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Anti-Abortion Right to GOP: Don't You Ignore Us!

Submitted by Kyle on March 15, 2010 - 9:22am

There have been several articles recently on the tension between the traditional Religious Right social conservatives and the ascendent Tea Party activists, due primarily to the fact that the lattter has not made the former's anti-gay, anti-choice concerns a part of the agenda. 

And while the Religious Right groups have been working hard to shoe-horn their agenda into the Tea Party movement and claim the mantle, nothing better represents their growing nervousness that they are being left on the sidelines by the GOP than this Washington Post op-ed by the Susan B. Anthony List's Marjorie Dannenfelser in which she warns the Republicans not to get so infatuated with the Tea Party movement that it ignores its anti-abortion base:

Republicans too often treat the abortion issue like an eccentric aunt at Thanksgiving dinner -- if they ignore it, maybe it will go away. And lately, Republican heads have been turned by a new, flashy guest at the table -- the tea party movement, which has been attracting big crowds, high-profile speakers and money with its message of lower taxes and less government spending. Some party leaders sound as if they are counting on this new energy to deliver victory in November all by itself.

That's a risky bet. There is no doubt that the tea party movement has invigorated GOP leaders and given them hope of retaking Congress after the crushing defeat of 2008. However, the movement hasn't been tested nationally at the ballot box; its power to elect or defeat candidates is still largely theoretical. But year in and year out, pro-life voters consistently help carry Republican candidates into office.

...

Party leaders are focused instead on economic issues, cap-and-trade climate legislation, immigration and foreign policy. But while Republican leaders have remained relatively silent, the voters have not ... At the Susan B. Anthony List we've seen letters, e-mails, faxes and phone calls to Congress from activists with our group jump five-fold -- to 1.5 million in just one year.

This grass-roots response shows the real electoral risk of staying mute. Pro-life improves the GOP brand -- and is often the strongest part of the brand ... Pro-lifers provide the swing votes that are so crucial to winning elections. Republican candidates usually can count on the antiabortion vote ... But they won't be taken for granted. We know from past experience that lukewarm candidates who refuse to talk about abortion won't get voters to the polls.

...

Because of the movement's growth in numbers and power, antiabortion voters are likely to provide a much more sizable winning margin on Election Day than they have in previous years. But they can do this only if they know where candidates -- and party leaders -- stand.

Now is the time to tell them ... The next few months of candidate recruitment and messaging will decide whether 2010 is a 1994 moment. The Republican Party seems to have a political advantage today ... But it's not yet clear whether that advantage can translate into electoral success in November. The social-conservative, antiabortion engine combined with an electrified smaller-government, low-tax movement has the momentum. It's Republicans' chance to grab it.

They just need to remind people that theirs is still the pro-life party. If, in fact, it is.

PFAW
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What Does Abortion Have to Do With The Race For Texas School Board?

Submitted by Kyle on March 2, 2010 - 9:14am

As you undoubtedly know by now, controlling the textbooks and curriculum in Texas has long been a  focus of the Religious Right, which is why they bring in "experts" like David Barton to help shape them and why elections for seats on the Board of Education can get pretty crazy.

How crazy?  Well, as the Texas Freedom Network reports, so crazy that anti-abortion groups are robocalling voters urging them to support specific candidates in the Republican primary today: 

We have a report that Joe Pojman of the far-right Texas Alliance for Life is robocalling voters in the District 10 Texas State Board of Education race today. Pojman is letting voters know that Brian Russell, one of the candidates in tomorrow’s Republican primary for the board seat, is “pro-life.”

What in blazes does the State Board of Education have to do with abortion politics? Nothing — except for religious-right pressure groups and activists, for whom the “culture wars” are all-consuming. Telling voters about Russell’s opposition to abortion is Pojman’s way of letting religious-right voters know who should get their vote in the race for the state board seat currently held by the departing Cynthia Dunbar, R-Richmond. (Dunbar recruited Russell, an Austin attorney who homeschools his children, to run for the seat.)

We don’t know what Russell’s Republican opponents, Marsha Farney and Rebecca Osborne, think about abortion. But now you know the priorities of Russell and his supporters on the far-right: they have every intention of continuing to drag our children’s schools into senseless and divisive “culture war” battles even on issues that have nothing to do with public education.

A TFN reader recorded the robocall and posted the audio:

Hello, this is Dr. Joe Pojman with the Texas Alliance for Life PAC urging you to get out and vote for Brian Russell for the State Board of Education in the Republican primary election

Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 2 is Election Day.

Brian Russell is staunchly pro-life and is the only candidate to score 100% on the Texas Alliance for Life candidates survey.

Your vote is critical. Please support Brian Russell for the State Board of Education.

For more information, visit texasallianceforlife.org

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VA Legislator: Disabled Children Are God's Punishment for Women Who've Had Abortions

Submitted by Kyle on February 22, 2010 - 10:51am

Last week we noted how Pat Robertson, Jonathan Falwell, and other right-wing activists in Virginia are targeting Gov. Bob McDonnell and other top elected officials to cut off any state funding for Planned Parenthood.

During a press conference unveiling the effort last week, a state legislator declared that God punishes women who have had abortions by giving them disabled children later:

Western Prince William Del. Bob Marshall, R-13th, says disabled children are God’s punishment to women who have aborted their first pregnancy.

He made that statement last Thursday at a press conference to oppose state funding for Planned Parenthood.

“The number of children who are born subsequent to a first abortion with handicaps has increased dramatically. Why? Because when you abort the first born of any, nature takes its vengeance on the subsequent children,” said Marshall, a Republican.

“In the Old Testament, the first born of every being, animal and man, was dedicated to the Lord. There’s a special punishment Christians would suggest.”

Marshall was among more than 20 people, mostly Christian pastors and clergy, who gathered for the press conference in the General Assembly Building ...The press conference was held by a group called Virginia Christian Action. Its members presented a petition calling on Gov. Bob McDonnell, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to stop funding for Planned Parenthood. All three top officials are Republican.

The petition was signed by a number of prominent Christian leaders, including the Rev. Jonathan Falwell of Lynchburg and the Rev. Pat Robertson of Virginia Beach.

UPDATE: It looks like Marshall has quite a history of making outrageous statements.

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VA: Robertson, Falwell Court McDonnell In De-Funding Planned Parenthood

Submitted by Kyle on February 19, 2010 - 11:01am

Changes certainly are afoot in the state of Virginia with the election of Gov. Bob McDonnell, who recently moved to strip away anti-discrimination protections for gays.

Now, in addition to efforts by state legislators to ensure that money raised from the sale of proposed "Respect Choice" license plates do not go to Planned Parenthood, Gov. McDonnell's long time ally Pat Robertson and other right-wing pastors are seeking his promise to defund the organization:

Some of Virginia's most influential Christian leaders asked Gov. Bob McDonnell and other top officials Thursday to block state funding for Planned Parenthood because the nonprofit organization provides abortions.

The Virginia Christian Alliance presented a petition signed by the Rev. Pat Robertson, the Rev. Jonathan Falwell and dozens of others asking Republicans McDonnell, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to help defund the organization.

The pastors cited what they called the "unethical, immoral and racist practices" of Planned Parenthood, the nation's No. 1 abortion provider.

And according to the Virginia Pilot, McDonnell is going to support the effort:

Virginia's top three elected officials -- all Republicans -- expressed support Thursday for an effort by religious leaders to eliminate any state money that goes to Planned Parenthood, a health care organization that provides abortions.

Here are some responses from their offices:

"Lieutenant Governor Bolling does not believe that public funds should be used to pay for abortions, nor does he believe that public funds should be used to support organizations that provide abortions, such as Planned Parenthood. In fact, in 2007 the Lieutenant Governor cast the deciding vote in the Senate to withhold public funds from Planned Parenthood. His position has not changed."

Ibbie Hedrick, spokeswoman for Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling

"Attorney General Cuccinelli supports withholding state funds for Planned Parenthood. It is Constitutional for state money to go to third party contractors, but just because it is Constitutional does not mean that it is a good policy and state funding of Planned Parenthood is a bad policy. Attorney General Cuccinelli supports the overall goal of this group, but does not plan to sign a petition." Dan Dodds, spokesman for Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

The petition referred to in the response from Cuccinelli's office is a document the religious consortium is circulating.

Among its prominent signatories are Virginia Beach-based religious broadcaster Pat Robertson and Jonathan Falwell, son of Liberty University founder Jerry Falwell.

Another noteworthy public figure who plans to sign the petition is Gov. Bob McDonnell, a spokeswoman for the governor said Thursday evening.

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VA Senate Restores Planned Parenthood Funding in "Respect Choice" License Plate Bill

Submitted by Kyle on February 17, 2010 - 1:27pm

Yesterday I noted that efforts to offer "Trust Women/Respect Choice" license plates in Virginia had been been subverted with state legislators in the House passed a bill directing any money raised from their sale to the Virginia Pregnant Women Support Fund instead of Planned Parenthood.

Well, the state Senate has now passed its own version of the bill which explicitly rejected that attempt:

The Virginia Senate, controlled by Democrats, has passed a measure that would create a specialty state license plate with the message "Trust Women/Respect Choice." Some of the application fee money paid by drivers who select the plate would go to the Virginia League of Planned Parenthood.

Drivers in Virginia, which loves its vanity plates, already are allowed to select one with the logo "Choose Life."

Today's action put the Senate's bill on the issue in conflict with one passed by the Republican-controlled House of Delegates on Monday. Delegates chose to strip out Planned Parenthood funding and send the application fees for the plate to a state fund to help pregnant women instead.

Democrats in the Senate fended off an amendment to the bill from state Sen. Mark Obenshain (R-Harrisonberg) that would have followed the House's lead, allowing the creation of the plates but without sending money to Planned Parenthood.

Gov. Bob McDonnell has already made clear that he supports stripping Planned Parenthood of any state funding it receives while Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli said he would defend the state if lawmakers refuse to create the plate, so it'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

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VA "Respect Choice" License Plates Won't Actually Respect Choice

Submitted by Kyle on February 16, 2010 - 12:48pm

Currently, twenty-plus states offer versions of "Choose Life" license plates, the sale of which raises money for anti-choice groups  and "crisis pregnancy centers."

Virginia is one of those states and so it stood to reason that choice activists would press the state to offer a "Trust Women/Respect Choice" license plate for sale which would support organizations that offer reproductive health services.

Both Gov. Bob McDonnell and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli both opposed any effort to send money from such license plates to Planned Parenthood, and now it looks like Virginia legislators have stepped in to make sure that it nevers happens: 

In what pro-life advocates are hailing as a brilliant legislative move, Virginia lawmakers stripped Planned Parenthood funding from its own bill to sponsor pro-abortion license plates. The plate bill now sends the proceeds from sales of the plate to a state fund that actually helps pregnant women.

Money generated from the sales of the “Trust Women, Respect Choice" license plates was intended to go to the Planned Parenthood abortion business.

When Democrat Delegate Robert Brink’s brought up the bill, on the House floor in preparation for today's final vote, the legislation said the Virginia League of Planned Parenthood would receive $15 of the $25 plate fee.

In an interesting turn of events, Delegate Todd Gilbert, a Republican, offered an amendment to the bill to change it so all funding would go to the Virginia Pregnant Women Support Fund -- a move that the pro-life Family Forum group describes as a devastating blow to Planned Parenthood.

The Virginia Pregnant Women Support Fund was created in 2007 to “support women and families who are facing unplanned pregnancy” and is managed by the Virginia Board of Health. The goals are far different from Planned Parenthood's abortion agenda as it provides funding for ultrasound machines, parenting programs, and other support.

So if you buy the state's "Choose Life" license plate, a portion of the fee goes to support anti-choice pregnancy centers in the state. 

And if you eventually purchase a "Respect Choice" plate, a portion of that fee goes to a fund that does pretty much the exact same thing and in no way actually supports choice at all.

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Meet The New Boss ...

Submitted by Kyle on February 16, 2010 - 9:21am

There has been a lot of talk lately about how new Focus on the Family president Jim Daly was going to take a less hard-line, more open and engaging approach then did his predecessor, James Dobson.

Well, nothing says "things have changed" quite like penning a piece for WorldNetDaily, of all places, in order to declare that everyone should come together to support Daly's right-wing agenda so as to make abortion less frequent, and ultimately illegal:

Pam and Tim Tebow's 30-second appearance on this past Super Bowl broadcast has appeared to accomplish exactly what we hoped it would: initiate a national dialogue about the wonder of life, the beauty of family and the celebration of a woman's decision to give birth to her baby boy.

At the root of our decision to create and produce this commercial lies a fundamental objective. How can we at Focus on the Family, an undeniably and unapologetically pro-life family help organization, work together with those who have a very different point of view on the morality of abortion – all in an effort to save innocent lives? Is it possible to join efforts with individuals who want to keep abortion legal, but have acknowledged a desire to make it rare? Can we shove off the rhetoric and begin anew a respectful but very direct and practical discussion of the topic?

I believe we can; and I am willing to try to do so.

Daly goes on to state that it is clear that "Roe v Wade was wrongly decided" and that his ultimate goal is to see the "day when abortion is illegal and relegated to the dust heap of history." But, in the meantime, we ought to be working to "make abortion rare" by "[instituting] a Consent/Reflection waiting period at clinics," "[requiring] abortion doctors to inform women of the option of seeing an ultrasound prior to the abortion," "[requiring] parental involvement," and encouraging adoption.

So basically, Daly's supposed "openness" is going to be rooted in his belief that everyone should work together to support Focus on the Family's right-wing, anti-choice efforts. 

What a welcome change!

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Scott Roeder's Remarkably Familiar Defense

Submitted by Kyle on February 10, 2010 - 9:02am

Scott Roeder, the man who murdered Dr. George Tiller, says he has no regrets, though he believes that he didn't necessarily receive a fair trial because he wasn't allowed to raise the issue of abortion in his defense:

The convicted killer of a Kansas abortion provider has little sympathy for the family of his victim, comparing them to the relatives of a hit man in a recording posted online.

In his first public comments since his trial for the murder of Dr. George Tiller, Scott Roeder also criticized those who sought to keep the issue of abortion out of the proceedings altogether, saying it was like asserting that the trial for abolitionist John Brown was not about slavery.

"My beliefs were that the lives of unborn children were being taken by abortion," Roeder said in the video posted on YouTube Monday. "How you can keep that out of the trial is beyond me, because that was the one entire motive for the action that was taken."

His 10-minute conversation with abortion opponent Dave Leach is the first in a series recorded last week that will be posted online with Roeder's blessing, Leach told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

...

"The fact that George Tiller was involved in the practice that he was, similar to that of a hit man, if you could have sympathy for a hit man's family that is the sympathy I would have," Roeder said. "But every day, George Tiller did not have any sympathy for his victims" ... Roeder maintained he did not regret his actions. "I didn't have any regrets except for maybe the fact that if the law had done what it was supposed to do, and stop Mr. Tiller, he would not have had to come to this conclusion," Roeder said. "The lives of the babies were still being taken, and there had to be action taken to save them."

You can hear the interview here, but I just wanted to point out how remarkably similar his statements are to those made by Randall Terry, all the way down to the comparisons to John Brown:

The following is a statement by Randall Terry:

"We are not coming to condone or condemn Scott Roeder's actions. That decision will soon rest with the jury. However, there are those who want to pretend this trial has nothing to do with child-killing by abortion; that is a farce. It's like saying that the trials of Nat Turner and John Brown had nothing to do with slavery.

"We will be present to be a voice for the babies who perished at George Tiller's hand, and to raise a series of 'academic questions' such as the following:

"Was John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry completely right, completely wrong, or a mix of both? Was Brown a hero or a villain?

"Was Nat Turner's slave rebellion completely just, completely unjust, or a mixture of both? Was Turner a hero or a villain?

"George Tiller murdered 60,000 babies by his own hand. Scott Roeder knew this. How can Mr. Roeder receive a fair trial if this data is kept from the jury? Will the jury be allowed to hear evidence -- such as the grizzly means by which these babies were slain and disposed of -- evidence that would clearly effect Mr. Roeder's state of mind?

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How To Ruin The Super Bowl For Everyone

Submitted by Kyle on February 5, 2010 - 3:45pm

I don't have any special plans lined-up for this weekend's Super Bowl, but I can assure you that one thing I will not be doing is showing my support for Focus on the Family and opposition to reproductive choice by sporting my very own Tim Tebow mask:

To demonstrate support for the message of an issue ad to be aired during Sunday's CBS broadcast of the Super Bowl, a Wisconsin pro-life group is urging spectators at the game and viewers at home to wear a Tim Tebow mask to show their appreciation for life and strong family values.

...

"Tim Tebow's life matters," exclaimed Barbara Lyons, Executive Director of Wisconsin Right to Life. "And we can all have a little fun and show the public that Tim and his Mom and Dad are an inspiration to all of us."

"To show your support for Tim, his mother and father, and Focus on the Family for providing an inspirational message to the world's largest television audience, Wisconsin Right to Life invites everyone who cares about life and strong family values to download a Tim Tebow mask and wear it during the Super Bowl game on Sunday," said Lyons. The Tim Tebow mask is available at www.wisconsinrighttolife.org.

"The Super Bowl is America's biggest party," said Lyons. "So have fun, don your Tim Tebow mask when the Focus on the Family television ad airs. Wear it proudly. And make a statement for life. And maybe it's not just a coincidence the Saints are playing Sunday."

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The Religious Right Will Decide What Is Best For Women in Uniform

Submitted by Kyle on February 5, 2010 - 2:41pm

I didn't realize that in joining the military, women agreed to give up their right to medical treatments to which the Religious Right objected ... but apparently they do:

Late Thursday, the Obama administration issued a new order for the U.S. military requiring all military hospitals and health centers to stock the morning after pill. The Department of Defense will soon begin having military medical facilities stock the Plan B drug, which can sometimes cause an abortion.

...

Obama's decision is not going over well with Wendy Wright, the president of Concerned Women for America.

"The military needs to focus on its prime mission, yet leftists view it as a means to promote their agenda," she told LifeNews.com. "The morning-after pill is highly ineffective in preventing pregnancies and completely useless in preventing sexually-transmitted diseases. But it's a political tool for abortion advocates."

Wright worries the decision is the first step to pushing abortions at military hospitals.

"By making this drug required, the next step will making drugs like RU-486, the abortion pill, mandatory," she said. "And doctors or pharmacists who have objections will be purged from the ranks."

"The military needs to focus on discipline and proper behavior - because lives depend on it - not promoting risky behavior," Wright continued.

The Family Research Council is likewise demanding that women in the military be denied access to this option:

"Family Research Council opposes requiring military bases worldwide to carry Levonorgestrel, or 'Plan B,' because the drug can prevent a fertilized embryo from implanting in the uterus and thereby destroy a human life. We can all agree that there is a huge difference between preventing and destroying human life. And women in uniform deserve to know the truth about their medications.

"In the last year we have witnessed the Obama Administration move from the status quo of abortion as legal and available in health care plans to aggressively promoting U.S. government funded abortions. In the same way, the fact that Plan B is optional for military facilities is not sufficient for the Obama Administration, so now military facilities will be compelled to carry and disseminate Plan B.

"Moreover, a requirement to carry this drug would be a violation of the conscience rights of military personnel who have moral objections to providing it, not to mention the majority of American taxpayers supporting military operations. Taxpayers should not be required to pay for military medical personnel to carry Plan B anywhere in the world ... Forcing military professionals to carry over-the-counter Plan B will make it more difficult to enforce age requirements for a drug not widely tested on young girls.

"Finally, the requirement to carry Plan B on military bases doesn't include a parental notification provision in cases in which a minor obtains Plan B by prescription. This new policy undermines the right of parents to properly care for their daughters' physical well-being. In a society that requires teachers to send students to the nurse for a band-aid, the Administration's approach on something profoundly more important than a paper cut defies common sense."

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