Pro-Life Advocates Say Fred Thompson Close to Announcing Prez Bid 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
May 14, 2007
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — With the three leading Republican candidates for president having inconsistent views on abortion and other pro-life issues, some pro-life voters may be looking for an alternative with a strong chance of capturing the GOP presidential nod. Pro-life advocates say Fred Thompson is that candidate and will announce a bid soon.
Thompson is an actor, attorney and former senator from the state of Tennessee who says he strongly opposes abortion.
The Washington Times interviewed two pro-life advocates who wished to remain anonymous but indicated that Thompson will announce a presidential bid "in a matter of weeks."
"It’s not ‘if’ but ‘when,’ he will announce," one pro-life advocate — described as an evangelic Protestant — told the Times.
Meanwhile, another pro-life activist, pegged as a Catholic social conservative, told the newspaper that Thompson is "right on the issues" and better than the top three current GOP contenders.
The first pro-life advocate told the newspaper that the move for Thompson had been percolating before the recent weeks of strong criticism Giuliani has been enduring on abortion.
"It’s the moment of truth for conservatives," the activist told the newspaper. "Either social conservatives rally to stop a Giuliani nomination and victory for him in November 2008 or our issues [such as abortion] are permanently off the Republican Party agenda."
In another sign Thompson is considering running for president, he appeared at a meeting of the Council for National Policy over the weekend, which is a group of top conservative political leaders.
Richard Land, the top Southern Baptist Convention official on pro-life issues, introduced Thompson at the event.
Some media outlets are speculating that Thompson will announce his candidacy on or around July 1
As recently as March, Thompson commented on the issue of abortion and said he’s resolutely against it, adding that he supports overturning Roe v. Wade.
Thompson told Fox News he is pro-life and wants the high court to reverse its decision in Roe — calling it "bad law and bad medical science."
"I don’t think the court ought to wake up one day and make new social policy for the country that’s contrary to what it’s been for the last 200 years. We have a process in this country to do that," he said about the Roe decision.
"Judges shouldn’t be doing that. That’s what happened in the that case. I think it was wrong," he added.
Thompson compiled a strong pro-life voting record, according to the National Right to Life Committee, and only disagreed with the organization on the issue of campaign finance reform, which it said would limit its activities.
During his tenure, Thompson cast two votes against a Senate resolution endorsing the Roe v. Wade decision and urging the Supreme Court to uphold it.
The former Tennessee senator voted against funding abortions with taxpayer dollars in numerous situations and he voted for a ban on partial-birth abortions, to uphold parental involvement laws, and to prohibit scientific research using fetal tissue from babies who were the victims of abortions.
Thompson also won praise from the pro-life community for helping Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts with his nomination bid. Roberts eventually ruled in favor of the national ban on partial-birth abortions.
Thompson served eight years in the Senate beginning in 1995 after he won a special election to complete the remainder of Sen. Al Gore’s term. He won re-election in 1996.
