September 26, 2023
If you follow the pro-life movement, you’ve probably seen the Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) ad that’s been running since last week. In the ad, the Senator addresses the audience with a simple choice – retreat or fight on the issue of life:
“If the radical Left wins, abortions will be performed on minors without their parents’ consent… babies old enough to feel pain will be aborted, and single mothers like mine will be told aborting their children will help the economy.
“Yet these people say I am the extremist.
“I am Tim Scott and I approved this message, because some Republicans want to retreat on life.
“I know life is a gift from God, and this is a fight we must WIN.”
On many fronts, this is a great ad and reflects a shift we discussed in a Students for Life Action (SFLAction) blog earlier this week – the Republican Party is “moving further right” on the issue of life. Scott correctly identifies that the Democrats will pursue abortion without limits; in fact, in six states and Washington DC, this is already the case.
The ad also rightly identifies that some Republicans are retreating on the issue – we’ve covered this many times, and one of the worst offenders, Representative Nancy Mace, comes from Tim Scott’s own state.
Republicans face a clear choice heading into tomorrow night’s Republican Presidential Primary Debate. SFLAction issued a series of challenges to every candidate running for President, including a Protecting Heartbeats Pledge. We also provided some suggestions on how to talk about the issue of Heartbeat Protection Legislation in general in a recent blog:
“What would happen if you asked someone “when is a person dead?” Likely, they would reply, “When there’s no heartbeat.” Inversely, following the same logic, a person is alive when there’s a heartbeat. Simple, elegant, and straight to the point – and it’s a milestone of human development that shows strong support across the political spectrum, according to a 2019 poll by The Hill.
“In a separate 2023YouGov-Vinea poll by the Students for Life of America Demetree Institute for Pro-Life Advancement, Gen Z and Millennials were asked when they thought a baby’s life deserved legal protection, and the second highest response was when a heartbeat can be detected.
In short, keep it simple, stupid.”
This ad is the beginning of a shift for all the candidates for office – as it stands, the Republican Party is already full of disappointing cowards who flake on pro-life policies when it matters. Clearly, the pro-life movement needed to see it. Especially after last week’s unfortunate comments about heartbeat protection bills being a “mistake.”
In truth, heartbeat protection laws should be the MINIMUM standard for any Republican nominee for President. We hope the other candidates are taking note of what Senator Scott is doing – because he’s certainly trending in the right direction.
To read our full article on how Republicans can help get the issue of heartbeat protection laws over the finish line, click HERE.
