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Oct. 31, 2006 |
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National Right to Life Endorses Pro-Abortion Tom Kean in NJ There is a race for the U.S. Senate underway in New Jersey. Three candidates are running: the incumbent Democrat, Robert Menendez who is pro-abortion, Republican Tom Kean, Jr. who is pro-abortion, and a third-party candidate (Solidarity: Defend Life Platform) who is pro-life, N. Leonard Smith. Over the past weekend, pro-life voters in New Jersey received a mailing from National Right to Life Committee urging them to oppose Menendez and vote for Tom Kean. NRLC spent over $13,000 on the piece which has a picture of a very cute baby on the front, and, on the back compares the records of Menendez and Kean on partial-birth abortion, parental notification for a minor’s abortion, and judicial nominations. Without in-depth knowledge of Kean’s actions as a New Jersey state senator, a voter reading the NRLC postcard would get the impression that Kean is better than Menendez on these issues. Fortunately, New Jersey Right to Life (not affiliated with NRLC) has all the information available on its web site http://www.njrtl.org/, along with Tom Kean’s record in the New Jersey Senate. A response to the endorsement by NJRTL executive director Marie Tasy, follows at the end of this commentary. Tom Kean is pro-abortion. On December 12, 2005 he provided the only Republican vote and joined with 6 Democratic Senators to release S.2913 from the Senate Budget Committee, a bill that would ask voters to approve borrowing $350 million in bonds to fund embryonic stem cell research, human cloning and trafficking in fetal tissue. Tom Kean supports research that involves the killing of human embryos and urged Congress to override President Bush’s veto of a bill that would have expanded federal funding of embryonic stem cell research (ESCR). On October 19, just a few days prior to National Right to Life’s endorsement, Tom Kean said he disagrees with President Bush over the Mexico City Policy that bans foreign aid to international agencies that perform or refer for abortions. "Tom Kean, Jr. voted three times to advance taxpayer funding of research that allows the cloning and killing of human beings through the embryo, fetal AND NEWBORN STAGES for their organs, parts and tissues.” (NJRTL Fact Sheet — 10/29/06)
By endorsing Tom Kean, Jr., National Right to Life Committee has dramatically lowered the standard by which a candidate can seek to receive their endorsement. That is a terrible shame. Perhaps it’s all about keeping the Senate in the control of the Republican Party. If that is the case, we feel the price is too high. If a pro-abortion candidate like Tom Kean can receive campaign assistance from what is considered to be the most important pro-life organization in the country, why should future candidates think they have to take a stronger position? Why should they not support human cloning, embryonic stem cell research, trafficking in baby’s body parts, taxpayer funding of abortion, and, for that matter, abortion-on-demand? Our view of this situation is simple. Pro-lifers do have a candidate, N. Leonard Smith, albeit a third-party candidate, for whom they can cast their votes. Liberals of every stripe will vote for Menendez who, if re-elected will vote pro-abortion and anti-life on bioethical issues. The liberals and Democrats will be responsible for every drop of innocent blood that is shed due to Menendez’ votes in the Senate. If Kean is elected, his voting record promises to be as pro-abortion as that of Menendez and Republican Senators Arlen Specter, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, and Lincoln Chafee, RINOs (Republicans in Name Only) who can usually be depended upon to try to thwart the pro-life agenda every chance they get. We believe that pro-lifers in New Jersey certainly wouldn’t want to bear responsibility for Kean’s actions in the U.S. Senate. Both Menendez and Kean are pro-abortion. Neither one deserves a pro-life vote. RNC/Life continues to keep the bar raised high. Please visit our website to view our PAC Report on the 2006 Congressional races. http://www.rnclife.org/pac/2006_Primary_PAC_Report.html
October 29, 2006 Dear Pro-Life Friends: New Jersey Right to Life has decided to issue the following statement after learning that National Right to Life has sent out a postcard mailing recommending that pro-life voters vote for Tom Kean, Jr. FEC reports illustrate that National Right to Life-PAC has spent in excess of $12,000 for the use of their mailing list and postage expenses in support of pro-abortion Tom Kean Jr.’s campaign for the U. S. Senate. New Jersey Right to Life-PAC is not supporting either one of the major party candidates for U. S. Senate. Both Republican Tom Kean, Jr. and Democrat Robert Menendez’s voting records and declared support for abortion and life-destroying embryonic stem cell research and cloning are in direct opposition to our pro-life mission and goals and make them unacceptable to pro-life voters. New Jersey Right to Life is the state’s largest pro-life organization and is not affiliated with National Right to Life or its PAC. Although National Right to Life’s postcard in support of Tom Kean, Jr. omits the candidates’ positions on embryonic stem cell research and cloning, we feel it is necessary to provide the voting records of both Robert Menendez (D) and Tom Kean, Jr. (R) on these issues and a rebuttal to National Right to Life’s claims to demonstrate why both Kean and Menendez’s positions are unacceptable to pro-life voters. We have notified our members of a third party candidate, N. Leonard Smith, who is running on a pro-life platform.
Voted Yes on H.R. 810 to use federal tax dollars on research that kills living human embryos (05/24/05 Roll Call Vote # 204 and 07/18/2006 Roll Call Vote # 206). Opposed President Bush’s July 19, 2006 veto of H. R. 810 and urged Congress to override President’s veto.
Voted Yes on S2913, a Stem Cell Bond ballot referendum authorizing the use of $350M in public bonds to fund clone and kill research as established under NJ Law, P.L. 2003, C. 203 (12/15/05 NJ Senate Vote). Voted Yes on S1091, a Stem Cell Bond ballot referendum authorizing the use of $230M in public bonds to fund clone and kill research as established under NJ Law, P.L. 2003, C.203 (06/30/2006 NJ Senate Vote). Opposed President Bush’s July 19, 2006 veto of H. R. 810 and urged Congress to override the President’s veto. Since National Right to Life’s postcard does not provide all the facts about Tom Kean Jr.’s record on abortion, New Jersey Right to Life provided the following information below.
Fact: Tom Kean, Jr. was not an elected official when the NJ partial birth abortion ban act passed the NJ Legislature and, therefore, never had to vote for it. Many pro-abortion elected officials who voted against the ban continue to claim they oppose partial birth abortion. For example, Christine Todd Whitman and former President Bill Clinton still claim to oppose partial birth abortion and state they are in support of banning the procedure even though they both vetoed the bill because it did not include a meaningless “health” exception. Since Tom Kean, Jr. did not have to actually vote for it, we don’t really know whether he would support a bill without a meaningless “health” exception. We do know, however, that Kean, Jr. voted three times to advance taxpayer funding of research that allows the cloning and killing of human beings through the embryo, fetal AND NEWBORN STAGES stages for their organs, parts and tissues. Some of these methods would, no doubt, include the procurement of brain tissue and may include partial birth abortion and/or procedures very similar to it. Kean provided the deciding and only Republican vote in committee to advance the funding of this research. See above.
Fact: NJ passed a very modest parental notice law in 1999 which even pro-abortion Christine Todd Whitman signed into law and two-thirds of the legislature (many of who were pro-abortion) voted for. The law was struck down as unconstitutional by the NJ Supreme Court. Although Tom Kean, Jr. voted with other pro-abortion members of the legislature and pro-abortion Governor Christine Todd Whitman in support of this law, he has since voted for a law in NJ which would allow a minor who is 13 years of age to consent to medical or surgical treatment without parental notice or consent.
Fact: Tom Kean, Jr. refuses to state whether he will vote for a pro-life judicial nominee. He only came out in favor of Samuel Alito after it was clear that there was enough votes in the U.S. Senate to approve his nomination and after the NJ pro-life community expressed their doubt and concerns about whether Alito would be a reliable vote to overturn Roe v. Wade on the U. S. Supreme Court. The fact of the matter is that Alito has a mixed record on abortion and life issues and he has not yet been tested. The fact that the U. S. Supreme Court just recently refused to rehear a challenge to the Doe v. Bolton case does not appear promising. Addenda: In the last week, Michael J. Fox has appeared in TV ads in support of candidates who support embryonic stem cell research and cloning. Tom Kean, Jr. extended an invitation to have Michael J. Fox campaign with him since Kean, Jr. agrees with Michael J. Fox. This has caused even stalwart Republicans like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity to speak out against Kean. Rush Limbaugh actually posted his views on his website. [ It may no longer be available there, but you can find it here: http://newjersey.craigslist.org/pol/226225628.html ] Please do not be misled into believing that Tom Kean, Jr. is pro-life or will vote pro-life if elected to the U.S. Senate.
Marie Tasy, Executive Director (908) 276-6620 email: mtasy@njrtl.org http://www.njrtl-pac.org/content/newsletter_details.asp?ArticleID=1035 http://www.njrtl-pac.org/content/newsletter_details.asp?ArticleID=1111
Is the Republican Party returning to the liberal Rockefeller "tradition" that was defeated by Ronald Reagan? Is that what YOU want? Please let us know. Just click on the link below. We need to hear from you! http://www.rnclife.org/cgi_bin/reagan/
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Republican National Coalition for Life  Box 618 Alton Illinois 62002618-462-5415  Fax: 618-462-8909 E-mail | |
