ “Franklin Graham: President Carter ‘Absolutely Wrong’ on Jesus Approving of Gay Marriage”. CBN News. July 11, 2018. Archived from the original on November 16, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  23. ^ “Jimmy Carter: Gay marriage should be up to states”. USA Today. October 27, 2014. Archived from the original on February 4, 2017. Retrieved January 21, 2017.
  24. ^ “White House disputes Carter’s analysis – Capitol Hill”. NBC News. September 16, 2009. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  25. ^ O’Brien, Michael (September 19, 2009). “Obama plays down role of race in criticism – The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room”. The Hill. Archived from the original on December 26, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2010.
  26. ^ “Carter Says U.S. Should Close Down Center At Guantánamo”. The New York Times. June 8, 2005. Archived from the original on September 7, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  27. ^ Freedland, Jonathan (June 6, 2008). “I have moral authority”. The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 17, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
  28. ^ Delreal, Jose (October 31, 2013). “Carter: ACA rollout ‘questionable'”. Politico. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  29. ^ Radnofsky, Louise (July 23, 2017). “Jimmy Carter Believes U.S. Will Eventually Go to Single-Payer Health System”. The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on February 4, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  30. ^ Eberhardt, Robin (July 24, 2017). “Jimmy Carter predicts US will eventually have single-payer healthcare system”. The Hill. Archived from the original on August 21, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  31. ^ Lavender, Paige (July 31, 2015). “Jimmy Carter Blasts U.S. ‘Political Bribery'”. HuffPost. Archived from the original on March 23, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2022.

 

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39th President of the United States (1977–1981)76th Governor of Georgia (1971–1975)Georgia State Senator (1963–1967)
Presidency
(timeline)		 TransitionInaugurationTimeline 1977197819791980January 1981Political positionsJudicial appointments controversiesExecutive ActionsRabbit incidentSolar power at the White HouseReagan transitionForeign policyCarter DoctrineCamp David Accords Egypt–Israel peace treatyTorrijos–Carter TreatiesIran hostage crisis International Emergency Economic Powers ActExecutive Order 12170Operation Eagle ClawCanadian CaperEngagement with Ruhollah Khomeini1979 oil crisisSupport for Iraq during the Iran-Iraq WarAlgiers AccordsIran–United States Claims TribunalDiplomatic relations with China Goldwater v. CarterStrategic Arms Limitation TalksInternational trips1980 Summer Olympics boycottExecutive Order 12036Refugee ActForeign Intelligence Surveillance Act FISA CourtNuclear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978Domestic policyCannabis policyCivil Service Reform Act of 1978 Senior Executive ServiceCooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978Department of Education Organization Act U.S. Department of EducationExecutive Order 12148 Federal Emergency Management AgencyExecutive Order 12172U.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesEconomic policyAgricultural Trade Act of 1978Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1980Airline Deregulation ActCarter bondsCommunity Reinvestment ActDIDMC ActElectronic Fund Transfer ActExecutive Order 12086Fair Debt Collection Practices ActFederal Reserve Reform Act of 1977Financial Institutions Regulatory and Interest Rate Control Act of 1978 Federal Financial Institutions Examination CouncilNational security letterRight to Financial Privacy ActFood and Agriculture Act of 1977Humphrey–Hawkins Full Employment ActMotor Carrier Act of 1980National Aquaculture Act of 1980Staggers Rail ActTax Reduction and Simplification Act of 1977Revenue Act of 1978Trade Agreements Act of 1979Crude Oil Windfall Profit Tax Act of 1980Energy policyU.S. Department of EnergyFederal Energy Regulatory CommissionEnergy Security Act Synthetic Fuels CorporationNational Energy Act Energy Tax ActNational Energy Conservation Policy ActPublic Utility Regulatory Policies ActNuclear Safety, Research, Demonstration, and Development Act of 1980Solar Photovoltaic Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1978Environmental
policyAlaska National Interest Lands Conservation ActAntarctic Conservation ActClean Air Act Amendments of 1977Clean Water Act of 1977Endangered Species Act Amendments of 1978Superfund Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease RegistryNational Priorities ListSurface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and EnforcementThree Mile Island accident investigationUranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act

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