2018 Congressional Elections Provide Great Opportunity to Elect Pro-Life Candidates

Opinion   |   Carol Tobias   |   Jul 20, 2018   |   12:48PM   |   Washington, DC

I’ve been thinking back to campaigns of many years ago — back to the day when political leaders who supported abortion would say “I’m personally opposed to abortion” which was code for “but I’m not going to do anything to stop it.” Then there was President Bill Clinton who said abortion should be “safe, legal, and rare,” although he did everything he could to expand abortion, both in this country and overseas.

But his position raised the question — if abortion should be safe and legal for anyone who wants one, why should it be rare? What is wrong with it?

That reluctance to fully embrace abortion outwardly never sat well with groups such as Planned Parenthood and NARAL who decided to challenge the idea that abortion can ever be bad. They now fight any and all efforts to limit or restrict abortion, even those that are utterly reasonable and/or have support among a large majority of the country.

That extreme position is one we can use to our advantage in the upcoming election.

Every seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and thirty-five seats in the U.S. Senate are on the ballot this year. Some of the candidates have voting records that clearly reflect their position on abortion. Many have no record, but voters need to know where the candidates stand on life or death for unborn children. For example…

All candidates should clearly state whether they think tax dollars should be used to pay for elective abortion.

All candidates should tell the voters if they support the killing of unborn babies who have developed to the point of being able to feel pain as they are aborted.

All candidates should tell the voters whether they think it’s okay with them to kill unborn babies by tearing off arms and legs in a dismemberment abortion.

All candidates should explain whether they support the radical position of the abortion industry that there be no limits whatsoever on abortion at any time during the nine months of pregnancy.

We cannot count on the media to get these answers into the public domain. You can help to make sure that information becomes public knowledge. Ask the candidates where they stand on the issue, and do it in a public setting, like a forum where the candidate takes questions from the audience. If candidates are being interviewed on a radio show and listeners are able to call the show to ask questions, get out your phone, dial the station, and ask that question.

(I am not suggesting you follow the Maxine Waters strategy of gathering a crowd and chasing people out of restaurants or stores or gas stations. But find a way to get that information and share it with the voters.)

We cannot let candidates slip by with some mumbo-jumbo about supporting “reproductive rights” or being “pro-choice.” Voters need to know exactly where the candidates stand and how they will vote on specific legislation related to abortion, if elected.

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Let’s look back to the 2016 election. Democrats had 10 senate seats on the ballot; Republicans had 24. Political pundits were sure that, along with Hillary Clinton’s can’t- miss win, Democrats would be able to pick up many of those 24 seats.

But that night, as results came in from east to west, pro-life wins kept rolling in — Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Missouri, and Wisconsin. Democrats did pick up two seats, but the Senate remained in Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s guiding hands.

This year, the numbers are reversed. Nine Republican seats and 26 Democratic seats are on the ballot. That same political wisdom would tell us that this should be a good year for pro-life Republicans because Democrats have so many seats to defend.

Take nothing for granted!! Just because a Senate race seems non-competitive in July, it could change dramatically by November. Every one of those seats is important. Work as if lives depend on it, because they do.

Keeping pro-life leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives is critical. Political pundits have been predicting a blue wave and say Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi could be Speaker of the House next year. If that happens, no pro-life legislation will pass and Rep. Maxine Waters will be pushing to impeach pro-life President Trump.

Keeping pro-life leadership in the U.S. Senate is critical. The Senate will soon begin confirmation proceedings for Judge Brett Kavanaugh, President Trump’s nominee to fill the seat of retiring Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. This is just one of the important steps taken by the Senate to fill vacancies in the federal courts.

Sen. McConnell recently stated, “What I want to do is make a lasting contribution to the country, and by appointing and confirming these strict constructionists to the courts who are in their late 40s or early 50s, I believe, working in conjunction with the administration, we’re making a generational change in our country that will be repeated over and over and over down the years.”

In order to continue confirming those strict constructionist judges, we need to win senate elections in November.

We have a fantastic country that allows citizen to participate in the functioning of our government. For the next four months, keep your focus on electing those candidates who will preserve and protect the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

LifeNews Note: Carol Tobias is the president of the National Right to Life Committee.