The legal battle that was lost 30 years ago before the Supreme Court resulted in the creation of entire industries financially dependent upon abortion-on-demand and the culture of death. Tens of millions of dollars are spent by pro-abortion advocates to defeat pro-life candidates for public office. It is very telling that the largest political action committee in the country, Emily’s List, is solely dedicated to electing pro-abortion candidates to public office. Unfortunately, the pro-death minority controls the media, Hollywood and the academic world. Consequently, we are led to believe that most Americans favor the destruction of innocent life. This could not be further from the truth.

The public is moving our way on the issue of life; polls show an increasingly pro-life America, while supporters of abortion on demand are actually decreasing. Again, American Values’ task is to educate not only the public, but those who represent the public here in Washington and around the country, with the truth about life.

With the partial-birth abortion ban, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, Mexico City Policy (banning the federal funding of organizations who provide or promote abortion abroad), anti-cloning measures and so many more pieces of legislation, it is clear that issues pertaining to life will remain high on the agenda for our elected officials. And we will make sure of that!

Unfortunately, the history of the Democratic Party on the issue of life – slavish in its adherence to the abortion on demand mantra of the pro-abortion, anti-life Left- is quite disturbing. It is regrettable that the sanctity of life has become a partisan issue. Abortion should not be a political issue. Our society would be better served if BOTH parties fully respected the sanctity of every human life!

But that view does not reflect current political realities. The major political parties hold diametrically opposed positions on the sanctity of life, and it’s no great mystery that the millions of pro-life Americans have felt most welcome in the Republican Party.

The Grand Old Party, after all, was founded by Christian abolitionists outraged by the status quo of legal slavery in America – a land that boldly declared that "all men were created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights," first among them, the right to life.

Yet, while the Republican Party platform is clear and unambiguous on the sanctity of life, there are those within the party who curiously argue against a bold and forceful pro-life policy. They lack the moral clarity of Lincoln and Reagan and worry more about power than principle.

Pro-life policies, such as parental consent and waiting periods, enjoy tremendous public support – 82% and 74% respectively. But even putting the fundamental moral issues aside, those who argue that abortion is a losing political issue are demonstrably wrong. Exit polls of the 2000 presidential election revealed that roughly 15 million people cast their presidential ballot based on abortion as their most important issue. Of those 15 million, they voted for George W. Bush by 17 points, 58% to 41%. That translates into a pro-life advantage of 2.5 million votes! Had George Bush not taken a clear, pro-life position, I believe Al Gore would be president today. Similarly, there was a distinct advantage for pro-life candidates in the key Senate races of 2002. American Values will continue to work for legislation and public policies that acknowledge and defend the sanctity of all human life.