News

By Kathleen Gilbert

(This story was updated at 3:12pm, Nov 26, to include recent anti-life appointee Melody Barnes – Domsetic Policy Council Director)

November 25, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – As the media continues to leak real and projected appointments to Mr. Obama’s future administration, the emerging pattern is clear: most of the appointments with any voting or lobbying history represent the extreme end of the pro-abortion movement.

Following is a list of Obama appointments so far who have a track record of opposing the pro-life movement and actively promoting the anti-life cause.

Chief of Staff: Rahm Emanuel – The Clinton veteran, whose fiery temper has earned him a fearful reputation, earned a 100% NARAL pro-choice rating and a pro-homosexuality track record during his years as an Illinois congressman. 

Commerce Secretary: Bill Richardson – The governor of New Mexico calls himself a “Catholic” and says he is personally opposed to abortion; yet the Democrat has worked against true marriage and pushes so vehemently for unrestricted “reproductive rights” he was named a “Champion of Choice” by NARAL in January of 2007. 

Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS): Tom Daschle – Daschle gained notoriety for his consistently pro-abortion voting record in his years as Democratic Senate majority leader.  Daschle blocked votes on five major pro-life bills that passed the U.S. House, and in 2002 wrote a letter to his constituents asking for donations to NARAL.

(One bioethicist who will likely join the ranks of the new HHS committee, along with Daschle, is Dr. R. Alta Charo, an avid supporter of embryonic stem-cell research who has called pro-life bioethicists leaders of “the endarkenment.”)

Secretary of Homeland Security: Janet Napolitano – The Arizona governor is a well-known abortion supporter who vetoed a partial birth abortion ban, and in 2005 earned praise from NARAL for forcing Arizona pharmacies to distribute the morning-after pill despite moral objections.

Communications Director: Ellen Moran – Moran is the current executive director of EMILY’s List, a major political action committee dedicated to helping elect solidly pro-abortion Democratic women to political office. She supports tax-payer funded abortions, and opposes any bans on partial birth abortion.

Domsetic Policy Council Director: Melody Barnes – The former board member at both EMILY’s List and Planned Parenthood has earned a reputation as an “unabashed” liberal after dedicating much of her career to advancing unfettered embryonic stem-cell research and abortion.

Likely appointees include:

Secretary of State: Hillary Clinton – Sen. Clinton has proven herself as one of the most notorious names in pro-abortion American politics, with a liberal record so extreme that, while campaigning for the Democratic presidential ticket last year, she accused Mr. Obama himself of failing to support abortion tenaciously enough.  Obama has frequently been called the most pro-abortion presidential candidate in history.

Secretary of the Interior: Raúl M. Grijalva – The Democratic Congressman from Arizona, first elected in 2002, is a steady supporter of abortion, same-sex “marriage,” and embryonic stem cell research.  A partisan figure who voted 97.5% along party lines during the current Congress, Grijalva sports a 100% pro-choice rating from NARAL.

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:

Extreme Pro-Abortion Leader Chosen for Obama Communications Director
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/nov/08112404.html

Obama Selecting the Most Anti-Life, Anti-Family Radicals He Can Find for Administration
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/nov/08112009.html

Obama Solidifies Pro-Abortion Agenda with “Attack Dog” Rahm Emanuel for Chief of Staff
https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/nov/08110605.html