What does Democratic presidential candidate Joe Lieberman have to say about the New Hampshire newspaper story that suggested he believes that Roe v Wade should be updated to reflect medical advances that have pushed the point of viability earlier?

What he thinks is that if courts adopt a viability standard, this "lengthen(s) the time of a woman's clearly protected right to choose in Roe from the first trimester to 24 weeks."

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The senator said in the newspaper interview he thinks a lot about the abortion issue.

If elected president, he said, "I'll follow a policy that makes abortion safe, rare and legal."

And in this article about Lieberman's stance, Howard Dean and Kate Michelman seem to disagree about the relevance of science to the abortion debate:

"Senator Lieberman's history in the Senate is of a senator who has protected and defended a woman's right to choose,'' said Michelman, president of NARAL-Pro-Choice America.

Those who oppose a woman's right to choose have argued that advances in science and medicine should take away or restrict that right, she said, adding, "That would be a wrong and inappropriate use of science.''

Democratic front-runner Howard Dean said Friday that Lieberman's comments indicated he is "very much off base and doesn't understand the science.''

"I think Joe makes the mistake that Republicans do, insinuating himself in the doctor-patient relationship,'' Dean said in an interview with The Associated Press.

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This is a guest blog, written by an atheist.