Cain’s Confusion Unsettling to Pro-Life Voters Who Want Strong Presidential Leadership

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 21, 2011
Contact: Ciara Matthews, (202) 630-7067

Grassroots to Contact Campaign Urging Him to Sign SBA List Pledge That Will Clarify

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) today questioned presidential candidate Herman Cain’s commitment to pursue pro-life policies while in office after he made confusing and seemingly contradictory remarks to the media.  They encouraged their more than 330,000 members to contact his campaign and urge him to sign the organization’s Pro-Life Presidential Leadership Pledge in order to clarify his position.  He would be the eighth candidate to do so (two signers have since dropped out).

“A candidate’s view of women and the unborn must be crystal clear to the pro-life voter, and Herman Cain’s confusing and fluid position on pro-life policy is unsettling,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the SBA List.  “When the lives of millions of the unborn are at stake, what a presidential candidate would do to advance pro-life priorities must be stated clearly and unequivocally.

“Mr. Cain’s signature on our pledge would remove any doubts about his pro-life commitments as president.”

In recent interviews, Cain says that he’s pro-life from the moment of conception, but also says government shouldn’t make decisions on any exceptions.  He has also remarked:

“I can have an opinion on an issue without it being a directive on the nation. The government shouldn’t be trying to tell people everything to do, especially when it comes to a social decision that they need to make.” 

“On the contrary,” said Dannenfelser, “the government must absolutely step in when lives are at stake; they cannot leave it to the ‘social decisions’ of others.  We don’t doubt Mr. Cain is 100 percent personally pro-life as he says, but he has not been clear to the public on how this translates into public policy, and that doesn’t sit well with pro-life voters.”

Earlier this year, Herman Cain took issue with the fourth point of the pledge which commits candidates to advance and sign into law a Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act to protect unborn children who are capable of feeling pain from abortion. Cain said that he’d be willing to sign a fetal pain bill into law but wouldn’t use the weight of the presidency to advance itThe SBA List expects that a president who is committed to the protection of unborn lives would use the weight of that office to advance life-saving legislation in Congress.

The Susan B. Anthony List is a nationwide network of more than 330,000 Americans dedicated to mobilizing, advancing, and representing pro-life women in politics.  Its connected Candidate Fund increases the percentage of pro-life women in the political process.

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