Supposed Pro-Life Evangelicals, Obama Faith Member, Back Pro-Abortion Sebelius

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Mar 3, 2009   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Supposed Pro-Life Evangelicals, Obama Faith Member, Back Pro-Abortion Sebelius

by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
March 3
, 2009

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — A group of evangelicals have joined with the Obama apologists at Catholics United to support radical pro-abortion health Secretary nominee Kathleen Sebelius. The groups have signed a letter borrowing arguments from the fake Catholic group backing Sebelius despite her lengthy pro-abortion record.

As LifeNews.com has reported, President Barack Obama tapped the Kansas governor to become his top health official.

Sebelius has earned strong opposition from pro-life groups because she has vetoed nearly every pro-life bill sent to her from the legislature and has worked hand-in-hand with late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller.

Catholics United, which deceived voters about Obama’s pro-abortion record during the presidential election, has endorsed Sebelius and now a group of evangelicals have followed suit.

The list of Christian leaders signing the pro-Sebelius letter includes Sammy Rodriguez, Paul Devries, and Joel Hunter — whom Obama selected to be a member of his faith team and who has supported Obama with prayers at the Democratic convention.

The letter paints a false picture of Sebelius on abortion.

"As Christians dedicated to finding common ground solutions to reduce the number of abortions in America, we welcome [the nomination]," it said. "Under Governor Sebelius’ leadership, abortions have decreased in Kansas by 10 percent."

However, the Kansas health department showed a 6.5 percent increase in abortions from 2005 to 2006. Sebelius repeatedly vetoed legislation that has proven in other states to reduce abortions in large numbers.

Kansas abortions declined last year, but Mary Kay Culp, the head of Kansans for Life, tells Lifenews.com that they reason they declined has nothing to do with the governor.

"One, abortions in Kansas went down in spite of, not in any way because of Kathleen Sebelius and any suggestion otherwise is purposely deceptive and insulting given her long and extreme pro-abortion record," she said.

The evangelicals also praise Sebelius saying "legislation protecting the unborn from crime has become law" under her leadership.

That law, which has nothing to do with abortion and is a measure that protects pregnant women and unborn children from violent, was only signed after Sebelius spent years opposing it and only because she knew the legislature would overturn a veto.

"This is not true. She has never, ever worked for such legislation, and only signed it when forced to," Culp said of the letter.

"In 2007, she signed Alexa’s Law, an unborn victim’s of violence bill, which she had a 20 year history of opposing," Culp said. Sebelius only signed it "after it was attached to another bill she wanted and after favorable news coverage of very vocal support of the bill by the Brooks family of Wichita — whose daughter, and 8 month gestation granddaughter, Alexa, were murdered."

The letter goes on to say that Sebelius has worked with pro-life advocates, which can’t be further from the truth.

"Her record and her relationships with leaders in both parties are proof that pro-choice and pro-life leaders can work together to advance a pro-family agenda," it states.

The evangelicals also call Sebelius a "person of deep faith" but ignores the fact that Catholics leaders in Kansas have repeatedly called on her to recant her pro-abortion position and she has refused.

Her position favoring abortion is so radical and extreme that Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City called on her to stop receiving communion until she disowns her support for the "serious moral evil" of abortion.

Leading pro-life groups have unanimously blasted the potential of Sebelius serving as Health Secretary because of her longstanding pro-abortion record.

"Sebelius is joined at the hip with the abortion industry," Troy Newman, the president of Operation Rescue, tells LifeNews.com. "She owes them her political career and has been more than willing to pay them back with personal favors that have shielded them from legislation and criminal prosecution. Her corrupt abortion politics make her unfit to serve."

As the health secretary, Sebelius could have an impact in crafting a health care plan that could cover abortions with taxpayer funds or require insurance companies to cover abortions in their plans.

Sebelius could also, if confirmed by the Senate, issue new regulations overturning the protections President Bush put in place that protect pro-life doctors and medical centers. The Obama administration announced Friday that it opened a 30-day comment period in preparation to do so.

None of the signers are prominent names within the pro-life community and the list includes Glen Stassen, who has been accused of cooking the books and falsely accusing President Bush of increasing abortions.

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