Pro-Life Ted Cruz Launches Campaign for Republican Nomination for President

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Mar 23, 2015   |   9:44AM   |   Washington, DC

With a rousing speech today at Liberty University, Ted Cruz is announcing is bid for the Republican nomination for president in 2016. The strongly pro-life U.S. senator from Texas has been an articulate defender of life and has had a consistent pro-life voting record in Congress.

Cruz made his intentions known via social media late Sunday night. “I’m running for president and I hope to earn your support,” he wrote.

The White House presidential hopeful also posted a slick 30-second introductory video, saying “it is going to take a new generation of courageous conservatives to lead the fight to help make American great again, and I’m ready to stand with you to lead the fight.”

Elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012, Cruz sailed to victory with the backing of pro-life advocates and quickly became a household name in conservative circles for his non-nonsense conservative approach to politics. When the National Right to Life Committee endorsed Cruz for his election, he said he shared the aims and goals of the pro-life movement.

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“I share their passion for promoting a culture of life across Texas and around the country.” He added, “[NRLC] is on the front lines in the battle to save lives and repeal government healthcare mandates, and I will stand with them.”

Since taking office in January, Senator Cruz has been a strong advocate for unborn children. He holds a 100% rating.

On March 13, 2013, during consideration of a bill (H.R. 933) to fund numerous federal agencies for the second half of fiscal year 2013, Cruz offered an amendment to block funding for implementation of President Obama’s 2010 health care law (the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” or “ObamaCare”). NRLC strongly supported the Cruz Amendment, but it failed, 45-52, with all Republicans voting in favor and all Democrats present voting against.

During a speech at the NRLC convention in 2013, Cruz said Democrats in the Senate don’t really care that abortionists like Kermit Gosnell kill babies in what is essentially infanticide.

“Thank you for that commitment to those who are most vulnerable among us, despite the ridicule of the mainstream media,” he said.

Cruz recalled the story of when his older daughter was getting ready for her unborn younger sister to be be born. And he remembered how his daughter offered his unborn child her blanket to cuddle with and chew on for security.

“It is amazing that, as a two-year-old, child, Caroline was able to understand something that Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid don’t understand.”

“Without life there is no liberty, there is no pursuit of happiness. The ability to take life is the ultimate power and the ultimate deprivation of our God-given rights.”

“I have been honored to have the opportunity to defend life,” he said, recalling his time as Solicitor General of Texas — when he would stand strong in the courts to defend the right to life. Cruz said “Texas led the states” to defend the ban on partial-birth abortions. He also mentioned winning a unanimous battle at the Supreme Court to defend parental notification on abortion.

Cruz applauded the courts for defending Texas’ right to de-fund the Planned Parenthood abortion business.

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Cruz said he has been proud to stand up for life — starting with a resolution concerning Kermit Gosnell and calling for Congress to investigate late-term abortion practitioners nationwide.

“Democrats wanted a resolution that condemned unsanitary health clinics” not specifically related to abortion. “They were fine with any resolution as long as it didn’t mention abortion. A clinic passing on a disease in their minds is morally equivalent to Gosnell killing babies outside their mothers womb.”

“Democrats stood together embracing the policy of abortion no matter what the consequences,” he said of the inability to get the Senate to vote for a resolution condemning those forced abortions.

He mentioned how he is proud to sponsor the 20-week abortion ban in the Senate and compared it to the Texas battle for a similar bill.

“When Austin Democrats filibustered, they were filibustering to protect late-term abortions,” he said. In the United States you see activists defend abortions all the way up to the day of birth.”

Cruz bashed President Barack Obama for repeatedly voting against the Born Alive bill in Illinois, which would stop infanticides.

He also went after the IRS for targeting pro-life groups saying, “The federal government has no business asking us the content of our prayers.” And he contrasted the attacks on religious liberty and companies like Hobby Lobby with how the founders fled religious persecution.

Cruz received a standing ovation for the line, “In my opinion we need to repeal every single word of Obamacare.”

Cruz has also no been afraid to take on his fellow Republicans on pro-life issues. When possible Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul made some comments that left some pro-life advocates scratching their heads, Cruz articulated a passionate pro-life defense.

“I think that we should continue to defend our shared values. There are some who say the Republican party should no longer stand for life. I don’t agree with that,” he also said. “What I can tell you is my views are that we should continue to defend life.”

Following the verdict of the murder trial of Philadelphia abortionist Kermit Gosnell, Senator Cruz said, “No court can ever provide proper relief for the unimaginable pain that Kermit Gosnell inflicted on women and their children. His atrocities shed light on the truly gruesome acts of late-term abortion. We need to keep working to prevent such crimes against humanity–deliberate infanticide–from happening again. May we all remember this heart-breaking case as a vivid example of the urgent need to protect innocent human life at all stages.”