In Bush's Own Words
By Dave Andrusko

The race for the White House this year offers the sharpest of contrasts.

On the Republican side there is pro-life Gov. George W. Bush who not only talks the talk, but, as governor of Texas, has walked the walk.

On the Democratic side, there is pro-abortion Al Gore, a passionate supporter of the Abortion Establishment who regularly burnishes his pro-abortion credentials.

You will find a short-hand summary of the two candidates' positions on page one of this issue of National Right to Life News. A flyer that does much the same thing can be downloaded from NRLC's web page at  www.nrlc.org/Election2000/gorebushcomparison.pdf .

The following is a partial list of the many solidly pro-life statements that Texas Gov. George W. Bush has made.

In the first presidential debate, held October 3, Mr. Bush had this exchange with moderator Jim Lehner.

MR. LEHRER: All right, on the - - on the Supreme Court question, should a voter assume you're pro-life, you've just stated your position.

MR. BUSH: I am pro-life.

In a September 29 video message to the annual convention of the Christian Coalition, Gov. Bush said,

"Should I be elected, I will lead our nation toward a culture that values life, the life of the elderly and the sick, the life of the young and the life of the unborn....And when Congress sends me a bill against partial-birth abortion, I will sign it into law."

In an interview given to Our Sunday Visitor and Catholic News Service, September 20, Gov. Bush said,

"Well, one of the things I do in my speeches and what I'll do as president is to talk about the culture of life, the need for a welcoming society.... I recognize that until we have a cultural shift, there's going to be a lot of folks who disagree with my pro-life position. But that's not going to stop me from setting the goal the unborn ought to be welcome in life and protected in law. That ought to be the goal of America."

Asked how to bring about that cultural shift, Bush said,

"I think its a matter of leadership....The abortion issue obviously only focuses on the unborn, but there's a larger issue of life. We've got people in our society who feel it's OK to take the life of the elderly, somehow that it's acceptable, and it's not. And America must have a president who doesn't scold, doesn't lecture, but leads our nation to appreciate the value of life. But it's important to have a president who wants to talk about it."

On September 28, when the Food and Drug Administration authorized marketing of the abortifacient RU486, Bush said, "I think the FDA's decision to approve the abortion pill RU486 is wrong. People on both sides of the abortion issue can agree that we should do everything we can to reduce the number of abortions, and I fear that making this abortion pill widespread will make abortions more and more common, rather than more and more rare. As president, I will work to build a culture that respects life."

In a 1999 interview on Meet the Press, Bush said,

"I'm going to set a goal that says the unborn ought to be protected in law and welcomed to life. That ought to be a national goal. ...And the first step is to have a president who values life. Part of ushering in the responsibility era, of which I talk a lot about, is for folks to understand the preciousness of life. It's not only life of the unborn, it is life for the elderly, it is life for the young. ...

"What I will do is promote life as president of the United States. ...

"I support a constitutional amendment with the exceptions of life, incest, and rape."

(Interview with Tim Russert, NBC's Meet the Press, 11/21/99)

On Larry King Live, asked what his party's platform plank on abortion ought to be, Mr. Bush said,

"I think the platform ought to be pro-life. It's the basis of the Republican Party.

"...[P]eople have got to understand that abortion is not a contraceptive."

(Larry King Live, CNN, 12/16/99)

In early 1999, he told the Associated Press,

"There are a lot of Americans who don't view the abortion issue as a matter of life. I do. That's one reason why I'm a pro-life person."

(Associated Press, 3/8/99)

And as far back as 1994, Bush told a Texas newspaper.

"I do not like abortions. I will do everything in my power to restrict abortion."

(Dallas Morning News, 10/22/94)

One other especially important message is the video Gov. Bush sent to National Right to Life's 2000 Convention. What follows is the complete text.

"Hello. This is Governor George W. Bush and I appreciate this chance to speak to you again. I am pleased to welcome everyone gathered for the National Right to Life Convention.

"For 27 years, more than a generation now, you have championed the first guarantee of the Declaration of Independence, the right on which all other rights depend. There have been some victories and there have been some setbacks, but you have never lost faith. You have never abandoned the cause of life. I honor your commitment.

"The promise and welcome of our society should extend to all - - to the poor and the fatherless, to the elderly and the dying, to those with sickness and disability, to the born and the unborn. In this cause we must speak the language of life and of love, as you have always done.

"We must appeal, not to the things that divide us, but to the things that unite us, even when unity seems distant. The late Governor Robert Casey said it best. "Abortion," he said, "is not a question of when life begins. It is a question of when love begins." It's really not a partisan matter, as Governor Casey often reminded us.

"It crosses all lines of party, speaking directly to the conscience of America. When President Clinton vetoed the bill to ban live-birth abortions, many Democrats were as appalled as most Republicans.

"There are grounds for agreement. Though most Americans have honest disagreements on this issue, most can agree on the goals of providing real and compassionate alternatives, parental notification, opposing federal funding, and promoting of adoptions.

"And the first order of business is clear. It was National Right to Life that first brought partial-birth abortion to the attention of America. Dr. C. Everett Koop called the practice medically indefensible. Senator Pat Moynihan compared it to infanticide, and you at National Right toLife and all of the American people have this, my pledge: As President, I will sign a bill to end partial-birth abortion. These are steps toward the day when every child is welcomed in life and protected in law. They are not just items on an agenda, but part of a broader vision, a culture of life, a fair and decent society where the weak are not a burden but apriority, where hard cases are given special care, where hope is offered to mother and child alike. America should be, in the words of Pope John Paul II, 'A hospitable society, a welcomingculture.' "To this calling you have given your all. I thank you for your great work these past 27 years. Yours is not only a good and selfless cause, it's also a winning cause. Thanks for listening and God bless."