Bush's pro-life legacy even greater than Reagan's, Land says

Bush's pro-life legacy even greater than Reagan's, Land says

Posted on Jan 19, 2009 | by Michael Foust

WASHINGTON (BP)--Richard Land has high regard for former President Ronald Reagan, but he believes President George W. Bush will go down as the top pro-life president in recent history.

Even though Bush is leaving office with a job approval rating hovering around 30 percent, Land and other pro-family leaders view Bush fondly, particularly with a pro-choice administration taking over.

"[Bush] got more done than Reagan did," Land told Baptist Press, referencing pro-life policy. "Reagan was unabashedly pro-life, made some beautiful speeches, supported the [Republican National Convention's pro-life] platform plank change in 1980 and got elected as a pro-life president. And Reagan faced more opposition in the Congress than Bush has. But in terms of getting stuff done, President Bush was far more consistent in his judicial nominations, far more consistent in his public policy appointees. This has been the most pro-life administration since Roe v. Wade."

Bush's pro-life legacy began on day one but truly gained momentum one month before the terrorist attacks of 2001, when on Aug. 9 of that year he delivered a much-anticipated address to the nation in which he prohibited federal money being used on nearly all embryonic stem cell research. Such research involves the destruction of human embryos, in contrast with other methods of research that use adult stem cells from sources like umbilical cord blood and bone marrow.

Bush's legacy continued in 2003, when he signed a ban on partial-birth abortion, and in 2005, when he nominated John Roberts and Samuel Alito -- two justices highly respected by social conservatives -- to the Supreme Court. Those two justices voted in 2007 with a 5-4 majority to uphold the partial-birth abortion ban, making it the first time since Roe that the high court upheld a ban on a specific procedure.

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