J. Margaret Datiles (Americans United for Life) has published an excellent essay that lays out the impact of the President on government policies related to pro-life issues. I continue to receive the comment that the Chief Executive has little impact on whether or not abortion is legal and the failure of Republican Presidents to significantly impact this American ho
Briefly, the President has a significant influence on justice and the protection of unborn Americans through:
- the appointment of Supreme Court Justices, federal judges, the U.S. Attorney General, and other government officials;
- the enactment of pro-life legislation passed by Congress;
- the preservation of existing pro-life policies;
- the issuance of executive orders that protect human life;
- the prevention of the passage of policies that would endanger human life or remove an existing pro-life policy;
- and the promotion of a culture of life through public speeches and proclamations.
You'll want to spend some time reading the entire article - click here.
John McCain has a history of supporting legislation that is pro-life and is quite supportive of policies that defend the sanctity of human life. He has vowed to nominate conservative judges - those who are strict constructionists.
Conversely, a Barack Obama presidency combined with the Democratic majority in congress will significantly change the course of American history and set pro-life achievements back a generation. Consider the following:
In addition to enacting an annual spending bill that contains pro-life "riders," the President can preserve existing pro-life policies by vetoing efforts that seek to remove existing pro-life policies.
Similarly, the President can also use his veto power to prevent the passage of anti-life legislation passed by Congress. For example, on June 20, 2007, President Bush vetoed efforts to legalize federal funding of destructive embryonic stem cell research. Similarly, in 1992, President George H.W. Bush vetoed an attempt to lift the ban on fetal tissue research.
On the other hand, the President can use his veto power to prevent the passage of life-affirming laws. For example, in 1996 President Clinton vetoed a Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act.
Currently, there are a number of anti-life bills that have been introduced into the legislature. If these bills are passed, the President could prevent their enactment by vetoing the bills. An example of an anti-life bill that has been recently introduced into Congress is Senator Boxer's Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA).
It is clear that the Presidential veto can be either a powerful tool for the cause of life, or else its deadly enemy.
Obama is a strong advocate for abortion and has vowed to sign into law the Freedom of Choice Act as his top priority. In fact,
Barack Obama is the most extreme pro-abortion candidate ever to seek the office of President of the United States. He is the most extreme pro-abortion member of the United States Senate. Indeed, he is the most extreme pro-abortion legislator ever to serve in either house of the United States Congress.
The choice for the next President could not be more clear.
Barack Obama might be better than John McCain. I know this sounds preposterous coming from a strong supporter of unborn human rights such as myself, but we in the pro-life movement are facing a very cruel quandary this year.
We lost seats in Congress in 2006 and we could well lose, and maybe lose a lot of, seats in 2008. If John McCain wins, we could face the loss of still more seats in the 2010 midterm elections. If the economy is doing badly, we could lose large numbers of addditional seats in the next election. This is because unsophisticated swing voters think that the man in the White House causes everything which happens, good or bad. This is why the Republicans are looking at defeat this year even though almost all our economic problems were caused by the policies of Democratic Party politicians. If voters fully understood economics, how much damage the Democrats have done with their financial meltdown and how much damage they will do in the future, the Republicans would sweep all Senate races, most House races and the White House. We would be facing a good future.
With three straight losing elections, Republicans would be down to levels in Congress not seen since the 1930's and would be dead in the water for the foreseeable future. It is possible that a McCain victory could represent a catastrophic strategic defeat for the unborn human rights movement. He could get nothing through, certainly not any Supreme Court appointments, and after three straight losing elections the Democrats might be able to ram through their damaging agenda over his veto. The only way ever to come back would be to give them the White House in 2012 and spend long years rebuilding. While they had overwhelming margins in Congress and the White House, they could ravage our society as never before. It might be almost impossible for us ever to come back. We could face a society of severe and intractable economic and social problems, along with an endlessly raging and unstoppable abortion holocaust.
If only John Kerry had won in 2004, we would have won seats in 2006 and be ready for more gains this year and to retake the White House. We would be in very fine shape.
It may be better to let Obama take power and try for an annihilating sweep of the Democratic Party in the 2010 midterm elections. At the same time, we must, whoever wins the White House, we MUST do everything humanly possible to hold Republican seats in the House and Senate, especially the absolutely CRITICAL Senate seats.
Every pro-life person should vote Republican in EVERY House and Senate race WITHOUT EXCEPTION.
A friend just completed a 4-minute YouTube video that I think you'll like — but unfortunately liking it is not enough. We have a moment in time here that we may look back on for the rest of our lives — a moment to make a difference in our nation's direction on the issue of abortion. Please help us get the word out. This video is designed especially for undecided Christian voters. It is suitable for all ages (See our website notice below). Barack Obama represents the Culture of Death, but his moderate sounding rhetoric covers his genuine views. This video gives people better access to the truth. I hope you'll agree. Thanks for whatever you can do to help start a grassroots fire on the internet.
http://www.americaschoicenow.com/
Please Note: This video is safe for all ages — there are no graphic images. The goal here is to give American citizens a solid grasp of where Senators McCain and Obama really stand on the life issue, using their own words. Millions of young lives depend on our election-day decisions. Over 35 years of hard won pro-life battles could be reversed if voters remain uninformed — especially Christian voters who alone could reclaim the rights of the unborn on November 4th.
Sincerely, in Jesus Christ the Lord of life,