Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin went on the attack Saturday at a Pennsylvania rally against Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama for what she calls his radical views on abortion rights.
"In times like these with wars and financial crisis, I know that it may be easy to forget even as deep and abiding a concern as the right to life, and it seems that our opponent kind of hopes you will forget that," Palin told a crowd in Johnstown, according to CNN. "He hopes that you won't notice how radical, absolutely radical his idea is on this, and his record is, until it's too late."
Pro-life activists and social conservatives have long hammered Obama on his extreme pro-choice views.
Obama opposes the Supreme Court ruling to uphold the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act, and voted against legislative efforts in the Illinois Senate for three consecutive years (2001-2003) to give legal protections to a baby born alive during an attempted abortion procedure.
The 2003 born-alive protection measure was virtually identical to a bill unanimously passed in the U.S. Senate and signed into law by President Bush in 2002.
"In short, Sen. Obama is a politician who has long since left behind even the middle ground on the issue of life. He's fighting with those who won't protect a child born alive,” Palin said, according to The Associated Press.
Palin contrasted herself and running mate Sen. John McCain’s abortion stance with Obama.
Palin believes Roe. V. Wade should be overturned and abortion laws left for state governments to decide and she opposes abortion in all cases, including rape and incest, with the exception of when a mother’s life is in danger.
McCain has had a 100 percent pro-life record during his 26 years in the U.S. Congress. He voted in support of the Prohibit Partial Birth Abortion bill in 2003, and supports the Supreme Court ruling to uphold the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act. He opposes abortion except in cases of rape, incest and to protect the life of the mother and also believes that Roe vs. Wade should be overturned.
"A vote for Barack Obama is a vote for activist courts that will continue to smother the open and democratic debate that we deserve and that we need on this issue of life - that's OK, that debate - at both the state and federal level," she said.
On Saturday, Sen. Obama was also in Pennsylvania campaigning in Philadelphia. At one point during the rally, he said he “appreciated” McCain’s recent efforts to “tone down the rhetoric” on the campaign trail.
Recently, the two presidential candidates were highly criticized by pundits and voters for spending too much time on the attack and not enough time explaining their policies and positions during a critical time in the nation’s history.
Obama currently leads McCain by a seven point margin (50 percent v. 43 percent), according to the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking report. The results show the gap has narrowed between the two candidates since last week when Obama was leading by double-digits.
McCain and Obama will face off on Wednesday for the third and final presidential debate at Hofstra University in New York.
