A way to win

I recently had a conversation with Dr. Lawrence White, a prominent pro-life Lutheran pastor who reminds me of a modern-day Martin Niemöller. He succinctly explained where we have been for the last 39 years.

"In the race for president," he said, "the Democrat is always worse than the Republican. So for four decades we have settled for whatever crumbs the Republicans decide to give us" – primarily pro-life lip service and promises of Supreme Court judges – like John Roberts.

No wonder America is so disheartened.

What if, unlike other elections, we could achieve what we want before our vote is cast? I'm thinking of more than a strongly pro-life nominee for vice president. That is essential, but it is not enough. I'm thinking more like, the end of abortion. I'm not kidding, read on.

A pro-life running mate is critical, of course. But, judging from the last presidential election, that alone is not enough. No Republican has ever won the White House without winning Ohio. But, even with pro-family rock star Sarah Palin on the ticket, 300,000 Republicans stayed home in 2008, giving the swing state of Ohio to Obama.

Think that Obama is "so bad" that could never happen? Think again. Unless we do something different, history can repeat.

And now, Ohio pro-life and pro-family activists are even more disgruntled since Republicans in the Ohio Senate, who ran on pro-life promises, have not yet delivered a vote on the Heartbeat Bill to legally protect every baby whose heartbeat can be heard. Republican obstruction has caused even more people to disengage at this critical time.

We face the real risk of re-electing the most dangerous president in American history.

The problem:

For reasons we all understand, there is skepticism about Gov. Romney within our movement. Many are talking about "sitting it out," or casting an obligatory vote but doing little else.

Despite a 40-year battle, abortion on demand is still legally practiced for any reason in every state.

But there is one bill that would change that: Ohio's Heartbeat Bill. This historic bill passed the House and is only a Senate floor vote away from legal protection for nearly every child (90-95 percent) who would otherwise be aborted, according to Right to Life founder Dr. Jack Willke. It would simply ensure that "if a heartbeat's detected, the baby's protected."

This presents an opportunity for Gov. Romney to join his former opponents, Sen. Rick Santorum, Speaker Newt Gingrich, Gov. Rick Perry, and Rep. Michele Bachmann in supporting the nation's first protective Heartbeat Bill.

A solution:

Romney can benefit by giving conservatives something we desperately want – without hurting himself with swing voters. By joining 500 national pro-family leaders in supporting Ohio's Heartbeat Bill, Gov. Romney could win over many skeptics needed by giving us what we want most: real protection of human life – not just promises.

There has not been a protective bill with more support. In addition to 500 leaders like Dr. James Dobson, Father Frank Pavone, FRC's Tony Perkins, AFA's Tim Wildmon, and Right to Life founder Dr. Jack Willke, two-thirds of likely Ohio voters support a Heartbeat Law (eight out of 10 Republicans, seven out of 10 Independents, even Democrats support it by a 5-3 margin) according to state-wide polling.

Gov. Romney can easily point to what Americans already believe: If there's a beating heart, there is life.

If Romney came out solidly for the nation's first Heartbeat Bill, the Ohio Senate would follow his lead and bring it to the floor for a vote. He could help to deliver what the pro-life movement has wanted for the last 40 years: the end of abortion in nearly every case. If he helped to deliver a vote to end abortion, it would be a whole lot easier to convince skeptics to do the heavy lifting needed to deliver the victory to him.

You see, this isn't about Ohio. It's about babies. And when Ohio babies are protected, other states already lined up to follow will do the same.

Romney says he's pro-life from conception. Then protecting babies with beating hearts should be an easy position for him to take, and one with an enormous payoff. I think it could be the tipping point for a pro-Romney (not just anti-Obama) electorate.

More importantly, if there were a place in America that actually brought the killing to an end, maybe, just maybe, God will give us mercy instead of the judgment 54 million slaughtered lives demand.

The good news is there's a way you can help make it happen.

Troy Newman of Operation Rescue and CauseACTION has a way for us to send a clear message to Romney and those who advise him: We want a strong pro-life running mate and support for the Heartbeat Bill. In less than a minute, you can deliver that message with postcards to Romney and his top campaign officials at PickaProlifer.com

Unless you're happy with crumbs, pro-life promises and Supreme Court justices like John Roberts, go to PickaProlifer.com. It's time to quit talking about it and actually protect babies with beating hearts. Romney is in a position to do it. He needs our help, and the best way to get it is to bring the killing to end.