WASHINGTON, D.C., April 5, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – The National Right to Life Committee has endorsed Senator Ted Cruz for president.
NRLC, the nation's largest and most influential pro-life political organization, said Cruz stands apart from the remaining field due to his record and passionate defense of the unborn.
“National Right to Life believes Sen. Cruz is the only candidate for president who has always been pro-life, who has a 100 percent pro-life voting record with National Right to Life, who can win the Republican nomination, and who can defeat pro-abortion Hillary Clinton in November,” Dave Andrusko wrote at National Right to Life News.
Republican frontrunner Donald Trump has generated concern among many in the pro-life movement due to his opposition to a ban of partial birth abortion – a position he changed more than 16 years ago – as well as making statements on the issue of abortion that are frequently revised by his campaign after the fact.
Gov. John Kasich is mathetically eliminated from obtaining the 1,237 delegates necessary to clinch the Republican presidential nomination. He is well-regarded by Ohio Right to Life, NRLC's state affiliate, for his role in signing abortion restrictions that have closed numerous abortion facilities and for depriving Planned Parenthood of state funds.
Trump, Cruz, and Kasich have all said they would sign the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, defund Planned Parenthood, and appoint pro-life justices to the Supreme Court. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, they believe abortion restrictions should be left to the states. While Trump and Kasich allow for abortion in the cases of rape or incest, Cruz would allow abortion only to save the life of the mother.
While his critics say Sen. Cruz has a tougher path to the nomination than Trump, who leads him by several hundred delegates, polls show his unfavorable ratings are currently lower than Mr. Trump's.
Polls show Sen. Cruz and Mr. Trump alternating the lead in Wisconsin, which is holding its primary today.
The NRLC's board of directors made its endorsement decision last Saturday during a meeting in Arlington, Virginia.