Mission America - March 2016 ed. 03 eNewsletter

Ohio Right To Life is known for endorsing most every candidate who checks the right boxes on their survey. Candidates have never needed a track record on the pro-life issue to get the group's endorsement.

But Ohio Right To Life may have lost all credibility with their 2016 endorsements. In multiple races, Ohio RTL endorsed the least pro-life person in the race or passed over equally pro-life candidates.

An appalling endorsement took place in Ohio House District 62. The current State Rep is term-limited out and three men are vying for the seat. Steve Muterspaw, a former business owner who taught at Ridgeville Christian School, has a decades-long record of involvement in the pro-life cause. Muterspaw won a "Friend of Life Award" from the Christian Life Coalition in the 90's, has been a long-time donor to his local Right To Life group, and he participated in the annual pro-life Signature Ad for many years. Muterspaw is endorsed by Warren Co. Right To Life, the Conservative Republican Leadership Committee, Ohio ProLife Action and Citizens for Community Values. But inexplicably, Muterspaw was denied an Ohio RTL endorsement. Ohio RTL instead endorsed a candidate with little or no history in the pro-life movement, a guy who was denied endorsement by the local Right To Life group due to lack of a pro-life record. Coincidentally, Ohio RTL's endorsee is the establishment's choice.

The open seat in Senate District 12 will also have pro-life voters scratching their heads. Conservative former State Rep. John Adams was named a "Pro-Life MVP" by Faith2Action. Warren Co. Right To Life lauded John Adams as "a pro-life hero." Yet Adams, who often stood up to the establishment, was denied an Ohio RTL endorsement.

In Ohio House District 74, Ohio RTL passed over pro-life Bill Dean who has years of involvement in the pro-life movement. Dean was an active member of Greene Co. Right To Life, participated in pro-life vigils outside the Stroop Road abortion clinic, and regularly donated to the Miami Valley Women's Center. Ohio RTL endorsed three candidates in Dean's race, including Brendan Shea who is solidly pro-life, along with two others who have no known record on the issue. Why would Ohio RTL withhold an endorsement from pro-life Bill Dean in an open seat? Could it be because Dean is the father-in-law of pro-life Rep. Ron Hood, a conservative legislator who voted against Gov. John Kasich's big-spending budget?

In State Senate District 10, Ohio Right To Life endorsed Bob Hackett, even though Hackett voted against the pro-life Heartbeat Bill. Disturbingly, Hackett gave pro-abortion talking points to support his position. Why then did Ohio RTL deny an endorsement to Hackett's pro-life opponent, Brian Walton, who has made the life issue an important part of his campaign. The establishment powers-that-be do not want Walton, and it begs the question, "Is Ohio RTL making endorsements as favors to John Kasich?"

In State Senate District 22, Ohio RTL refused to endorse national pro-life leader Janet Folger Porter, who served as Legislative Director of Ohio Right To Life for nearly a decade. Folger Porter is credited with passage of the nation's first Partial Birth Abortion Ban, parental consent, and the Woman's Right To Know Law. Ohio RTL instead endorsed incumbent Larry Obhof, who refused to sign a Discharge Petition to bring the pro-life Heartbeat Bill to the floor for a vote. This endorsement may be murky, since Ohio RTL usually endorses the incumbent and Folger Porter is the challenger. But for pro-life voters, the choice is not murky at all.

In the 8th Congressional seat, formerly held by John Boehner, Ohio RTL withheld an endorsement from a strong pro-lifer, Warren Davidson. Davidson is a conservative businessman endorsed by Congressman Jim Jordan, the Senate Conservatives Fund, and the Conservative Republican Leadership Committee. Could it be because Warren Davidson's main opponent was recruited by the Speaker of the Ohio House?

In Congressional District 14, Matt Lynch, who was named a "Pro-Life MVP" and a "Pro-Life Hero" by two different pro-life groups, was denied an Ohio RTL endorsement. Incumbent Dave Joyce was endorsed. Even with Ohio RTL's policy of preference for incumbents, it's puzzling because Joyce has been a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership, a group formed to defeat conservatives in primaries.

Are these troubling endorsements quid pro quo to Kasich for appointing Ohio RTL's Mike Gonidakis to a paid position on the State Medical Board? Why is Ohio RTL opposed to every bill that would actually end abortion---from the Brinkman Abortion Ban bill, to the Heartbeat Bill, to the Personhood Amendment? According to a pastor and past board member of Ohio Right To Life, the group has become "Ohio Right To Regulate"--with no intention of stopping abortion.

Is this why the founder of Ohio RTL, Dr. John Willke, resigned and publicly urged people not to donate to Ohio Right To Life?

It's hard to prove, but pro-life voters might want to look further than Ohio Right To Life endorsements. A good place to start is www.iVoterGuide.com, sponsored by Heritage Alliance, American Family Association, and Citizens for Community Values.

Pray for Ohio Right To Life to be restored and pray for Ohio's primary election on March 15.

from Mission America | Linda Harvey, President

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