Des Moines Register: Life 'Sacred Outside Womb, Too,' GOP's Brownback Says

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Des Moines Register: Life 'sacred outside womb, too,' GOP's Brownback says

By GRANT SCHULTE

U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback tied poverty and genocide into his broader "culture of life" message as he campaigned across Iowa this week, urging conservatives not to limit their beliefs to abortion.

In an interview, the Kansas presidential contender said a key component of his candidacy would include welfare reforms to encourage marriage among the poor and federal tracking of divorce rates, which could be broken down city by city.

Brownback is crisscrossing the state this week in a four-day, 27-stop bus tour focused heavily on smaller towns, a traditional stronghold for social and religious conservatives.

"It's hard to talk about" a breakdown among families, Brownback said over coffee aboard his campaign bus. "You know there's a lot of divorce in this society, a lot of children born out of wedlock, and we've got to start talking about it. It's kind of like the elephant in the room."

Brownback has sought to distinguish himself in the crowded GOP field as a reliable conservative on both social and economic policies, particularly abortion. But that belief, he said, should extend beyond what Republicans consider the traditional pro-life movement.

"Genocide in Darfur - people know that's wrong," he said. "If we're going to say life is sacred in the womb, then it's sacred outside the womb, too. I think this expanded definition would draw more people into the pro-life movement."

Brownback has said he opposes abortion except in instances that threaten a mother's life. He said he supports the death penalty only in a "very narrow" spectrum of cases in which capturing someone, like Osama bin Laden, would not protect society.

The two-term senator, considered a long shot in most polls, is working to build support for the Aug. 11 GOP straw poll in Ames, a chance for the party's lesser-known candidates to gain a foothold in the race. Two presumed front-runners, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Arizona Sen. John McCain, have decided to skip the straw poll and dedicate their resources elsewhere.

At stops in Winterset, Adel and Guthrie Center, Brownback drew crowds of between 30 and 50 people.

Lee Guthrie, a retired farmer living in rural Guthrie County, said he was drawn to Brownback's support for school prayer and his pledge to draw religion into the public square.

Brownback, a Roman Catholic, has said he opposes a theocracy but believes that the First Amendment's "establishment clause" shields religion from government, not government from religion.

"I'm impressed," said Larry Smith, a Truro resident and a member of the Republican State Central Committee. Smith said he was leaning toward U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter for the Republican nomination, but "I'd be proud to have Brownback as my president."

Brownback campaigned Tuesday with his wife, Mary, and their two youngest children in Boone, Jefferson, Carroll, Rockwell City, Fort Dodge, Humboldt and Clarion.

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