Election 2008: The Republicans and Abortion

To say that, until late August, many pro-lifers were not excited about Republican presidential nominee John McCain is something of an understatement. McCain's voting record has been fairly solidly pro-life, with one glaring exception: He has supported the destruction of embryos "left over" from fertility treatments in order to create new lines for embryonic stem-cell research. (See "Where Do John McCain and Sarah Palin Stand on Embryonic Stem-Cell Research?")

So why the concern? The last time Senator McCain ran for the Republican presidential nomination (in 2000), he repeatedly stated that he did not want to see Roe v. Wade overturned. While he now claims to believe the opposite, many pro-lifers have wondered whether his change of heart is merely a matter of political convenience.

With his choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential nominee, however, McCain has won many of the skeptical pro-lifers over. Mrs. Palin not only has a solid pro-life record; she lives the pro-life message. Will that be enough, however, to convince Catholics that a McCain-Palin administration will make a concerted effort to overturn Roe v. Wade?

Find out more in our special election profile, "Where do John McCain and Sarah Palin Stand on Abortion?"

More on Election 2008:

• Joe Biden and Abortion
• Should Politicians Who Support Abortion Receive Communion?
• Catholics for Palin?
• The Republicans and Embryonic Stem-Cell Research
• The Democrats and Embryonic Stem-Cell Research
• The Democrats and Abortion