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Stop lying about Herman Cain's position on abortion!

By Scott Tibbs, October 31, 2011

In an interview on CNN, Herman Cain reiterated his position that abortion is wrong and should be banned. He got a cheap shot "question" about what he would do if his daughter or granddaughter were raped, and whether abortion in that case should be illegal. Cain took the traditional Republican stance - that abortion should be illegal except for "hard cases" such as rape and incest. This is the same position taken by Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole, George W. Bush and John McCain.

In response, fellow GOP candidate Rick Santorum claimed that Cain's position is "pro-choice." Rachel Maddow claimed that Cain does not understand that abortion is not a choice if it is illegal. Both Santorum and Maddow are liars.

I disagree with Cain on exceptions. A child does not lose his/her humanity because of the crimes committed by his father and that child should not be executed for those crimes. But that is neither here nor there. The fact of the matter is that Herman Cain's pro-life position covers 95% of all abortions in America.

I expect Rachel Maddow to lie about Cain's position on abortion. After all, Maddow is infamous for intellectual dishonesty, such as "confusing" libertarianism with anarchism. It is especially disappointing, however, to see a good and honorable man such as Rick Santorum flagrantly lie about his opponent in the Republican primary. Republicans should be above spreading lies for political gain. That Santorum is a devoted Christian makes his disobedience of Exodus 20:16 even more disappointing.

It is true that Herman Cain was not as clear as he could have been on the question of rape and incest exceptions, and those who do not listen closely to what he said could misinterpret it. But that's not what happened with Rick Santorum - he knows full well what Cain said and what he meant. Santorum has been lagging in the polls and he is getting desperate as we get closer to the primaries, so he is hoping to shave off some of Cain's supporters for himself. But what Santorum is really doing is discrediting himself.

I do not like attacking Santorum, and (while I am supporting Rick Perry) I would be thrilled if Santorum was the Republican nominee for President. But lying about Cain's position is a strike against Santorum's qualifications to be President. Character matters, and these lies indicate a character defect. Santorum should repent, retract and apologize.