There has never been a nation like the US, never. It begins with the principles of our founding documents. Principles that recognize that our rights come from our God, not from our government. Principles that recognize that because all of us are equal in the eyes of our Creator, all life is sacred, at every stage of life.
With these words, Marco Rubio opened up his CPAC 2010 address in Washington D.C. last month. He is being heralded as the top GOP Candidate for the US Senate seat in Florida. CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, is the premier conservative conference in the United States, and brought together dozens of the most prominent conservative leaders of our time, including Newt Gingrich, Ann Coulter, Glenn Beck, Senator Jim DeMint, Senator Mitt Romney, Representative Ron Paul, and many others. Constitutional principles, economic and fiscal policy, and the importance of small government and capitalism were hot topics at the conference.
Over 54 percent of those attending CPAC were between the ages of 18 and 25, according to the CPAC Straw Poll, which is an important demographic for the Pro-Life movement. Many of the students at the conference expressed a desire for greater emphasis on Pro-Life issues at CPAC.”The Pro-Life issue definetly wasn't at the forefront of the CPAC agenda this year. That's likely because the biggest issues the nation is currently facing are related to healthcare legislation and excessive government spending. But I would have liked to see it addressed more” stated Alyssa Farah, a junior at Patrick Henry University.Many of the biggest keynote speakers, such as Glenn Beck and Ann Coulter, who both had standing room only crowds, didn't address the issue at all; Ann Coulter's humourous tirade reaffirmed that Democrats are trying (and failing) to pass socialist legislation.
Glenn Beck brought the house down with a rousing, inspirational talk that spoke as much about his personal failures and triumphs as it did of the constitutional freedoms promised us by our forefathers. Newt Gingrich waxed eloquently on global triumphs against socialism and communism, and Representative Ron Paul railed against all forms of socialized health care and big governement intrusion in the private sector.While it's true that President Obama supports very liberal social and economic agendas, the fact that he is also the most anti-Life President in history means he poses a threat to the unborn of this nation. No amount of constiutional freedoms or small government will matter if the right to be born is not guaranteed.In spite of the focus given to fiscal and constitutional topics, the Pro-Life movement did have a presence at CPAC.
Americans United for Life, a legislative and legal Pro-Life organization, directed a panel on the topic of technology as a tool of the Pro-Life movement. Their president, Dr. Chairmane Yoest, spoke about the importance of internet activism.”We created the Virtual March for Life, where people could go online and pick an avatar and virtually march alongside the people who were physically here marching in D.C.,” Yoest said. “Ultimately, we are looking for leverage to use technology to get the most out of every single person's activity.”Close to 90,000 people participated in the online 2010 March for Life Initiative because of Americans United for Life's efforts. “It's important we show our politicians that this is an issue that's not just going away,” Yoest stated. “We can't just focus on whether or not we're creating jobs or addressing the stimulus, because without the right to life we don't have people to take those jobs.”Lila Rose of Live Action films, whose videos exposed Planned Parenthood's sexual abuse cover-ups, also participated in the panel.”We want the unbelieving world to see what is really happening to unborn children, and to open the coffin on abortion,” said Lila. “We seek to monitor abortion groups so the public knows about sexual abuse cover-ups at abortion clinics.” She also reminded those present of the true importance of the Pro-Life movement: “Human abortion is not a social issue; it is a basic human rights issue.”Pro-Life activists have their work cut out for them in addressing the abortion issue to the conservative movement. Two straw poll results indicate that only 9 percent of CPAC attendees stated that protecting innocent human life is an important part of their core beliefs and ideology, and 10 percent say being Pro-Life is the most important issue for them. The issues that earned top ratings in both polls were reducing the size of the government, which earned 80 percent and 52 percent ratings, respectively. Pro-Life activists should not be intimidated; they must persevere in talking about this highly controversial issue.
In Marco Rubio, who is a Pro-Life rising star, the conservative movement has a fine example of how to keep abortion on the short list of most important political issues. Pro-Life organizations must promote Life among fellow conservatives.