Driehaus Loses Right to Life Backing to Chabot Over Pro-Abortion Health Care
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
March 24, 2010
Cincinnati, OH (LifeNews.com) — The fallout over the passage of the pro-abortion health care is beginning and two pro-life groups have issued an endorsement of a pro-life former congressman over a pro-life Democrat who vote for the pro-abortion bill. Steve Chabot is getting the backing over incumbent Steve Driehaus.
The National Right to Life political action committee is backing Chabot, who was a Republican member of Congress and pro-life leader during his tenure.
In a letter to Chabot sent and released today, NRL PAC said: “During your previous service in the House (1995-2008), you were a leader in enacting major pro-life legislation,” including “the landmark Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act – of which you were the chief sponsor.”
The letter noted, “During your service in the House, you cast over one hundred key pro-life votes.”
National Right to Life said Driehaus betrayed his supposedly pro-life views by voting for a bill that it called the greatest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade.
“In sad contrast, the current occupant of the First District seat, Steve Driehaus, voted to enact President Obama’s massive health care legislation (H.R. 3590), although it lacked the pro-life protections" Right to Life and pro-life groups wanted.
"On this critical issue, Mr. Driehaus talked a good game, but ultimately came down on the side of President Obama, who successfully blocked the pro-life protections from being included in the bill – just as, throughout his political career, Mr. Obama had opposed the very types of pro-life policies that you championed," NRLC added.
Driehaus has touted an executive order signed today by President Obama.
But NRLC, earlier this week, said, this order “was issued for political effect. It changes nothing. It does not correct any of the serious pro-abortion provisions in the bill. The president cannot amend a bill by issuing an order, and the federal courts will enforce what the law says.”
Mike Gonidakis, executive director of Ohio Right to Life, said his group’s PAC issued a similar endorsement for Chabot.
“Whether Steve Driehaus was duped by the offer of a worthless Obama executive order or was merely attempting to provide himself political cover, he bears responsibility for the greatest expansion of abortion since Roe v. Wade. Pro-lifers in the first Congressional District will remember his health care vote in November," he said.
In Michigan, Right to Life of Michigan withdrew its endorsement of embattled Congressman Bart Stupak.
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