IRLC Policy on Endorsing Candidates
Iowa Right to Life Committee’s efforts to be the voice, hands and feet of defenseless human beings takes three primary forms: education, legislation and political action. There are countless ways to embrace society with the truth of
life and the reality that better choices can be made when women and families face an untimely pregnancy. Iowa Right to Life Committee brings people together of all ages, races, political persuasions, educational and economic levels, ethnic, cultural and religious backgrounds to share their diverse talents in defense of human life.
Iowa Right to Life Committee works in the areas of pro-life education, legislation and political action to save lives. As another election year is here, the importance of understanding the political action process is critical.
The Iowa Right to Life Committee Political Action Committee (IRLC-PAC) was established to make endorsements and support candidates for public office who have a commitment to the sanctity of human life. In doing so, those charged with making endorsements are guided by a strict set of specific criteria carefully developed and fine-tuned by many years of election experience.
The IRLC-PAC bylaws are concerned only with the election of the strongest and most effective voices for the unborn and elderly frail. There is no other agenda that drives the IRLC-PAC. In making endorsements, the IRLC-PAC realizes that its decisions may not always be popular with that segment of the electorate whose preferred candidate was not selected; however, the IRLC-PAC’s mission is not directed toward popularity.
The IRLC-PAC bylaws require a non-partisan stance, meaning both Democrats and Republicans have an equal opportunity to be endorsed. Since the PAC’s objective is to elect the strongest and most effective voice for the unborn, its focus is limited to candidates from the two major parties since candidates from other parties are rarely elected or, if they are, have little influence on public policy.
With the exception of statewide elections, all endorsements begin at the local level. The IRLC-PAC solicits help from the various affiliate members throughout the state to form local PAC sub-committees to interview candidates.
All candidates begin their endorsement process by completing a Candidate Questionnaire and going before a local PAC interview team. This local team queries the candidates on our basic issues of abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide and infanticide, confirming their agreement with IRLC-PAC principles, probing for any areas of discrepancy or contradiction and trying to ascertain the candidate’s elect-ability.