(Unless separately affirmed by the signee on contact, affiliations of the signees listed below are for name identification only and do not represent the views of any organization or entity listed.)

Friday, March 21, 2008

Open Letter to Republican Voters of Virginia

We, the undersigned, are men and women who have been active, in some cases for more than three decades, in the movement to protect the sanctity of human life. In that cause, we have dedicated time and energy to seeking the passage of laws to protect the right to life from conception to natural death, to championing the rights of the disabled and others deemed “imperfect” and unworthy of full protection, to supporting the provision of caring alternatives to assist women facing unexpected pregnancy.

We write now to offer our personal endorsement of Delegate Robert G. Marshall for the GOP Senate nomination from Virginia.

As the race for the GOP nomination proceeds to its conclusion in the nominating convention this May, we believe that every delegate – indeed, every Virginian – has the right to know where the candidates stand on right to life issues. In so doing, we are convinced of the truth that adjectives and labels can be misleading: on a fundamental issue of civil rights like this, that a candidate’s full position and the consistency of that position are what matter most. By every measure, the positions that Bob Marshall has taken, and on which he has led as a member of the Virginia General Assembly, qualify him uniquely to be considered the pro-life candidate in this race.

In recent days, Bob’s opponent, former governor and presidential candidate Jim Gilmore, has attempted to obscure the real differences between his own exception-laden views and the authentic pro-life vision Bob has articulated and represented.

As recently as a May 2007 interview with Wolf Blitzer of CNN as Mr. Gilmore began his presidential bid, he said the following: Blitzer: Your position on abortion, correct me if I'm wrong, suggests that there is a moment, at least early on in a woman's pregnancy, when abortion would be OK. Is that right?

Gilmore: Well, OK is not exactly the way I would put it. But what I would say is this: There has to be some time for the baby to form in the womb, which I think happens at about eight weeks. And after that, I think that abortion should be limited except to save the life of the mother. Blitzer: Between the beginning and eight weeks, abortion would be OK if necessary?

Gilmore: Not OK, but the question is, should the law prohibit it at that point? And I've never taken that position. On the other hand, my record has governor of Virginia with the pro-life movement has been very strong. We passed a 24-hour waiting period, parental notification, & informed consent. I signed the partial-birth abortion ban. And I think I have furthered our pro-life movement very substantially, even though not everybody would agree with every nuance of my position.

By any fair reading (and Mr. Gilmore has repeated similar words on numerous occasions), his position on abortion would authorize the taking of human life up to at least eight weeks of pregnancy. This “nuance” of Gilmore’s position would leave unprotected nearly three-fifths of the unborn children exposed to medical and surgical abortions in the United States today – some 700,000 human lives a year. This is a tremendous toll in lost human lives and in hurting women who deserve better.

Ultimately, however, the issue of the sanctity of human life is not about numbers, but about principle. Nothing happens at eight weeks of pregnancy that alters or diminishes the fact that a unique human life is present in the womb from conception – the DNA of a unique and unrepeatable human being is in place, a heartbeat and brainwaves are present, a miracle of growth needing only time and nutrition is underway that marks not a human life to come but a human life begun and moving inexorably on to the next stage of development. Each of us came into the world in this way, and no one from this day forward will do otherwise.

For this reason, Mr. Gilmore’s position on the sanctity of human life is arbitrary, inconsistent and incomplete. To call it otherwise is not to make it so.

We recognize in writing this letter the actions Mr. Gilmore took, which he cites above and we fully quote, and the appointments he made as governor of the Commonwealth that served the cause of protecting human life. He deserves credit for these actions and the distinctions they offer with the across-the-board endorsement of abortion and other offensive practices that have characterized the Democratic Party and its candidates in our state. Nonetheless, Mr. Gilmore’s oft-repeated stance that nearly three-fifths of the nation’s unborn children subject to abortion will go without legal protection under his public service cannot go unremarked or unopposed.

No candidate who espouses such a position can reasonably claim to be honored as a pro-life candidate or to command the support of pro-life Virginians, who have sacrificed so much to honor and achieve an ethic of life that will not leave some 60% of our children behind.

In the days to come, we urge Mr. Gilmore to enunciate his position fully and to respect the maturity and wisdom of Republican voters, who have the right to know exactly where the candidates stand on these momentous questions. Finally, we urge every concerned Virginian to take part in this debate in good faith, to learn the full facts about what the candidates have not only said but done, and to bring their passion and involvement to the process of selecting a nominee for the U.S. Senate who will stand for the principles found in our national party platform. Those principles are the same ones written on every human heart, that human life is a gift form our Creator to be honored in our lives and in our laws.

Sincerely,

Hon. Bay Buchanan, US Treasurer, 1981-83

Bob Allen, Attorney and Family Activist

Eve Marie Barner, Former Life Issues Coordinator Concerned Women for America, Virginia

The Honorable Dick Black

Mychele Brickner

Judie Brown

Jack and Kathy Campbell

Mark Cole, Member, Virginia House of Delegates, 88th District;

Denny Daugherty

Marnie Deaton, Director; Central Virginia Family Forum

Barbara Dodge, President, Choose Life Virginia PAC

George S. Dodge

Charles A. Donovan, Sr. Family Research Council Action

Christopher Gacek, J.D.

Thomas Glessner, J.D. President National Institute of Family and Life Advocates

Joe Glover President, Family Policy Network

Kristin Hansen

Robert Knight, Media Commentator

Mary Ann Kreitzer, President, Les Femmes

Connie Mackey, Senior Vice President Family Research Council Action

Connie Marshner

Thomas Minarik

Colleen Parro, Republican National Coalition for Life

The Honorable Eva Scott

Shawn Sheehy

Joseph Strada, M.D.

Mark Tate

Patrick Trueman, Esq.

Wendy Wright, President, Concerned Women for America

Kay Gunter, Republican State Central Committee

Linda Skladeny, J.D.