Maryland Right to Life 2006 State Candidate Questionnaire

Rick Martel’s answers are marked with an “X” below:

1. Under what circumstances, if any, do you believe that abortion should be legal?

__X__ Only to prevent the death of the mother (MDRTL position).

_____ To prevent the mother’s death, in cases of incest, and in reported cases of forcible rape.

2. Do you support the complete and immediate reversal of the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions, thereby allowing the state legislatures and the Congress once again to protect unborn children?

__X__ Yes.

_____ No.

3. Would you support a bill that would require parental involvement prior to a minor obtaining an abortion?

__X__ Yes.

_____ No.

4. Would you support legislation to require that any mother considering an abortion first must be provided with clear and accurate information about the capacity of an unborn child to feel pain, and about possible alternatives to lessen or avoid that pain?

__X__ Yes.

_____ No.

5. “Unborn Victims of Violence” bill – Would you support any attempt to strengthen this law so that the unborn child would be recognized as a second victim regardless of his or her gestational age?

__X__ Yes.

_____ No.

6. Would you vote to prevent the use of tax funds for abortion other than to prevent the death of the mother?

__X__ Yes.

_____ No.

1. Would you support a law requiring women be given information about the medical risks associated with abortion, its alternatives and nonjudgmental scientifically accurate medical facts about the development of her unborn child at least 24 hours prior to an abortion being performed?

__X__ Yes.

_____ No.

2. What is your position on stem cell research?

__X__ Only adult stem cell research (including umbilical cord blood) should be permitted.

_____ All types of stem cell research, including embryonic research, should be permitted.

3. Will you vote for measures to protect living human embryos from being used for medical experiments that would harm or kill them, including so-called “embryonic stem cell research” that would require the killing of human embryos, regardless of the method used to create these human embryos?

__X__ Yes.

_____ No.

4. Would you support a legal prohibition at the state level on the use of somatic cell nuclear transfer (cloning) to create any humans, including the creation of human embryos by cloning?

__X__ Yes.

_____ No.

5. Would you oppose state legislation that would permit the creation of human embryos by cloning but in effect require the death of each such embryo (that is, legislation to ban “reproductive cloning” but to simultaneously permit so-called “therapeutic cloning”)?

__X__ Yes.

_____ No.

6. Would you support legislation that would prevent “fetus farming” in humans, by prohibiting establishing a human pregnancy for any purpose other than intending a live birth?

__X__ Yes.

_____ No.

7. If a patient on life support and no longer able to make decisions, while competent, had requested food and fluids, should they be administered?

__X__ Yes, health care providers should continue to provide food and fluids.

_____ No, health care providers should be allowed to decide whether to continue food and fluids.

8. If a patient, while competent, had not made his or her wishes known, should food and fluids be administered?

__X__ Yes, health care providers should continue to provide food and fluids.

_____ No, health care providers should be allowed to decide whether to continue food and fluids.

9. State law currently protects against the involuntary denial of lifesaving medical treatment by providing that if failure to comply with a patient’s or surrogate’s choice for lifesaving treatment would in reasonable medical judgment be likely to result in the patient’s death, a health care provider unwilling to respect the choice for lifesaving treatment must allow the patient to be transferred to a willing provider and must provide treatment pending transfer. Will you vote against repealing or weakening this law?

__X__ Yes.

_____ No.

10. In 1991, Oregon approved a health care rationing plan for its Medicaid program. An important factor in denial of treatment is the expected degree of disability or poor “quality of life” it is claimed a patient would be likely to have after treatment. This is a form of involuntary euthanasia. Would you vote to oppose any legislation in this state that, like the Oregon plan, would impose rationing that intentionally denies treatment on the basis of disability or “quality of life” of those denied treatment?

__X__ Yes.

_____ No.

11. Would you support a law to prevent “assisting suicide” by allowing relatives or others affected by an attempted or completed suicide, as well as public officials, to sue the person who “assists” for money damages and to obtain an injunction against future attempts by that person to assist suicides?

__X__ Yes.

_____ No.

12. Would you oppose the legalization of assisting suicide through lethal prescriptions as under the Oregon law?

__X__ Yes.

_____ No.