Pro-Life Group Says Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid Changed on Abortion
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
April 2, 2009
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Back in the 1970s and 1980s, Nevada Sen. Harry Reid could be counted on to vote pro-life and even went as far as saying he would support a Human Life Amendment to the Constitution to protect unborn children. Fast forward to the present and today’s Senate Democratic Leader is a shadow of his former self.
Now, Reid’s pro-life views, if he still holds any, are equivocal and he is reticent to stand up for or publicly support any pro-life legislation.
Instead, Reid appears to have crossed over to the other side and, already this year, has voted against restoring the Mexico City Policy to prevent taxpayer funding of groups that promote and perform abortions in other nations.
Reid also rejected an amendment that would have stopped the sending of taxpayer funds to the United Nations Population Fund, the UN agency that has been found to have supported the Chinese population control program that relies on forced abortions and sterilizations.
Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, has noticed the change and is challenging Reid to return to his pro-life roots.
"Senator Reid used to claim he was pro-life. Since he became Majority Leader in the Senate, however, he is sounding more and more like his pro-abortion colleagues Chuck Schumer and Ted Kennedy," Perkins told LifeNews.com.
Perkins also noticed that Reid recently told reporters he would be perfectly fine with a health care bill that requires taxpayers to fund abortions.
"Is he taking his talking points from the President of Planned Parenthood? Two weeks ago she said that she would pursue making abortion part of President Obama’s health care plan," Perkins said.
This weekend Senator Reid complained that Chief Justice Roberts lied to Congress at his confirmation hearings. Reid, Perkins says, appears to be upset that Roberts would uphold a ban on a gruesome abortion procedure.
"Senator Reid’s problem seems to stem from the Supreme Court decision that partial birth abortion — the brutal killing of a baby partially outside the mother’s womb — can be limited," Perkins explained. "After the decision, Senator Reid complained this was the reason he didn’t want jurists like Justice Roberts and Sam Alito on the Supreme Court."
Perkins says Reid could use his power as the top Democrat in the Senate for good, but it appears to him that Reid may have completely abandoned any pro-life views he once held.
"As Senate Majority Leader, Senator Reid will have the power to allow or stop any attempts to include taxpayer funding of abortion in any health care legislation," he said.
The Family Research Council has created a petition for its supporters to sign to urge Reid to revert to his pro-life views and to back down from the numerous ways in which he has voted pro-abortion.
"FRC Action will deliver the petition to Senator Reid’s office to let him know that he cannot claim to be pro-life and continue to advocate for taxpayer funding of abortion," Perkins said.
Related web sites:
Family Research Action – https://www.frcaction.org
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