We Said It Before and We'll Say It Again — Elizabeth Dole is No Jesse Helms! 
Despite the fact that Elizabeth Dole justifies abortion for babies conceived through acts of rape or incest, she has received the endorsement of both North Carolina Right to Life and National Right to Life Committee for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by pro-life champion Senator Jesse Helms. On August 1, the Raleigh News & Observer quoted NCRTL President Barbara Holt: "Dole has demonstrated by her words and actions her commitment to upholding the pro-life principles held by the majority of North Carolinians. She will continue the tradition of Jesse Helms by supporting pro-life legislation and rejecting the use of tax dollars to pay for abortions both in the United States and overseas." National Right to Life Committee's PAC also issued a statement backing Dole for the Senate. "Dole has maintained a strong and consistent pro-life position. We encourage all pro-lifers in North Carolina to lend her their support as well," said NRLC PAC director Carol Tobias in a press release on July 29th.

Elizabeth Dole says she supports abortion for babies conceived through rape or incest. That position sends a clear message to abortion supporters that, as a U.S. Senator, she will pose no threat to legal abortion. To say that she "will continue the tradition of Jesse Helms" is an expectation totally out of sync with her publicly stated views. Even worse, it serves to minimize the major contribution Senator Helms has made to the pro-life cause over all these years. While Senator Helms has been a pro-life leader in the Senate and has employed a staff that looks for every avenue through which the pro-life legislative agenda can be advanced and the pro-abortion agenda defeated, Mrs. Dole has shown no such inclination. Senator Helms has long supported a human life amendment to the Constitution, but Mrs. Dole refuses to even discuss such a possibility.

According to the Raleigh News & Observer, Carol Tobias said that "Dole would oppose publicly funded abortions, support parental consent laws, and oppose partial-birth abortions," all of which are generally popular positions that are minimalist approaches to regulating the practice of abortion, but are a far cry from making it illegal. Mrs. Tobias also said, "Dole's front-runner status might have been a consideration" in issuing the endorsement, adding that Dole is "the only pro-life candidate who can win in November."

With the entire Republican establishment (many of whom are pro-abortion-choice) backing her and with the "pro-life" label firmly affixed by groups relied upon by pro-life voters for election-year guidance, maybe Dole will win in November. However, North Carolina pro-lifers should have no illusions that Senator Dole will deliver any more than the marginal commitments she made in exchange for those endorsements, or that she will assume any real leadership on pro-life issues in the U.S. Senate.

Elizabeth Dole is no Jesse Helms.

The Irish Pro-Life News Sent Us This Report 
The United States Justice Foundation, has filed suit against Planned Parenthood clinics in Los Angeles and San Diego on behalf of a California woman who claims she was required to offer medical services -- including assisting physicians with abortions -- that she was not licensed to perform. The suit, on behalf of Megan Allen, targets the National Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Planned Parenthood of San Diego and Riverside counties and Planned Parenthood of Los Angeles for "unlawful business practices" -- including use of "unlicensed personnel... to assist in the performance of abortions" -- and "wrongful termination" (of an employee). Richard Ackerman, litigation counsel for USJF, told WorldNetDaily: "I spent a decade doing medical malpractice cases. This one is unbelievable. It's a time bomb." He said his client began pointing out medical procedural discrepancies "almost immediately, but clinic staff told her, 'Don't worry about it'." When her complaints began to come more frequently, the clinic fired her. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=28686

NH Momentum Shifts to Senator Bob Smith 
The New Hampshire primary contest between pro-life incumbent Senator Bob Smith and two-term Congressman John Sununu shows Smith overcoming Sununu's early lead. Four major daily newspapers have endorsed Senator Smith for re-election as of September 4, 2002. Bob Novak writes in the August 28th Evans-Novak Political Report that "Smith is a more tenacious campaigner and fundraiser. By working harder than Sununu, he has nearly eliminated the early lead the Congressman held. Many accounts also have Smith beating Sununu in their latest debates." "As he showed with his comeback win in 1996, Smith's supporters are more dedicated conservatives and are more likely to turn out on Election Day. It looks like a very tight election-difficult to call. Leaning Smith." (Bob Smith for US Senate – P.O. Box 387 – Exeter, NH 03833 Phone: 603/661-5969)