STEVE FORBES TO SEEK
WHITE HOUSE

By Carol Long Tobias, NRL PAC Director

Pro-life Steve Forbes, president and CEO of Forbes, Inc. and editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine, has announced that he will seek the 2000 Republican nomination for president of the United States. This increases to 10 the number of Republicans seeking their party's nomination.

Forbes is a native of New Jersey, where he resides with his wife, Sabina, and their five daughters. In 1985, President Ronald Reagan appointed Forbes chairman of the board for International Broadcasting, where he oversaw the operation of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty. He was reappointed by President George Bush and held that position until 1993.

Forbes is on the Board of Trustees of Princeton Univer-ity and also serves on the Board of Overseers of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

Forbes sought the Republican nomination for president in 1996 but was defeated by then-Senator Robert Dole. In 1996, Forbes established Americans for Hope, Growth and Opportunity (AHGO), an issue advocacy organization. AHGO ran a series of radio ads, one which pushed Congress to pass a ban on partial-birth abortions and another encouraging voters in Oregon to reject physician-assisted suicide in their 1998 election.

During the 1996 campaign, NRLC opposed Forbes' campaign, believing that he had not clearly articulated a strong pro-life position. Since that time, Forbes has strongly emphasized social issues, particularly his opposition to abortion and assisted suicide.

Forbes has defended the right to life of unborn children in many speeches, declaring that "...the right to life is not a state- endowed right, it's a God-given right." He has stated his support for a constitutional amendment that would ban abortion except to save the life of the mother, rape, or incest.

In 1997, Forbes wrote an extensive article, "The Moral Basis for A Free Society," which has become the foundation for much of his presidential campaign. In it he wrote, "Today, however, there is no doubt - - medically, genetically - - that individual human life begins at conception, and ends with natural death. The starting place for the discussion, then, is the recognition that abortion involves the violent ending of life - - the first and foremost of our natural rights, the one that trumps all others. That is why abortions are a moral wrong and a national tragedy. As Lincoln said of slavery 140 years ago, abortion is and must be on the road to extinction."

About assisted suicide, Forbes wrote, "The medical profession must do more to alleviate physical pain. But the pain, too, can be spiritual and emotional. While science makes progress on the physical side, we must work to provide real relief on the emotional and spiritual side, supporting others when they are in need."

He continues, "Doctor-assisted suicide is the first step toward euthanasia, which is turning doctors the world over from healers into killers. Doctor assisted suicide is not about people being on a respirator where technicians can barely find a brain wave. Nor is it about people who voluntarily refuse heroic measures. Rather, this is about what has happened in Holland, where they effectively legalized euthanasia. Since then, thousands of patients have been killed without their permission.

"With legalized assisted suicide, families will become greedy for their inheritance. The elderly will feel guilty for carrying on. People will say, 'You're using up resources that others could use.' Some day people may say that to you and me. It is a hideous, barbaric road for society to take. It encourages the elderly to believe they are obstacles, not human beings reflecting God's image. We must fervently fight it every inch of the way."

Other announced candidates seeking the Republican nomination include former Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander, former Family Research president Gary Bauer, syndicated columnist Pat Buchanan, Texas Governor George W. Bush, former Red Cross president Elizabeth Dole, Ohio Congress-man John Kasich, Arizona Senator John McCain, former vice-president Dan Quayle, and New Hampshire Senator Bob Smith.