Planned Parenthood Endorses John Kerry for President to Back Abortion
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
April 24, 2004
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Making its first ever endorsement of a presidential candidate, the nation’s largest abortion business gave its endorsement to presumptive Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry. Planned Parenthood president Gloria Feldt called Kerry a "consistent and passionate advocate" of abortion.
"It’s a proud day for the Planned Parenthood Action Fund to stand with Sen. Kerry and announce that he is receiving our first-ever presidential endorsement," Feldt said.
"We must stop the Bush Administration’s war on choice," Feldt added. "This administration has no respect for the medical privacy or fundamental rights of women. There’s never been a more frightening time for the future of reproductive rights. The Planned Parenthood Action Fund will make sure that pro-choice Americans know exactly what’s at stake in this election."
Pro-life groups say the endorsement doesn’t come as a shock.
"John Kerry is the most aggressive, outspoken pro-abortion presidential candidate this country has ever seen," Carol Tobias, director of the National Right to Life PAC, told LifeNews.com. "It’s no surprise that pro-abortion groups (like NARAL, Planned Parenthood, etc.) would support his candidacy."
Tobias pointed to polling results showing that a majority of Americans are pro-life and that neither Kerry nor Planned Parenthood represent many people when it comes to abortion.
"What we should remember is that the extreme pro-abortion position advocated by Kerry and these groups represents only about 13% of the public," Tobias said.
The Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the political arm of the abortion business, says it will work to turn out single women and moderate votes who favor abortion on Kerry’s behalf.
The pro-abortion group has an aggressive campaign set to start in June in key battleground states that will be used to increase voter turnout. It will employ direct mail, phones, broadcast advertising and person-to-person contact.
However, polls consistently show that a pro-life stance has consistently helped presidential candidates.
A study published by the Gallup Poll Special Report entitled "Public Opinion About Abortion — An In-Depth Review" said "the abortion issue has been an advantage for Republican candidates" for all six presidential elections from 1984 to 2000 because of the nominee’s pro-life position.
In the 2000 presidential election, Gallup polls showed that 14 percent of voters (the highest percentage ever) said abortion was one of the most important issues on which they based their vote for president.
Of those voters, 58 percent supported Bush while only 41% supported pro-abortion candidate Al Gore.
The net result was a 2.4 percent overall gain for Bush because of the abortion issue. Had Bush not taken a pro-life view, he would have lost the popular vote by a larger margin, and perhaps the electoral vote as well.
"Among the minority of Americans who are highly motivated on the abortion issue, the pro-life side has the edge, as those opposed to abortion tend to feel more strongly about their position and are more likely to base their vote choices on it than are those in favor of abortion rights," Gallup notes.
Related web sites:
National Right to Life – https://www.nrlc.org
