Santorum Picks Up Endorsement From Idaho Pro-Life Group

State   |   Steven Ertelt   |   Feb 22, 2012   |   12:22PM   |   Boise,ID

As Idaho voters prepare to cast their ballots for a Republican nominee for president on Super Tuesday on March 6, a statewide pro-life organization there is urging Idaho residents to support former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum.

Idaho Chooses Life announced today that it has endorsed Santorum, according to a statement its director David Ripley sent LifeNews.

The Board of Idaho Chooses Life has voted to support Rick Santorum based upon his viability, his stellar record and his unquestionable passion for defending the sanctity of human life,” Ripley said.

“We have watched with increasing revulsion as President Obama leads an unprecedented assault on Life and Liberty,” Ripley continued. “The hour demands a leader with a deep understanding of the threat posed by government-run health care. As Rick Santorum has argued, ‘ObamaCare will crush economic freedom, will make people dependent upon government for the most important thing: their very lives.'”

ICL noted that Santorum has been in the forefront of the national pro-Life movement for many years, saying he was a principal sponsor of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban and the Born Alive Infants Protection Act as a member of the U.S. Senate.

“But Santorum has not just fought against Roe v. Wade – he has worked to provide women and girls in difficult situations with real world help. In 1999 he sponsored the Women and Children’s Resources Act to help women access health care, housing and educational services,” ICL said. “Santorum’s fundamental grasp of the core issues at stake in the pro-Life battle is further demonstrated by his sponsorship of the Assisted Suicide Prevention Act and the Alternative Pluripotent Stem Cell Therapies Enhancement Act. This latter bill would have directed resources toward medical research on stem cells derived from ethical sources.”

“Idaho pro-Lifers have an historic opportunity to impact the national race for president,” Ripley concluded. “We urge our supporters to get involved and make a difference on March 6th.”

The endorsement comes on the heels of an endorsement Santorum received from Arizona Right to Life before that state’s election next week.

Last week, the Susan B. Anthony List endorsed Santorum. Before that, CatholicVote.org, a leading national grassroots Catholic advocacy organization, said it “proudly” endorses Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator. Santorum has also picked up support from Gary Bauer, Abby Johnson, and numerous evangelical leaders.

The endorsement also follows on the heels of one from Georgi Right to Life for Santorum and Newt Gingrich. That earned the group pushback from the National Right to Life committee, its parent organization, which has taken the position that each of the four Republican candidates are pro-life enough to be significantly better than Obama and has not endorsed any candidate.

Mitt Romney has recently received his own pro-life endorsements, including from James Bopp, one of the top pro-life attorneys in the nation who has served as legal counsel for the National Right to Life Committee, Christian Coalition, Citizens United and the Republican Party.