Palin:
My Gay Friend "Made a Choice I Would Not Have Made"

For weeks vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has repeatedly alluded to having many "gay friends" in interviews, even though gay and lesbian residents of Wasilla, Alaska, the small town where Palin once served as mayor, have suggested the governor has been less than supportive when it comes to gay rights.

But Tuesday night, in a second interview with CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric, Palin elaborated on the friend she's so often referred to -- a woman she says she's been close with for 30 years.

Palin sat down with Couric to discuss, among other things, her conservative stance on several social issues. When talk turned to a church that Palin has frequented sponsoring a conference promoting the "conversion" of gays and lesbians to heterosexuality through prayer, the maverick Republican turned defensive.

"I don't know what prayers are worthy of being prayed, and I don't know what prayers are going to be answered, but as for homosexuality, I am not going to judge Americans and the decisions that they make in their adult personal lives."

Palin suggested the press "got it wrong" when they implied she supported the church's beliefs.

Later, despite acknowledging that one of her best friends is a lesbian, Palin went on to suggest that she believes homosexuality is a choice.

"One of my absolute best friends for the past 30 years happens to be gay ... I love her dearly. She is not my gay friend -- she is one of my best friends. She happens to have made a choice that isn't a choice that I would have made."

In talking with Couric as she gears up for her debate with Democratic vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden, Palin further clarified her position on abortion. Though she says she strongly believes in counseling young women to choose life, she says jailing a woman for choosing abortion is "not something I would ever support."

Palin also said that because she believes life begins at conception, she takes issue with the morning-after pill as a form of birth prevention. (Ross von Metzke, The Advocate)