Senator Bob Casey Endorses Barack Obama But Pro-Life Catholics Won’t Budge

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Mar 28, 2008   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Senator Bob Casey Endorses Barack Obama But Pro-Life Catholics Won’t Budge Email this article
Printer friendly page

RSS Newsfeed

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
March 28
, 2008

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — The big news in the presidential election today is that Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, one of just two openly pro-life Democrats in the Senate, endorsed his colleague Barack Obama. While the mainstream media contends the endorsement will help Obama with pro-life and Catholic voters, pro-life advocates say that’s not the case.

Casey endorsed Obama on Friday despite deep disagreements over the issue of abortion.

While Casey is pro-life and has voted against abortion with limits such as no taxpayer-funding or allowing parents to know when their daughters are considering an abortion, Obama has voted pro-abortion across the board.

The Associated Press, in its article on the endorsement, claimed it would give Obama "inroads" into the pro-life vote.

"Casey is a first-term senator and the son of a popular former governor of the state. Casey is Catholic and, like his father, is known for his opposition to abortion. His support could help Obama make inroads among Catholic voters," AP claimed.

Not so fast says Wendy Wright, the president of Concerned Women for America.

“Pro-lifers have learned from painful past experience not to assume or expect that a candidate will be faithful to his – or his endorsers’ – religious affiliations," she told LifeNews.com. "Our litmus test is: Show us the beef. What is the candidate’s record?”

According to The Bulletin, William Donohue, president of the Catholic League, says Obama’s killing a bill to provide medical care for babies who survive botched abortions shows how extreme the Democrat is on abortion.

"In 2003, while chairman of the Health and Human Services Committee of the Illinois Senate, he led the fight to oppose a bill that would have mandated health care for a baby who survived an abortion," Donohue explained.

Where Casey is more likely to help Obama is with Pennsylvania voters.

Obama is planning a week-long trip to the key primary state that could finally decide the outcome of the Democratic contest. Or, it could complicate matters further.

Obama has a lead in the overall delegate race but the latest polls show pro-abortion candidate Hillary Clinton ahead in the Keystone State.

Rasmussen has Clinton leading 49-39, PPP has her ahead of Obama 56-30, a Franklin and Marshall poll shows her on top 51-35 and Quinnipiac has her leading 53-41. Together, Clinton has a 16 point lead when the four recent surveys are averaged.