Rep. Michele Bachmann, a member of Congress from Minnesota, officially launched her campaign today for the Republican nomination to take on pro-abortion President Barack Obama.

Bachmann becomes the first woman to enter the race — ahead of former vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor whom many political observers are watching to see whether she decides to become a candidate for the GOP nod. Already, Bachmann has cruised to a second place position in some national polls and one in Iowa, her birthplace, as she is pulling support from Palin supporters because Palin is not in the race.

“My name is Michele Bachmann and I stand her among many friends to announce that I am formally running for the president of the United States,” she said at a rally in Iowa. “Together, once again, we can secure the promise of the future for America.

Five of the Republican presidential candidates sounded pro-life themes at the 41st annual National Right to Life convention on Friday in Jacksonville, Florida. With two of the candidates appearing in person and three via Skype connections, each struck a chord with the several hundred pro-life advocates gathered from across the nation.

Herman Cain, the former businessman and candidate, said the “Founding fathers got it right” including the right to life from conception.

“Don't infringe on the rights of somebody else and that includes the unborn,” Cain said of what the Constitution requires...

Two new polls show former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney with a comfortable lead over his Republican presidential opponents following Monday night’s debate in New Hampshire, the site of the second primary election contest.

A new Rasmussen Reports poll shows Romney, who asserted his pro-life views during the debate, leading and pro-life Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota placing second following her entry into the presidential nomination battle on Monday night during the debate. The poll of likely voters has Romney earning 33% support with Bachmann at 19 percent, while pro-life Georgia businessman Herman Cain is in third place with 10% of the vote.

Looking at other candidates in the race, pro-life former House Speaker Newt Gingrich picks up nine percent support, followed by pro-life Texas Congressman Ron Paul with seven percent, and pro-life former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and pro-life former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum with 6 percent.

At last night’s Republican presidential debate in New Hampshire, the site of the second primary election battleground, the presidential hopefuls seeking to take on pro-abortion President Barack Obama touted their pro-life positions on abortion.

Four of the candidates seeking the Republican nomination proudly wore their pro-life views on their sleeve as they responded to questions from CNN debate moderators and voters.

Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator, received the first question on abortion and it had CNN’s Jennifer Vaughn attempt to goad him into attacking former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who changed his position on abortion from supporting it to pro-life a couple of years before he ran for president the first time in 2008...

Governor Rick Perry of Texas is said to be significantly closer to launching a run for the Republican nomination for president to be able to take on pro-abortion President Barack Obama.

Perry had been leading against launching a bid for the GOP nomination, but suddenly appeared to be springing towards one in the aftermath of several top political staff and aides to Speaker Newt Gingrich deciding to abandon his presidential campaign yesterday. Some of the aides are former Perry staffers or supporters who are said to be returning to Texas to help the governor prepare plans for a presidential campaign.

According to Matt Lewis of the Daily Caller, a conservative publication, “Two separate and reliable sources in Texas tell me serious preparations are being made for Governor Rick Perry, 61, to seek the Republican nomination for president.

Leading national pro-life organizations are blasting the Obama administration for its decision on Wednesday to disallow the state of Indiana to move forward with its request to cut off between $2-3 million in taxpayer funding the Planned Parenthood abortion business gets via Medicaid.

Governor Mitch Daniels signed the law to cut off the funding saying “any organization affected by this provision can resume receiving taxpayer dollars immediately by ceasing or separating its operations that perform abortions.”

However, the Obama administration has told the state it can’t implement the new law, with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Donald Berwick denying a request to deny funds saying the federal Medicaid law stipulates that states can’t exclude providers based on the services they provide. Berwick also said the law makes it so states can’t prohibit access to family planning, which is provided under federal law.

A new Politico-George Washington University poll finds 38 percent of Americans say they will definitely not vote for President Barack Obama when he seeks re-election in 2012 against one of several Republicans.

The poll is good news for pro-life advocates looking to replace the man who has become perhaps the most pro-abortion president in history, but the 38 percent figure is still 12 percent short of getting a majority of the nation to agree to replacing Obama next year. Still, some of the numbers in the poll suggest voters leaning against Obama or in the undecided category may ultimately vote against him because they are upset with the job he’s done, or not done, as president.

The survey found sixty percent (60%) of voters believe the country is on the wrong track, including a strong majority of Independents (61%) who hold this negative view of how things are going in the country...

In a letter to several pro-life groups complaining about President Barack Obama’s decision to drop some of the conscience protections for medical professionals, the administration is defending the decision.

Several pro-life groups sent a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius warning her of the alarming effects on patients that will follow the Obama administration’s recent move to strip the medical community of key conscience protections on abortion.

As LifeNews.com reported in February, the Obama administration overturned some of the conscience protections the Bush administration put in place to protect pro-life medical workers who don’t want to be involved in certain medical procedures. The administration rescinded part of the protections by removing protections for medical workers who have moral or religious objections to dispensing or giving to women the Plan B drug or other emergency contraception that could act in some cases as an abortion drug...

One of the cases challenging Obamacare will receive a federal appeals court hearing tomorrow and the oral argument sin the case come at the same time as a new poll shows opposition to the health care law rebounding.

Liberty University, a Christian college in Virginia, has filed a lawsuit against Obamacare saying its rights are violated by forcing it to purchase certain insurance coverage for its employees that may require it to pay for abortions.

The oral argument in Liberty University v. Geithner will be heard at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Immediately following the Liberty University case, the court will hear arguments in the Virginia case filed by pro-life Attorney general Ken Cuccinelli that had a federal judge declare Obamacare unconstitutional and is considered the more prominent case in terms of its ability to ultimately overturn the law...

A handful of likely Republican presidential candidates debated in South Carolina on Thursday evening and addressed a host of political issues ranging from the economy to foreign policy. They also tackled abortion and pro-life issues.

Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator, received a question about the social issues truce Indiana governor and potential presidential candidate Mitch Daniels called for previously.

Asked, “Are you willing to tone down your positions on abortion and homosexuality in an effort to reach more voters and help the GOP coalesce behind a more fiscally focused platform?,” Santorum replied, “Anybody that would suggest that we call a truce on the moral issues doesn’t understand what America is all about”...