Dear friend,

While the economy, health care, and national defense are important issues in the upcoming presidential election, moral issues such as abortion are equally if not more important because they affect the very moral foundations of our society. Therefore, it is important that the voters have the facts on where Senators McCain and Obama stand on abortion.

First, a definition of terms.

1) Partial-birth abortion: An abortion procedure used late in a pregnancy where a child is delivered except for its head. The back of its head is then cut open and its brains are sucked out so that it can be delivered dead. The child has not been completely born when it is killed, hence the name "partial-birth" abortion.

2) Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act: Passed by the House with a vote of 281-142, passed by the Senate with a vote of 64-34, and signed into law by President Bush on November 5, 2003, the Act prohibits the partial-birth abortion procedure from being practiced in the United States.

3) Gonzales v. Carhart: The April 2007 Supreme Court decision upholding the constitutionality of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act.

4) Freedom of Choice Act: A bill before congress, sponsored by abortion-rights advocates, in reaction to the "Gonzales v. Carhart" decision, which would protect abortion rights in the United States. This bill would permit partial-birth abortions where the "health" of the mother is an issue. Since the "health" of the mother could include any physical or mental stress or discomfort suffered by the mother during her pregnancy, the Freedom of Choice Act would in effect nullify the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act and again allow partial-birth abortions to be practiced in our country.

The following gives the stand and voting record of Senators McCain and Obama on abortion-related issues.

Partial-Birth Abortion:

McCain voted for the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act.

Obama opposes the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act.

The "Gonzales v. Carhart" Supreme Court Decision:

McCain - "Today’s Supreme Court decision (Gonzales v. Carhart) is a victory for those who cherish the sanctity of life."

Obama - "I am extremely concerned that (Gonzales v. Carhart) will embolden state legislatures to enact further measures to restrict a woman’s right to choose."

Parental Notification Law:

McCain voted to support a bill that would have required an abortionist to notify at least one parent before performing an abortion on a minor girl from another state.

Obama voted to block a bill that would have required an abortionist to notify at least one parent before performing an abortion on a minor girl from another state.

Protecting Abortion Survivors:

McCain voted for legislation that provides protection for babies who survive abortions equal to protection received by babies who are born prematurely.

Obama voted three times against a bill in the Illinois State Senate that would have provided protection for babies who survive abortions equal to protection received by babies born prematurely.

Freedom of Choice Act:

McCain opposes the Freedom of Choice Act.

Obama supports the Freedom of Choice Act. ("The first thing I’d do as president is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. That’s the first thing I’d do." - Senator Obama, speaking to the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, July 17, 2007)

You face a clear choice in the upcoming election. You can vote for the sanctity of life of the unborn or for a mother’s right to have her unborn child killed.

As you make that choice you might look at yourself in a mirror and ask yourself if your mother had the right to "terminate" you. Then look your children in the face and ask yourself if you had the right to have them partially delivered, their skulls cut open, and their brains sucked out because of stress and discomfort you were going through. Then ask yourself if any civilized society can sanction such a barbaric procedure, remain civilized, and survive. And then vote according to your conscience.

Pastor Leslie R. Lanier
Wayfarer’s Chapel Lutheran Church
Fillmore