Pro-Abortion Republican Group Backs John McCain, Despite Pro-Life Position

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Feb 6, 2008   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Pro-Abortion Republican Group Backs John McCain, Despite Pro-Life Position Email this article
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 6,
2008

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Despite his pro-life voting record on abortion and his calls for Roe v. Wade to be reversed, a pro-abortion Republican group has endorsed John McCain. The Republicans for Choice Political Action Committee contends McCain is the best of the rest of the Republicans seeking the presidential nomination.

Ann Stone, the founder and chair of the organization told the Cybercast News Service that her group knows McCain is pro-life, but she says he’s not as intense as his top rivals Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney.

"(McCain) is (pro-life), but it’s not at the top of his agenda, not like Huckabee or the born-again Romney," Stone said. "He’s shown his willingness to reach across the party, and we look forward to those discussions."

Another pro-abortion group, the Republican Majority for Choice, told CNS News it can’t join Stone’s organization in endorsing McCain because the Arizona senator doesn’t support legal abortions.

"We only endorse pro-choice Republicans," RMC co-chair Jennifer Stockman told CNS.

As recently as last month’s March for Life, McCain argued Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided.

"Seven judges in 1973 took the issue of abortion on themselves to settle this issue for every American, in all fifty states," he said. "They assured us that by sheer judicial will and power, the question of a so-called right to abortion was settled and that our society would now arrive at a shared consensus by virtue of their ruling."

"They were wrong to make this assumption," he said.

Last February, McCain said he favors overturning Roe v. Wade.

“I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned,” McCain told 800 GOP voters during a campaign stop in South Carolina.

McCain’s position against abortion is a better fit for Republicans than the pro-abortion positions of either group.

As LifeNews.com reported, exit polling data on Super Tuesday from across the country showed a large majority of Republican voters in most states take a pro-life position on abortion.

Of the 18 states that have held caucus or primary votes, a majority of Republicans are pro-life in 13 of the states and many of those have 2-1 or 3-1 margins against legal abortions. In the five states where a majority of Republicans back abortion, no more than 56 percent of GOP voters said they wanted abortions legal.