Republican Presidential candidates Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Carly Fiorina responded to a two-question survey from ForAmerica asking, if President, they would veto any bill that came across their desks which funded Planned Parenthood and whether their Departments of Justice would launch criminal investigations into the abortion giant.
The Hill reports that Cruz and Fiorina, as well as lower-ranking candidates Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) and former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), were the only candidates to answer “yes” to both questions.
Such a vow is consistent with remarks both Cruz and Fiorina made on Planned Parenthood during CNN’s primetime debate.
Cruz was asked if such a strategy to defund Planned Parenthood at all costs, even if it caused a government shutdown, would ruin Republican chances in 2016. He had a powerful response:
Number one, I’m proud to stand for life. These Planned Parenthood videos are horrifying. I would encourage every American to watch these videos. See senior Planned Parenthood officials callously, heartlessly bartering and selling the body parts of human beings. And then ask yourself, ‘are these my values?’
… Absolutely, we shouldn’t be sending $500 million of taxpayer money to funding an ongoing criminal enterprise.
And I’ll tell you, the fact that Republican leadership in both houses has begun this discussion by preemptively surrendering to Barack Obama, and saying ‘we’ll give in,’ because Obama threatens a veto.
You know, Obama’s committed to his principles, his liberal principles. He will fight for them, he will veto any budget that doesn’t fund Planned Parenthood, and Republicans surrender. We need to stop surrendering, and start standing for our principles.
Carly Fiorina also asked for the opportunity to address Planned Parenthood, tying it in with a deal with Iran, which had also been discussed in the debate. She regarded the Planned Parenthood issue as “something that has to do with the character of this nation”:
Anyone who has watched this video tape, I dare, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, to watch these tapes. Watch a fully formed fetus, on the table, its heart beating, its legs kicking, while someone says we have to keep it alive to harvest its brain.
This is about the character of our nation and if we will not stand up and force President Obama to veto this bill, shame on us.
While some of the other candidates touted their pro-life credentials and views, the statements from Cruz and Fiorina were the strongest responses. They certainly were consistent with the candidates’ pledges.
