During his first run for the U.S. Senate, Fred Thompson said in an interview to a libertarian Republican newsletter that the ultimate decision to have an abortion “must be made by the woman.”

The comments were made in the July/August issue of Republican Liberty, the official newsletter of the Republican Liberty Caucus.

In the interview, Thompson was asked: “Some conservatives got flustered by your comments on abortion and Roe vs. Wade. Would you like to explain your position on abortion?”

Thompson answered: “Government should stay out of it. No public financing. The ultimate decision must be made by the woman. Government should treat its citizens as adults capable of making moral decisions on their own.”

I obtained a copy of the interview from Eric Dondero, founder of the Republican Liberty Caucus. He has more thoughts on the matter here.

Though news accounts have circulated around the internet describing Thompson as pro-choice in 1994, this is the first example I’ve seen of a direct quote in which Thompson espoused a clearly pro-choice position. And there’s likely more where that came from.

Thompson now says he is pro-life and calls Roe “bad law.” It must also be pointed out that during his 8-year career in the Senate, his voting record was solidly pro-life. But should he decide to jump into the race, they’ll no doubt be more scrutiny of his shifting position on abortion.