By Carol Tobias
NRL Political Director
Every election year, it seems as if pro-lifers are told that this is the "most important election ever." That's not just hype. Building on previous successes, each election does get to be more important than the last, both to consolidate gains made and to make new inroads.
For example, in 1996, the battle over partial-birth abortion was just starting. It was an eight-year battle, but we finally got a president who joyfully signed the bill, replacing one who twice vetoed the measure at the urging of pro-abortionists.
In 2000, the issue was again partial-birth abortion but more importantly, the Supreme Court. We got the partial-birth abortion ban (only to have it suspended by judges), but we haven't gotten the justices.
There hasn't been a vacancy on the Supreme Court for 10 years, the longest stretch without a change since 1823. Pro-abortion Democrats in the Senate are leading unprecedented filibusters, blocking many of President Bush's key nominees to the federal courts. (See page 9)
Of the current Supreme Court, two justices (John Paul Stevens and William Rehnquist) are in their 80s, and two (Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg) are in their 70s. It's not unrealistic to expect that one or more of them will want to step down/retire in the near future.
Since the last election, we have seen an explosion of interest in human cloning and stem cell research. Unfortunately, many who support stem cell research are intent on destroying human embryos in the name of "science" or "progress," rather than using adult stem cells, which are providing positive results and which do not require the deaths of human embryos.
Many critical decisions about the future of human cloning and stem cell research are going to be made in the next few years. It will make a huge difference whom is in the White House.
Thus, the stakes for this election are even higher than they were in 2000. We are, again, facing an election with night and day contrasts and with life and death consequences for millions of unborn children.
George W. Bush is pro-life, John Kerry is pro-abortion. It's as clear-cut as that.
Unfortunately, even though the contrast is clear, and even though so much is at stake, not all pro-lifers are ready to cast their ballot for President Bush. How can that be?
Some pro-lifers happen to like John Kerry because of his positions on other issues, or they're uncomfortable with President Bush on other issues. We need to do everything we can to encourage fellow pro-lifers to put first things first - - the lives of innocent unborn children - - and to help them understand how deadly serious this election is for their future.
Others may be inclined to support a third-party candidate, or not vote at all, because they have been told (against all evidence) that George W. Bush is insufficiently pro-life. To anyone who knows his record or has listened to his pro-life comments, this is ridiculous.
Let's review the President's outstanding record during his first term:
During his first week in office, President Bush reinstated the "Mexico City Policy," which prevents your tax dollars from being given to organizations that perform and promote abortion overseas. He said he would veto an appropriations bill unless a provision overturning the policy was removed.
President Bush declared that federal funds will not be used for stem cell research that would require the destruction of human embryos. His threat of a veto stopped an attempt in the U.S. Senate to provide funding for such research.
The Bush Administration properly concluded that federally controlled substances cannot be used to assist suicides. When the decision was overturned in federal district court, the Administration appealed the case.
President Bush has strongly backed a ban on human cloning and helped defeat a "clone and kill" proposal in 2001. President Bush has helped win House approval of pro-life measures including the Child Custody Protection Act and the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act.
President Bush promoted and signed the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which protects all infants born alive, including those who survive abortion.
The Bush Administration's representatives to the United Nations and to UN meetings and conferences have fought repeated efforts to establish an international "right" to abortion.
President Bush promoted and signed the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, which bans the use of the gruesome partial-birth abortion procedure. President Bush supported and signed into law the Unborn Victims of Violence Act ("Laci and Conner's Law"), which recognizes unborn children as victims of violent federal crimes.
President Bush now has a record of appointing judges who will strictly interpret the Constitution and not legislate from the bench.
But there is another side to President Bush's accomplishments, which often gets overlooked. He has stopped many anti-life initiatives by threatening vetoes, including proposals to allow abortion to be covered in federal employees' health insurance plans, and to allow abortions to be performed in U.S. military medical facilities and within the federal prison system.
Let's look at his opponent:
Sen. John Kerry opposes any and all restrictions on abortion. He voted six times to keep partial-birth abortion legal. He voted against the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. Apparently Kerry thinks it's okay to tell a woman who has just lost her unborn baby in an act of violence that the baby didn't matter, that he or she didn't really exist anyway.
Kerry supports using our tax dollars to pay for abortion on demand. Kerry voted against notifying a parent before an abortion is performed on their minor daughter.
Kerry has stated unequivocally that he would nominate to the Supreme Court only those who support a woman's "right to choose."
As Kate Michelman, former president of NARAL, stated, "Even on the most difficult issues, we've never had to worry about John Kerry's position."
In these final days of the campaign, many of you will meet with friends and neighbors who aren't sure whom they want to vote for. Some will find various excuses either to support John Kerry or not to support President Bush.
For those who are considering a vote for John Kerry, plead with them. If they really care about unborn children, ask them to reconsider.
In a speech earlier this year, President Bush stated, "You can fairly judge the character of society by how it treats the weak, the vulnerable, the most easily forgotten. We believe that everyone has a place and a purpose in this world, that every life matters, that no insignificant person was ever born."
We need this kind of president in the White House for a second term.
By now, you've seen that opponents of President Bush don't just dislike him. They're absolutely furious with him, so much so that their emotions border on irrational hatred.
But they are also more determined and more energized than before.
Groups that support unrestricted abortion and are allied with the Democratic Party, such as NARAL, EMILY's List, Planned Parenthood, America Coming Together, Moveon.org, and groups organized by members of the former Clinton Administration - - such as Media Fund, America Votes, and Center for American Progress - - all are united in a single goal: defeating President Bush.
For the 2000 election, our opponents spent an estimated $70 million. According to the Washington Post, this year more than 40 groups plan to spend $300 million to defeat President Bush. That figure probably is on the low side.
We must and will get through this. That begins by stressing to every pro-lifer how crucial this election is.
The battle for unborn lives has been waged for more than 30 years, and 45 million unborn children have been lost. This election will have consequences for the next 30 years and the lives of probably another 45 million babies are on the line.
For the millions of Americans who oppose abortion, now is the time to stand up and be counted. Whether you are Republican, Democrat, or independent, now is the time to speak up on behalf of the unborn child. YOU are their only voice.
Your vote will help to decide whether abortion remains legal for the next 30 or 40 years. Remember: everyone expects the 2004 election to be decided by a percentage point or two.
It is no exaggeration to say that one vote could make the difference between life and death for millions of unborn children.
Forty-five million unborn children have already died in the Abortion Holocaust. We have an opportunity to put a pro-life president back in the White House for a second term. Unborn babies need that second chance.
Paid for by the NRL Political Action Committee. Not authorized by any candidate.