Rick Santorum’s campaign has put out the following press release title:
“HERMAN CAIN – PRO-TARP, PRO-TAX AND NOW, PRO-CHOICE
This blast comes on the heels of Herman Cain’s comments on CNN’s Piers Morgan show last night where he said that when it comes to an individual’s abortion decision, “Whatever they decide, they decide.”
The Brody File analysis is at the end of this post but here are Santorum’s forceful comments:
“Herman Cain said that he believes life begins at conception, but that it’s up to the individual to decide whether or not to terminate that life. And I find it gravely troubling that Herman believes it’s a life, but that he doesn’t consider it a life worth fighting for.
As the author of the partial birth abortion ban and other pro-life pieces of legislation, this is the exact mentality myself and other true pro-life advocates fought against. In fact, Herman’s pro-choice position is similar to those held by John Kerry, Barack Obama and many others on the liberal left.
No, Herman, it is not ‘whatever they decide,’ this is an innocent human life. It is unconscionable for Herman to run for the nomination of the Party that stands in defense of Life while showing disregard for the sanctity of Life. You cannot be both personally against abortion while condoning it – you can’t have it both ways. We must defend the defenseless, period.”
Here are Cain’s exact comments on Piers Morgan show last night on CNN:
Herman Cain: It comes down to it's not the government's role or anybody else's role to make that decision. Secondly, if you look at the statistical incidents, you're not talking about that big a number.
So what I'm saying is it ultimately gets down to a choice that that family or that mother has to make. Not me as president, not some politician, not a bureaucrat. It gets down to that family. And whatever they decide, they decide. I shouldn't have to tell them what decision to make for such a sensitive issue.
MORGAN: You might be the president of United States of America. So your views on these things become exponentially massively more important. They become a directive to the nation.
CAIN: No they don't. I can have an opinion on an issue without it being a directive on the nation. The government shouldn't be trying to tell people everything to do, especially when it comes to social decisions that they need to make.
MORGAN: That's a very interesting departure --
CAIN: Yes.
MORGAN: -- from the normal politics.
CAIN: Exactly.
Penny Nance, CEO of Concerned Women for America today is calling on Herman Cain to make up his mind. Here is her statement:
The issue of life is like the issue of slavery, it is an inalienable right. The life issue is a dividing line proving whether or not a leader’s moral compass is intact. This is not a point on which social conservative women will negotiate. Cain needs to figure out what he believes.”
When it comes to Herman Cain and the pro-life issue here’s what we know. Personally, Herman Cain is 100 percent pro-life, even more so than some other candidates because he personally doesn’t believe in exceptions for rape and incest.
I’m sure there will be conservatives out there who take great comfort in him speaking out forcefully like that. Therefore, it would be natural to think that he would act accordingly as president of the United States.
However, here is where more clarity is needed. He's also been all over the map on this in previous interviews. We expect Cain to release a statement on this issue later today.
Here’s the bottom line: Herman Cain will need to prove to social conservatives that he has thought through these issues thoroughly. There is an open question from social conservative leaders if he’s ready for prime time on these types of social issues as it relates to legislation and the role of government.
They are willing to give him some leeway here but the sooner he articulates his specific positions on all of this the better. The clock is ticking.
Meanwhile, people like Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann are poised to capitalize if Cain stumbles or cannot rise to the occasion.