By Dave Andrusko
Sen. Ted Cruz
The contingent of prominent Texas pro-life politicians coming to NRLC 2013 continued Friday morning with stirring remarks from Sen. Ted Cruz. Cruz joined NRLC President Carol Tobias, NRLC Political Director Karen Cross, and NRLC Executive Director David N. O’Steen, Ph.D. in a session that looked back at what happened last November but also forward to the pivotal 2014 off-year elections.
MCed by Darla St. Martin, NRLC Co-Executive Director, “Winning for Life in 2014” reminded pro-lifers that the political process is crucial to winning legal protection for unborn children. Cross explained that 80% of candidates endorsed by NRL PAC won in 2012. NRL PAC focused its resources on 99 of the most competitive federal races and in spite of being vastly outspent by the likes of EMILY’S List, 57 of the 99 prevailed. (As Dr. O’Steen put it, NRL PAC’s resources are limited—“We are extremely frugal with our funds”–so, “We pick the very toughest races and we go in.”)
Mrs. Tobias emphasized the importance of sending “reinforcements” to pro-lifers in the House, which must be retained in pro-life hands, and the Senate, currently controlled by pro-abortionists, which must be swung over to a pro-life majority. She also reminded attendees that three new surveys show the increasing unpopularity of ObamaCare with its abortion subsidies and inducements to rationing of medical care.
Dr. O’Steen spoke of the recent amazing remarks of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. To Pelosi, passing the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act would be “treading on sacred grounds.” By “sacred,” Pelosi means “the ability to tear apart unborn babies who can feel pain, limb by limb, in the womb,” O’Steen explained.
He also told the audience that while they had sacrificed—in time and treasure—to help NRLC save the most defenseless, “the other side sacrifices, too,” O’Steen said. Only what they sacrifice is babies.
Sen. Cruz received a standing ovation as he addressed what he called a “room of warriors.” Just as had Prayer Breakfast speaker David Barton, Cruz frequently harkened back to principles in our Declaration of Independence—the indispensable importance of the insistence that all men are created equal and endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, first and foremost the right to life.
He agreed with Dr. O’Steen that 2014 presented an opportunity to take back the Senate and that along with winning political races we must also be winning hearts and minds.
Friday’s second day was filled with 30 workshops, providing attendees with a remarkable set of options. Saturday will offer more of the same—23 workshops—in addition to an opening General Session on “Life-Saving Treatment: The Rights and Wrongs of Providing and Withholding it” and a closing Banquet, “40 Years of Roe v. Wade Is 40 years too Many.”