John Edwards to Quit Pro-Abortion Bid for Democratic Nomination 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
January 30, 2008
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — John Edwards plans to end his pro-abortion bid for the Democratic presidential nomination today after placing a distant third again in another primary state. Edwards finished well behind Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in Florida and has yet to capture a victory in any of the early battleground states.
He is expected to make the announcement official in a speech this afternoon.
Some political observers had suggested Edwards would stay in the race and try to amass enough delegates to either be able to swing the election to one candidate, likely Obama, or put himself in a position to be the compromise nominee or a running mate.
Edwards placed second in Iowa, but came in third in New Hampshire and South Carolina and finished with just 14 percent of the vote last night in Florida.
According to a CNN report, an Edwards aide indicated he would not make an endorsement at this time but will likely do so in the future.
That goes along with the two-step method most departing presidential candidates are using these days to exit the race — seizing the headlines with a departure speech and regaining them with an endorsement announcement.
During the campaign, Edwards sought to align himself with Obama as the candidate of change and was more vocal in challenging Clinton. As a result, political observers suggest he’s more likely to side with Obama.
Edwards, a former North Carolina senator and John Kerry’s running mate in 2004, is a strong abortion advocate and compiled a pro-abortion voting record during his tenure in Congress.
Kate Michelman, who was the president of NARAL for almost 20 years, served as an Edwards campaign advisor.
"He has never backed down or retreated from a woman’s right to choose, and he understands women’s role in society," Michelman said about supporting him.
Reacting to the news, Karen Cross, the political director of the National Right to Life Committee, told LifeNews.com that Michelman’s involvement "underscores not only his strong pro-abortion stance, but also his strong ties to the pro-abortion movement."
"Edwards has clearly staked out a position as a political leader of the pro-abortion movement, and he has plenty of company – all of the Democrats mentioned as presidential candidates have deep-rooted pro-abortion positions as well," Cross explained.
During his tenure in the U.S. Senate, Edwards voted against pro-life legislation at every turn — even opposing a ban on partial-birth abortions. He accumulated a 0% pro-life record while in the Senate, according to the National Right to Life Committee.
Edwards voted for taxpayer funding of abortions in various situations and, in March 2003, voted for an amendment that expressed the Senate’s support for the Roe v. Wade decision that allowed unlimited abortions and said the landmark ruling should not be overturned.
The former North Carolina senator also backed the pro-abortion judicial decision in a similar 1999 vote.
