Keyes carries pro-life banner

Editor's note: Staff reporter Julie Foster is part of the
WorldNetDaily team in Philadelphia covering the Republican
convention.

By Julie Foster

© 2000, WorldNetDaily.com, Inc.

PHILADELPHIA -- Boisterous protesters crowded the sidewalks of Broad
Street in downtown Philadelphia as stoic police officers stood six feet
apart, forming a defense perimeter outside the historic Union League
Club where Alan Keyes addressed members and guests of the Republican
National Coalition for Life.

Before a sold-out crowd of an estimated 650 people at the
non-corporate sponsored event, the popular Republican presidential
contender delivered an impassioned speech on the importance of the
pro-life cause, calling it a fight for the "the very soul of our
humanity."

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"Some mistake this as a fight just for the innocent babes in the
womb, but my friends, it's different," he said, with characteristic
enthusiasm. "As God knows it if a leaf falls from a tree, so he knows
it when a life -- a word come forth from His mouth -- is snuffed out by
human indifference, and He will take care. What is at stake here is not
just those innocent lives and all the hopes and dreams that they would
represent. No, what is at stake here is the very soul of our liberty,
the very soul of our humanity."

Yet outside, a few dozen protesters proudly displayed their posters
with hand-written messages reading, "Abortion on demand and without
apology."

Purple- and red-haired young people stood front and center in the
crowd, supporting a woman wearing a pink pleated cheerleader skirt on
their shoulders. She shouted largely indecipherable messages, warning
Americans of a "scary" Bush administration.

But attendees were undaunted, focusing on what they believe is their
role both at the convention and in the Republican Party -- namely,
ensuring that their party's platform includes a pro-life plank. And
they were successful again this year.

While there has been much discussion in media circles and elsewhere
about division among Republicans on the issue of abortion, a look at the
vote on the party's pro-life platform indicates that no such division
exists.

According to Phyllis Schlafly, founder and president of the
pro-family activist organization Eagle Forum, 25 percent of the platform
committee members would have had to support the elimination of the
pro-life plank for that to occur -- amounting to 27 votes. However, the
pro-choice Republicans fell far short, garnering only six votes.

"They have a lot of money and a lot of media," Schlafly said after
the event, indicating pro-choice Republicans get a disproportionate
amount of attention when compared to their numbers among rank-and-file
party members.

Indeed, pro-choice Republicans held a breakfast Wednesday morning
that was partially sponsored by the National Education Association and a
pharmaceutical company, as well as Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge. That
breakfast was hosted by the Wish List, which claims to be the nation's
largest fundraising organization for pro-choice Republican women
candidates at all levels of government.

Keyes told WorldNetDaily most of the pro-choice Republicans are in
leadership roles at the 2000 convention.

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"One of these days we will have a convention where the podium and the
delegates are actually in sync," he said. "We'll get there one of these
days. I am pleased, however, that we kept the platform clean -- that we
kept the pro-abort off the ticket."

"As much as George W. Bush went to bed every night dreaming about
appointing a pro-abort, I'm glad we were able to rain on that parade and
prevent that from happening, and we did," Keyes continued. "So we can
move forward, confident that our issues are right and confident as well
that if we work hard within the Republican Party, I think we will be
able, ultimately, to recapture the leadership from people who are, at
the moment, I think, exploiting the good heart of the grass roots but not
delivering leadership that corresponds to that heart."

However, abortion is not the only contentious issue being discussed
around hotel lobbies and at delegate luncheons. Other issues such as
homosexuality are being touted as wedge issues between fellow
Republicans.

But despite differing social agendas, the GOP has certainly been
reflecting tremendous enthusiasm. As delegates converged on the First
Union Center Wednesday night, they kept half a dozen giant beach balls
afloat, bouncing them across the arena and dancing to the music of local
rhythm-and-blues groups.