ROMNEY PLEASES NO ONE ON ABORTION 
Mitt Romney, during an August 6 interview on ABC News’ “Good Morning America,” said he supports the Republican Platform Plank calling for a human life amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the extension of Fourteenth Amendment protection to unborn children, yet he thinks states should make their own decisions on whether abortion should be legal. He told Nevada political columnist Jon Ralston during a television interview this week that it was OK with him that Nevada is a pro-choice state. “I’d let states make their own decision in this regard. My view, of course, is I’m a pro-life individual. That’s the position I support. But, I’d let the states have this choice rather than let the federal government have it.”

Is Romney trying to mend fences with the pro-abortion industry, which has supported and depended upon him throughout his political career because of his pro-abortion position? Once he decided to run for President he flipped to a “pro-life” position, angering his former constituency. Kelly O’Bryan, a spokeswoman for NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, said in an August 9 interview with the Boston Globe, “What we tell everybody is that no matter where they stand on the issue of choice, he or she should question where Mitt Romney stands.” At this point, the pro-aborts don’t trust him any longer, and the pro-lifers don’t either.

EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH LOSING SUPPORT 
For all the controversy surrounding the Missouri ballot initiative on embryonic stem cell (ESC) experiments last November, it appears that the state could have saved itself the trouble. Although voters agreed to modify the state constitution to protect such experiments, recent reports suggest that few may desire to conduct it.

Due to the lack of success with ESC and the ethical headaches surrounding it, two major entities have abandoned the research altogether. According to The Washington Post, the founders of the Stowers Institute for Medical Research have decided to slash its $300 million ESC expansion project because of the growing opposition to experiments that destroy human embryos. Another prominent hub for ESC, the University of Missouri, lost its $150 million research center when lawmakers voted to pull the venture’s funding. And the pullback isn’t limited to the U.S. A former top executive of ES Cell International in Singapore says that the company’s investors are impatient with the lack of progress on ESC and no longer want to back the experiments after they failed to “create a clinical product.”

Perhaps the changing ESC landscape will help break Congress of its stubborn demands for more funding and also serve as a valuable lesson for states engaged in a similar debate. (FRC Action Update, July 24, 2007)

PLANNED PARENTHOOD (A NON-PROFIT) MAKES HUGE PROFITS 
During its 2005-2006 fiscal year, the non-profit Planned Parenthood Federation of America performed a record 264,943 abortions, attained a high profit of $55.8 million and received record taxpayer funding of $305.3 million. (CNSNews.com, 6/15/07) For the year July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2006, Planned Parenthood received $345.1 million in clinic income, $305 million in taxpayer funding and $212.2 million in donations. Total income reached $902.8 million while total expenses came to $847.0 million, leaving a profit of $55.8 million. Why are we allowing Congress to take our tax dollars to fund Planned Parenthood??? Please contact your representatives in Congress to demand that they de-fund Planned Parenthood!

PLEASE READ The RNC for Life Report 
Many of you have asked for our analysis of the pro-life positions of the candidates currently seeking the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. It’s all here in the Winter-2007 edition of the RNC for Life Report, entitled Will the Republican Nominee Respect Us in the Morning?

Please read it and pass it along to your pro-life friends and family members. If you would like to order extra copies for Republican and pro-life events, please call us at 1-618-462-5415 to place an order. If you would like to subscribe to the Report which comes out four times a year, send $15 to RNC/Life, P.O. Box 618, Alton, Illinois 62002. Thank you!