Livonia, MI, July 12, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The newest Republican presidential candidate, Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), has put his name on the Susan B. Anthony (SBA) List’s Pro-Life Leadership Pledge.
“If you are a principled conservative, signing such a pledge requires not the courage of your convictions, but simply convictions,” said McCotter, who signed the pledge three days ago on July 9th.
“Unlike some others in this race, I have consistently acted to respect the sanctity and dignity of the unborn child,” said McCotter, in a transparent jab at fellow GOP candidates who have refused to sign the pledge. These include Herman Cain, Gov. Jon Huntsman, Gov. Gary Johnson, and Gov. Mitt Romney, although Cain has explained that while he enthusiastically supports the purpose of the pledge, he could not sign due to a technicality in its phrasing.
Congressman Thaddeus McCotter formally announced his bid for the Republican nomination on July 2nd at the WAAM Freedom Fest in Whitmore Lake, Michigan. He has been a life-long resident of southeast Michigan and currently serves as the U.S. Representative to Michigan’s 11th congressional district. He is Catholic, married, and a father of three young children.
McCotter is outspoken about his pro-life and pro-family Judeo-Christian values.
In the July 2nd speech at Whitmore Lake in which he launched his nomination bid, McCotter stated that “liberty is from God, not the government” and that it is through the “unfathomable grace of God” that America will again be a “virtuous, prosperous, compassionate inspiration that will show all the world what a free people can achieve.”
When Devin Scillian from WDIV-TV’s FlashPoint recently asked McCotter point-blank how he feels about gay “marriage,” McCotter replied simply: “I do not support same sex marriage.”
The National Right to Life Committee has tracked McCotter’s voting record on life issues since he joined Congress in 2003, and has given him a 100 percent pro-life rating.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of the SBA List, recently commented on Congressman McCotter’s staunch support for the pro-life movement.
“His legislative record includes vocal support for the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act, the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, and bills to defund Planned Parenthood and prevent taxpayer funding of abortions. We are honored to have his pledge of continued support,” she said.
The SBA List’s Pro-Life Leadership Pledge asks presidential candidates to commit to key pro-life goals if elected to the presidency in 2012, including to “advance pro-life legislation to permanently end all taxpayer funding of abortion,” to “defund Planned Parenthood,” and to “sign into law a Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act.”
“The culture of death, as enshrined by Roe v. Wade, is a present danger to the weakest in our society,” said McCotter in his explanation for why he signed the pledge. “Unless Roe is overturned, the culture of death will continue to fester and endanger Americans. To protect future generations of Americans, we must work in our families and our communities to uphold the sanctity of human life.”