Santorum, Gingrich Endorsed by Georgia Pro-Life Group

Politics   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Feb 10, 2012   |   12:08PM   |   Atlanta, GA

Republican presidential candidates Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum today received the endorsement of the Georgia Right to Life Political Action Committee, a statewide pro-life organization.

Melanie Crozier, Director of GRTL’s Political Action Committee, told LifeNews, “Both Speaker Gingrich and Senator Santorum have clearly demonstrated their commitment to protecting all human life. As a result, we feel strongly that either candidate deserves the support of Georgia’s prolife voters.”

Stressing the need for voters to be informed, GRTL President Dan Becker said, “It’s not just about who can win. It’s time for prolifers to quit voting based on polls and start voting on principle. These are the only two candidates in the race that support the prolife position without exception and without compromise.”

“As a candidate who has demonstrated a willingness to stand for the sanctity of life, we are especially pleased to commend you and look forward to working with you during your term as President,” GRTL said in letters to both candidates.

Gingrich, who will be in Georgia next week, called the endorsement “one of the most important of my campaign.”

“The right to life is so basic that our Founding Fathers described the inalienable right as a ‘self evident’ truth in the Declaration of Independence – and one that we are endowed with by Our Creator,” Gingrich said. “Without the unalienable right, we are no different than nations that preceded us. A great nation must work diligently to protect life, and as President we will protect life.”

Becker noted that both Gingrich and Santorum have signed the “Personhood Pledge.” In it, they agree to support a personhood amendment to the U.S. and state constitutions. he claims such an amendment would guarantee a constitutional right to life for every human being, from the moment of conception until natural death.

In addition, Becker pointed out that both candidates oppose all forms of human embryonic stem cell research. [related]

“The organization did not endorse Governor Mitt Romney or Congressman Ron Paul because of their compromise on life issues,” Georgia Right to Life told LifeNews. Referring to Romney and Paul, Crozier said “ Governor Romney still supports abortion in the case of rape and incest, and Congressman Paul recently indicated in certain cases, he does as well.”

UPDATE:  The decision by the affiliate of National Right to Life, which has taken the position that each of the four Republican candidates are pro-life enough to be significantly better than Obama and has not endorsed any candidate, received pushback from its parent organization.

“The endorsement by Georgia Right to Life on February 10 of two candidates for President does not represent the position of National Right to Life and was done without consultation with National Right to Life,” the organization told LifeNews. “All of the Republican candidates for President have taken a pro-life position. All support the overturning of Roe v. Wade, all support legal protection for unborn children, all support repealing Obamacare, and all oppose government funding or subsidies for abortion.”

“The goal of National Right to Life PAC is the defeat of pro-abortion Barack Obama. National Right to Life urges all pro-life individuals and groups to take no action that could prove harmful to whoever is the eventual pro-life nominee for President,” it added.

From NRLC’s perspective, trashing the pro-life credentials of any of the four candidates will make it harder to rally pro-life voters around the nominee after the primary election and make it more difficult to defeat Obama in November.

Romney has recently received his own pro-life endorsements, including from James Bopp, one of the top pro-life attorneys in the nation who has served as legal counsel for the National Right to Life Committee, Christian Coalition, Citizens United and the Republican Party.

R.C. Hammond, the press secretary for the Gingrich campaign told LifeNews Gingrich, who represented Georgia’s 6th District in Congress from January 1979 to November 1998, “”has been an outspoken advocate for protecting those who cannot speak for themselves.”

“Emily’s List, a liberal political action committee known for supporting abortion rights, ranked Gingrich in December as the worst among GOP Presidential candidates because of his strong pro life scorecard and agenda,” he noted. “Gingrich has pledged to appoint pro-life judges to the U.S. Supreme Court, end taxpayer funding of abortion, defund Planned Parenthood and sign aggressive abortion restrictions into law.”