Contact: Life Decisions International, 540-692-0207, media@fightpp.org, (media only); 540-631-0380, ldi@fightpp.org (general)

FRONT ROYAL, Va., Feb. 5, 2016 /Standard Newswire/ -- Douglas R. Scott, Jr., president of the Planned Parenthood watchdog organization Life Decisions International, releases the following statement:

Business tycoon, television personality and presidential candidate Donald Trump has been courting pro-life voters and his positions on key issues have apparently "evolved" over the past months. But anyone who thinks Mr. Trump is one of us and is passionate about our cause is flatly mistaken. As a pro-lifer, he is currently a "house built upon sand." He will likely cave as soon as the pro-abortion machine begins to put on the pressure.

Is claiming a radical conversion on abortion the only standard to which we hold candidates? Planned Parenthood and its legions would never support a candidate who went from strongly pro-life to pro-abortion. They would applaud the change of heart but demand to see concrete action over a long period of time to prove sincerity. But pro-life Americans seem willing to jump on the bandwagon of a "television star," putting aside all critical thinking about what is truly important and wise.

I want to suggest, in the most respectful but urgent terms, that people who care about the right to life and back Mr. Trump for president are either woefully ignorant of the facts or very, very easy to please. And if there is anything we should not be it is ignorant and easy to please.

Pro-life voters need to start holding candidates to a higher standard. Even if we take Mr. Trump's conversion at face value, we are talking about a man who has no political record. Moreover, it is not just important that the candidate be pro-life; it comes down to a question of just how important our issues rank with the candidate. Just how strong is the stated conviction? We have no reason to believe the right to life is a critically important issue to Mr. Trump. All we have is his word. But with the other candidates, we have a clear record of exactly what the issue means to them.

I have seen many news reports during which Mr. Trump is asked if he is pro-life. He routinely responds by saying, "As you know, I am pro-life." The statement is never challenged, which gives Trump instant, albeit undeserved, credibility. Actually, Mr. Trump, no one knew you were pro-life. In fact, there is considerable evidence to the contrary. And when the words do not match the evidence, it is time for great caution.

Scott said the most egregious example is Trump's association with the Better World Society – an elitist group founded by media mogul R. E. "Ted" Turner. The Society's first project was the production of the population control propaganda film Increase and Multiply. The Society credited several groups for assisting in making the film, including Planned Parenthood of America (PPFA), International Planned Parenthood Federation, Zero Population Growth, and Center for Population Options. Its board of directors included Zhou Boping of the China Family Planning Association. The Society strongly advocated increased taxpayer spending on population control worldwide. The Better World Society gave awards to several prominent people for their work on the "population problem," including former PPFA chief Faye Wattleton.

Turner spoke at the Society's introductory ceremony where he declared the Ten Commandments are dead, outdated and not relevant to today's global problems, such as overpopulation. "I bet no one here even pays much attention to 'em because they are too old," he said. As a contemporary replacement, Turner proposed ten initiatives. The first specifically mentioned was, "I promise to have no more than two children or no more than my nation [national government] suggests." Donald Trump was among the top donors to the Better World Society. Scripture says, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." How much money has he donated to pregnancy help centers since the conversion started? I am looking for a hint of evidence to back the rhetoric, but there is none.

I don't claim to have the gift of prophesy, but I can say with great certainty and confidence that every pro-life American who backs Mr. Trump will eventually come to regret it. He is a "rookie pro-lifer" at best. Trump should be red-shirted and benched until we all know he is fully ready to play and we can back him with great confidence. In the meantime, we will look to those men and women who have long and strong records of working to advance our agenda. There are good candidates to consider, including Carly Fiorina, Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, as well as several others. It is not the time to say, "Thanks for all you have done on behalf of preborn children for so many years, but I'm going to go with this unknown."

What we do now will greatly impact what we can accomplish in the future. Let's take a second look and think this through. 

Douglas R. Scott, Jr., is president of Life Decisions International (LDI). He has worked in the Pro-Life Movement since 1980. LDI's Corporate Funding Project has led more than 330 corporations to stop funding Planned Parenthood, which has cost the abortion-committing group some $45 million.