Speculation about which vice-presidential candidate Republican hopeful Mitt Romney will select to run with him against pro-abortion President Barack Obama has reached a fever pitch in recent weeks.
A new report from Reuters claims three pro-life elected officials top the Romney list, despite the fact that campaign officials say no decision has been made and that political pundits are making cases for other possible selections. As Reuters reports:
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney appears to be in the final stages of deciding who to pick as his vice presidential running mate, with speculation growing that he has narrowed his choice down to a short-list of three.
Ohio Senator Rob Portman, former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal all offer various strengths to Romney should he decide to pick one of them to join his battle to unseat President Barack Obama and his vice president, Joe Biden, in the November 6 election.
“No decision has been made. An announcement could happen any time between now and the convention, but it will only happen after a decision has been made and no decision has been made,” said Romney campaign senior adviser Eric Fehrnstrom.
Portman, Pawlenty and Jindal would be well-received by pro-life groups.
Ohio Right to Life endorsed Portman, who has a 100% pro-life voting record from National Right to Life, in the 2010 election for U.S. Senate, saying, “It is an absolute responsibility for the men and women of Ohio’s pro-life movement to support Rob Portman, who supports, promotes and has defended a culture of life throughout his career.”
Pawlenty has an extensive pro-life record and received high marks from Minnesota pro-life groups for his tenure there.
Scott Fischbach, executive director of Minnesota Concerned Citizens for Life, is the head of the states largest pro-life organization. He knows Pawlenty well — having worked with the former Minnesota governor and his staff extensively to push for pro-life legislation.
“We’ve always considered him one of us,” Fischbach said, calling Pawlenty “solid as a rock” when it comes to standing up for pro-life principles. Fischbach said Pawlenty always spoke at pro-life events in Minnesota, issued a proclamation for “Sanctity of Human Life Day” and was invited to be the keynote speaker at a banquet sponsored by the Susan B. Anthony List in Washington.
“Under the leadership of Gov. Pawlenty, Minnesota now has the lowest teen abortion rate ever, and the lowest number of abortions performed since 1975. I know first-hand the lives that Tim Pawlenty saved as my governor,” Fischbach has said.
And Jindal is a pro-life champion in Louisiana, having signed several pro-life bills there to help stop abortions. Most recently, he signed SB 766, the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy based on the science showing unborn children feel pain at that point.
Governor Jindal said, “It is incumbent upon us to protect the weakest and most vulnerable among us, and these new laws will protect innocent human life.”
Benjamin Clapper, Executive Director of Louisiana Right to Life, one of the groups that strongly supported the legislation, applauded the legislature for moving it forward and said it would save unborn children from abortion.
He said, “Upon the signing of this bill by Governor Jindal, these unborn children will be spared from the pain of abortion and given the gift of life. Based on Louisiana statistics, we believe through a conservative estimate that at least 150 lives will be saved annually from abortion.”
Earlier this year, Governor Jindal signed SB 330 by Senator Rick Ward to create a specific crime for performing an abortion in Louisiana if the abortionist is not licensed to practice medicine in Louisiana. The legislation also created the crime of aggravated criminal abortion by dismemberment when the unborn child is dismembered in the course of a criminal abortion.
CLICK LIKE IF YOU’RE PRO-LIFE!
Governor Jindal also signed SB 708 by Senator Sharon Weston Broome to require that the fetal heartbeat be made audible and ultrasound images be displayed for optional review prior to an abortion. And he signed HB 1086 by Representative Alan Seabaugh prohibits euthanasia for the non-terminally ill and the severely disabled. Prior to Governor Jindal signing this new law those same protections were only offered for the terminally ill.
New Hampshire Senator Kelly Ayotte, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, South Dakota Senator John Thune and Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan, each of whom take a strongly pro-life position, are other potential vice-presidential picks.
