The head of the Democratic Party ripped Republicans today for their choice of Governor Nikki Haley, the pro-life Republican governor of South Carolina, to deliver the Republican response to pro-abortion President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address on Tuesday. Debbie Wasserman Schultz says Haley was only selected because she’s a woman.
The line of attack is a continuation of the phony war on women against pro-life people who desire to protect unborn children from abortion.
The chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Monday slammed the Republican Party’s selection of Gov. Nikki Haley for its State of the Union response, calling it “appalling,” according to a Post and Courier report.
“It’s pretty clear that Nikki Haley is being chosen because the Republican Party has a diversity problem,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (R-Fla.) said on a conference call.
The DNC chairwoman rebutted the praise for Haley, saying she has a “failed record” that “gives her no credibility whatsoever.”
Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell chose Haley for the difficult task of responding of the president and not because she happens to be a woman. Obama’s speech is set for 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
“Nikki Haley has led an economic turnaround and set a bold agenda for her state, getting things done and becoming one of the most popular governors in America,” Ryan said. “In a year when the country is crying out for a positive vision and alternative to the status quo, Governor Haley is the exact right choice to deliver the Republican Address to the Nation.”
SIGN THE NEW PLEDGE: I Pledge to Vote for a Pro-Life Candidate for President
McConnell called Haley “a proven leader and committed reformer who believes deeply in the promise of the country we all share.” He added “Gov. Haley knows the American Dream and wants to see every American share in it, and we’re pleased that she will be delivering this year’s Republican Address.”
A local newspaper in South Carolina had Haley responding as follows: “This is a time of great challenges for our country, but also of great opportunities,” Haley said. “I intend to speak about both.”
After Haley, who is pro-life, ordered an investigation of abortion clinics in the state following a national scandal involving Planned Parenthood selling aborted babies and their body parts, state health officials found multiple violations. Haley said the investigation she ordered had found violations of laws or regulations by all three abortion clinics in the state, including one operated by Planned Parenthood. two of the abortion clinics may be forcibly closed unless they take fast action to get in compliance with the law. According to state officials, the violations include improper infectious waste disposal practices.
Planned Parenthood’s Columbia clinic and the Greenville Women’s Clinic, received suspension orders from the Department of Health and Environmental Control. The orders cite multiple violations found during recent inspections.
“The entire country was shocked by the videos showing Planned Parenthood employees’ horrifying disregard for human life,” Haley said in a written statement. “That prompted me to ask our appropriate state agency to investigate whether such wrongdoing was taking place in our state. The Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) has now completed its investigation and has concluded that all three abortion clinics in the state are in fact in violation of South Carolina laws or regulations.”
“I fully support DHEC’s actions, including its referral of the matter to SLED,” said Gov. Haley. “South Carolina is a compassionate state, and we are a state of laws. We will not tolerate law breaking of any kind, particularly as it relates to the callous treatment of human life.”
In 2012, Haley signed two key pro-life bills and she was joined in doing so by pro-life advocates who were elated by her leadership in protecting unborn children and stopping abortions in South Carolina.
In a formal bill signing ceremony at the Carolina Pregnancy Center in Spartanburg, Haley signed the Opt Out of Abortion Act and the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act, both strongly backed by South Carolina Citizens for Life and numerous pro-family organizations.
The Born-Alive Infant Protection Act would protect unborn children who are born alive after a failed abortion but may be purposefully left to die afterwards. The legislation defines an infant born alive as a person even if the baby survives an abortion attempt and makes it so babies who are born alive under any circumstances cannot be treated as medical waste, or deliberately killed because they are unwanted.
Haley said the pro-life issue “isn’t partisan” and she added that it should not be a political issue.
LIFEPAC endorsed Governor Haley in the 2010 General Election. Her SCCL pro-life survey was 100 percent and her voting record in the House of Representatives was solidly pro-life.
Haley previously slammed the media for making it appear women are only interested in contraception.
Haley leveled the criticism after Meet the Press host David Gregory grilled her on the “gender gap” in Republican support being an obstacle to Mitt Romney defeating President Obama in November. Haley took Gregory to task for the question: “I find it comical that the news media wants to continue to talk about a gender gap, and so I’ll challenge you to ask a man about the gender gap as well.”
