By Carol Tobias
NRL Political Director
NEW YORK (September 2) - - Pro-life President George W. Bush and pro-life Vice President Dick Cheney accepted the Republican Party's nomination amid cheers of "four more years" from wildly enthusiastic delegates gathered in New York City.
Their Democratic opponents, pro-abortion Senators John Kerry and John Edwards, accepted the nomination of the Democratic Party in July in Boston.
As a consequence, American voters will be presented with the sharpest contrast in the 31 years since Roe v. Wade was handed down. The stakes could not be higher.
NRLC Staff were present during Platform Committee deliberations prior to the convention. Thanks to President Bush's strong leadership and input from National Right to Life staff and others, the platform planks relating to our issues adopted on that Monday were solidly pro-life.
During his Thursday night acceptance speech, President Bush again made clear his position on abortion. "Because a caring society will value its weakest members," he said, "we must make a place for the unborn child." Mr. Bush received thunderous applause in response.
His remarks reflected the platform adopted by the convention, which is possibly the strongest pro-life platform yet.
Under the heading "Promoting a Culture of Life," the document reads, "As a country, we must keep our pledge to the first guarantee of the Declaration of Independence. That is why we say the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and we endorse legislation to make it clear that the Fourteenth Amendment's protections apply to unborn children. Our purpose is to have legislative and judicial protection of that right against those who perform abortions. We oppose using public revenues for abortion and will not fund organizations which advocate it. We support the appointment of judges who respect traditional family values and the sanctity of innocent human life."
The platform continues by citing support for adoption and alternatives to abortion. It praises President Bush for signing the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, and Laci and Conner's Law (the Unborn Victims of Violence Act), "which recognizes the common-sense proposition that when a crime of violence against a pregnant woman kills or injures her unborn child, there are two victims and two offenses that should be punished."
The platform emphasizes research on adult stem cells and cord blood stem cells, stating, "We strongly support the President's policy that prevents taxpayer dollars from being used to encourage the future destruction of human embryos. In addition, we applaud the President's call for a comprehensive ban on human cloning and on the creation of human embryos solely for experimentation."
The platform goes on to quote President Bush, who has said, "the ethics of medicine are not infinitely adaptable. There is at least one bright line: We do not end some lives for the medical benefit of others."
Not ignoring the value of those with disabilities, nor the problems they face, the Republican platform affirms "the inherent dignity and worth of all people," opposing the "non-consensual withholding of care or treatment because of disability, age, or infirmity, just as we oppose euthanasia and assisted suicide, which especially endanger the poor and those on the margins of society."
The document supports President Bush's decision to restore the Drug Enforcement Administration's policy that controlled substances shall not be used for assisted suicide and applauds "pioneering legislation which focuses research and treatment resources on the alleviation of pain and the care of terminally ill patients."
Compare all of this to the Democratic Party platform, adopted in Boston. It reads, "Because we believe in the privacy and equality of women, we stand proudly for a woman's right to choose, consistent with Roe v. Wade, and regardless of her ability to pay. We stand firmly against Republican efforts to undermine that right. At the same time, we strongly support family planning and adoption incentives. Abortion should be safe, legal, and rare."
The Democratic platform also states that President Bush has rejected calls "for assistance with embryonic stem cell research," declaring, "We will reverse his wrongheaded policy."
As with the platforms, the contrast between the candidates is stark. Notwithstanding the Democratic platform's call for abortion to be "safe, legal, and rare," John Kerry and John Edwards have voted against every piece of legislation that would place reasonable limits on abortion.
Kerry voted against passing the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act on six occasions, voted to use tax dollars to pay for abortion, and voted against notifying a parent before an abortion is performed on a minor daughter.
Having missed most Senate votes this year because of the campaign, Kerry made a special effort to show up to vote against the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. Earlier this year Kerry also went out of his way to emphasize that he will only appoint Supreme Court justices who support Roe v. Wade.
President Bush, of course, has a wonderful record in support of life. In his first term, Mr. Bush signed three major pieces of legislation, reinstated the Mexico City Policy, supported a ban on human cloning, and continued to reinforce his belief that judges should strictly interpret the Constitution and not legislate from the bench. It is precisely because of his insistence on nominating judges who will read the Constitution - - not read into the Constitution - - that pro-abortion Democrats have filibustered a host of judicial appointments.
A year ago, and more, the predictions were that the 2004 presidential election would be close. That assessment is unchanged.
Pro-lifers must never forget that in the 2000 presidential election, only 51.2% of the voting-age population in America chose to take a few minutes out of their schedules to vote in an election so close that its final outcome was not determined for 35 days afterwards. All pro-lifers should be registered to vote and encourage other pro-lifers to register.
It is possible to register through the NRLC website, at www.nrlc.org. However, this should be done expeditiously, since states have varying deadlines. (See page 23.)
Also, a comparison piece, describing the positions of the presidential candidates, is available from NRLC for distribution in churches and other venues. (See page 14.)
Please continue to educate friends, relatives, and neighbors about the issue of abortion and where the candidates stand.