Wanted: A Pro-Life Candidate Who Does Not Fear the Abortion Issue
by Staff
November 3, 2009
FRONT ROYAL, VA, (christiansunite.com) -- The following is a statement by Douglas R. Scott, Jr., president of Life Decisions International (LDI).There are fewer politicians who appall me more than Creigh Deeds, the Democrat's nominee for Governor of Virginia. Deeds has staked his campaign on his extremist anti-life positions. In fact, the first ads released by the Deeds Campaign attacked Republican candidate Bob McDonnell's pro-life record.
This strategy is not new for Deeds. In his campaign for Virginia Attorney General four years ago, Deeds attacked his rival for opposing embryonic stem cell experimentation. Deeds' opponent in that race was also Bob McConnell. Just what does the position of Attorney General have to do with embryonic stem cell experimentation? Absolutely nothing, but Deeds thought it would help him win the election so he raised the issue, only to lose the race on Election Day.
Just what does the position of Governor have to do with abortion and related issues? Not much because the U.S. Supreme Court has imposed strict limits on the elected representatives of the people when it comes to legislating on the matter. Still, the Governor, along with the General Assembly, can enact some laws that would help protect the lives of preborn children. But what Deeds does not seem to understand is that in every area where lawmakers are permitted to act, polls show great public support for doing so. The Deeds "solution"? Present the issue without telling the whole truth.
In one Deeds ad, he accused McDonnell of "denying women access to birth control." In another, the Deeds Campaign says McDonnell has a record of "reducing access to birth control." In yet another ad, McDonnell is charged with "opposing birth control for married adults." (The issue was actually who should pay for it; not its legality or availability.) And Deeds said McDonnell supported "35 bills restricting a woman's choice." (That's a "woman's choice" to kill her baby, but for some reason Deeds leaves this part out.) The Deeds Campaign has even attempted to raise religious bigotry by repeatedly noting that McDonnell attended "Pat Robertson's law school." (That's the "Liberty University School of Law," to most people.)
It is obvious that Deeds is a zealot who is grossly out of touch with the vast majority of Virginians on abortion, but it is just as important to note that he has little regard for the truth. It is not surprising that Deeds airs the abortion-related ads only in the most liberal parts of Virginia, but it is appalling that he stoops so low as to deliberately mislead voters and use such highly emotional issues for personal gain.
I personally hope and pray that McDonnell wins the election on Tuesday and I believe he will when Deeds' campaign strategy implodes yet again. But it saddens me that not once has McDonnell taken Deeds on when it comes to abortion. In short, McDonnell has been a coward.
For the past several months, pro-life leaders have virtually begged the McDonnell Campaign to let them help formulate a winning strategy when it comes to dealing with such important issue. I asked the Political Director of a notable Virginia-based conservative organization if he could offer some advice on how to get McDonnell to listen. "He hasn't exactly been defending himself, has he?" the gentleman noted. "That's for sure," I replied, "and he refuses to let those who know how to turn abortion into a winning issue help his campaign." Instead of highlighting the extremist Deeds position, McDonnell has chosen to ignore the attacks. (The Political Director said that he, too, has trouble getting calls to the Campaign returned.)
The McDonnell approach perpetuates the myth that espousing a pro-life position means the death of a political campaign. The problem is that most candidates do not know how to defend and advance the pro-life point of view. But such a problem becomes even worse when a candidate refuses to learn how to do so, which does nothing but encourage pro-abortion candidates and discourage pro-life candidates. Maybe if McDonnell had put Deeds in his place on these issues four years ago, the Democrat would have had second thoughts about raising them in this campaign. I believe that when it comes to the life issues, Bob McDonnell is the best candidate for governor Virginians have had in a long, long time. I also believe that if Bob McDonnell were able and willing to articulate that position with confidence and pride, he would be among the greatest candidates we have ever seen. But despite promises by McDonnell campaign staff to return calls, there is no evidence that anyone has even thought about picking up the phone. This will not lead to a beating being taken by a candidate; it will lead to yet another beating being taken by the Pro-Life Movement.
Life Decisions International (LDI) is dedicated to challenging the Culture of Death, concentrating on exposing and fighting the agenda of Planned Parenthood. LDI's chief project is a boycott of corporations that fund the abortion-committing giant. To learn more about Planned Parenthood, please visit: www.fightpp.org/show.cfm?page=wrong
