WASHINGTON - Gary Bauer, former Republican presidential candidate and Campaign for Working Families founder, today criticized Governor Tom Ridge comments regarding the pro-life plank in the Republican party platform. Governor Ridge made the comments yesterday as he unveiled the on-line press room at the site of this summer's Republican convention.
"Gov. Tom Ridge is disastrously wrong about a central issue in the Republican Party when he says the right-to-life plank of our platform should be removed or watered-down.
"The Republican Party was born in the fight over whether black men and women were members of the American family, and about whether the Declaration was more than mere words when it said, "all men are created equal." Our party was on the right side of that incredible battle over basic human rights.
"The right to life is the centerpiece civil rights issue of this new century. The principle is the same: whether our unborn children are in fact members of the American family, protected by the promises of the Declaration of Independence and welcomed into the world.
"Tom Ridge believes that our Party should be silent or ambivalent about whether our unborn children are part of the American family. He argues that reasonable people can disagree on the issue. But this is certainly true over a wide variety of issues: taxes, education, and America's national defense. When he singles out abortion, the purpose is clear - to signal that we are not serious about ending this national tragedy.
"The Republican Party must remain true to its principles, and its platform should be unambivalent about whether all men are indeed created equal and deserving of the right-to-life.
"It is my greatest hope that my Party's presidential nominee will demand that sort of seriousness when he chooses his running mate, the man or woman who will ultimately be one heartbeat away from the presidency." |
