In part 2 of the 2-part Family Talk series on heartbeat-bill legislation, Janet Porter spoke honestly about how difficult it was to get numerous Republicans who had promised vote pro-life to actually do so. The following clip has been edited for brevity, but the meaning and thrust remain intact.
Dr. Dobson: Janet, when you were trying to get this through the Ohio legislature, you had to have been opposed by people who just radically did not like what you were suggesting and yet some of them came across. How in the world did you convince them that this was in their interest to do? Give some advice to those who are fighting this in other states.
Janet Porter: Sure. what I want to say to people is: do not give up influence for access.…[W]hen you want to do more than regulate abortion, that’s when you run into resistance from those who are Republican in name only, that don’t adhere to the pro-life plank of the platform.
Dr. Dobson: Yeah.…
Janet Porter: [W]e had to show the world that these nice sounding Republicans all claiming to be pro-life were blocking the most pro-life bill in America.…[P]eople came out of the woodwork…
Dr. Dobson: [T]hat’s what it takes.
Janet Porter: It does.…
Dr. Dobson: You know, you get that kind of support. It really resonates with people who want to stay in office more than they want anything else.
Janet Porter: That’s right.
Dr. Dobson: The principles are secondary. Staying in office is what most of them, or many of them, want.
Janet Porter: That’s what they care about most.
Dr. Dobson: And you rattle their cage, man.
Janet Porter: We did.
Dr. Dobson: They began to get their mind straight and apparently that’s what happened in Ohio.
Janet Porter: The phones rang and I just say thanks to everyone who picked up the phone and called. These calls really do matter. God is famous for working through remnants….
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