Part One of Two
By Representative Chris Smith
(R-NJ)
Editor's note. This story
appears on page one of the July/August issue of National Right to Life
News.
The epic struggle to regain
protection for the lives of unborn children both in practice and in law
is at a critical juncture--unlike any time in my 36 years in the
pro-life movement--in the 2008 presidential election.
The differences in this
election are crystal clear, the stakes are enormous both
nationally--nothing less than the Supreme Court--and
internationally--taxpayer-funded abortions around the world. We must
elect a pro-life president. If we truly value the most persecuted
minority in the world--unborn children--we must elect John McCain.
Senator John McCain is
proudly pro-life and has proven himself time and again to be committed
to the right to life. He has often spoken of "life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness," stating, "Life means the rights of the born and
the unborn."
Senator McCain's pro-life
political position extends back to his first years in the U.S. House of
Representatives. In the early 1980s John and I both served as new
members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and sat next to each
other, often discussing human rights and humanitarian issues including
respect for the most vulnerable, unborn children. John would routinely
ask me how "our issue"--the right to life--was faring. John's concern
and deep commitment to the pro-life cause was genuine then and still is
today.
I consider John McCain to be
a true champion for life and believe that he will be a president who
advocates for the rights of the most defenseless--unborn children and
their mothers. During the past two decades, it could not have been more
clear to me, and everyone who watched him in action, that John McCain
was a rising star known for candor, courage, insight, leadership, and a
quick mind. John applies those virtues to all of his endeavors,
including his commitment to the most vulnerable--the unborn.
You and I recognize that
abortion is violence against children. It is extreme child abuse. It is
cruelty to children. Sadly, abortion is not only legal until birth but
the daily perpetrators of this terrible injustice are massively
subsidized by liberal politicians who enrich the abortion industry with
taxpayer funds.
Now, more than ever, the
pro-life movement needs men and women of courage. We need a president
who won't waffle, capitulate, or retreat from "our issue"--to end the
scourge of abortion. John McCain is that man.
As Senator McCain, he pays
close attention to "our issue." As all of us in this movement know,
judges--especially Supreme Court judges--are critical to restoring
pro-life protections for the lives of unborn children. John has been a
leading voice over the years as the Senate has considered judges,
lending his support to strict constructionist judges like Chief Justice
John Roberts and Justice Sam Alito.
As Republican co-chair of the
House Pro-life Caucus, I know that the differences in this election
could not be clearer. Senator Barack Obama has stated that his first
priority as president would be to sign the so-called Freedom of Choice
Act--legislation so heinous that it would virtually overturn all
pro-life laws nationwide, including the ban on partial-birth abortion as
well as modest restrictions on abortion such as informed consent,
waiting periods, and parental notification. Obama would compel each and
every taxpayer to fund abortion in the United States as well as
internationally.
Obama is so extreme about
supporting abortion that as a state senator he opposed the Illinois
Born-Alive Infant Protection Act that would have required the provision
of medical care for the baby girl or boy who survived the abortion--a
policy that even Hillary Clinton supported. Obama is so extreme that he
enthusiastically supports the hideous--now illegal--method of abortion
known as partial-birth abortion.
Senator McCain has declared,
"You can count on my active advocacy for the rights of the unborn." I
know he will be true to his word and do all he can as president to
advance "our issue"--restoration of human rights to the defenseless
unborn children and their vulnerable mothers.
We need to do all we can to
help him win this historic, make-or-break election. Because the stakes
are so extraordinarily high, everyone who believes in the sanctity of
human life has to help elect Senator McCain. The pro-life movement must
stand solidly and enthusiastically behind this proven friend and leader.
"Our issue"--the precious lives of millions of unborn children and the
well-being of their mothers--depends on it.
Authorized by the Committee
to Re-Elect Congressman Chris Smith. Not authorized by any other
candidate. Paid for by National Right to Life Political Action
Committee.
www.nrlpac.org
