Pro-Life Advocate Backs Republican Chair Candidate, Steele Opposes Abortion
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 20, 2008
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — In the latest developments in the race for the chairmanship of the Republican Party, pro-life advocate Donald Wildman, the head of the American Family Association, has weighted in on the race. Meanwhile, Michael Steele has reconfirmed his staunch pro-life views in the wake of some criticism.
The race for the next national GOP chairman is viewed as critical by pro-life advocates because the winner will be the face of the party in response to incoming pro-abortion president Barack Obama.
The next GOP chair will also set the tone for the party in the face of some pro-abortion Republicans who want to dismantle its pro-life position or de-emphasize pro-life issues.
Donald Wildman, the pastor who has headed the pro-family group AFA for decades, is one of the first nationally-recognized pro-life advocates to make an endorsement.
In an email to Saul Anuzis, the pro-life Michigan GOP chair who is himself a candidate for the national office, Wildman backed South Carolina GOP chair Katon Dawson.
"If the Republican Party is to survive, it must get back to its roots. I believe that Katon Dawson, Chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party, has the ability to take the party where it needs to go," he writes.
According to the Washington Times, the Wildman email also contained criticism of former Maryland Lt. Governor Michael Steele’s pro-life credentials.
Steele, a 2006 Senate candidate and a leading black Republican, is seen by some as one of the top candidates for the national chairmanship.
He takes a pro-life stance on abortion and was rated 100 percent pro-life by the National Right to Life Committee, but has come under some criticism for comments he made during his Senate campaign that make it appear he is not supportive of reversing Roe v. Wade.
Other pro-life advocates have also gone after Steele for his involvement in the Republican Leadership Council, a liberal group that has numerous abortion advocates involved in it.
The Times indicated Steele met with its editorial board on Tuesday and reconfirmed his pro-life views.
As the Times notes: "Steele clarified his stance, saying that he thinks Roe should be overturned as a sloppy piece of decision-making, favors state regulation on abortion, and supports the Republican party’s platform that calls for a constitutional ban on abortion."
The newspaper also indicated: "Steele also acknowledged to The Times having joined the centrist Republican Leadership Council, which is officially pro-choice as a group, but said he did so in an effort to broaden the pro-choice faction’s view of pro-lifers within the GOP."
Meanwhile, CBN News correspondent David Brody weighed in on Steele and said he thinks the criticism of his pro-life views is off base.
"Look, here’s the reality. Steele’s critics have a huge task ahead of them if they’re going to make the case that the guy is not pro-life enough. He’s got the solid track record on the life issue. It’s hard to argue against it," he writes.
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