Prominent Pro-Life Group to Endorse Thompson

Republican presidential hopeful Fred Thompson will get the endorsement of the National Right to Life Committee, Republican officials said Monday.

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(Photo: AP Images / Charlie Neibergall)

Republican presidential hopeful, former Tenn. Sen. Fred Thompson, speaks to local residents during a stop at the Smokey Row coffee house, Monday, Nov. 12, 2007, in Oskaloosa, Iowa.

The political arm of the prominent pro-life group was scheduled to make the formal announcement Tuesday morning in Washington.

The announcement is expected to provide a much-needed boost to Thompson’s campaign, which his lagging behind in the polls in early primary states.

NRLC Executive Director David O'Steen said Monday that the endorsement would prompt "pro-life people across the nation to coalesce" behind the former senator from Tennessee, reported the Los Angeles Times.

Thompson didn’t confirm the endorsement while speaking to Radio Iowa Monday afternoon, but said he “would appreciate” their backing in the presidential race. Such support, according to the former senator, would be a validation of his pro-life record.

"I would say I would certainly welcome it. I have been a supporter of pro-life causes," Thompson said. "I have had a 100 percent pro-life voting record when I was in the senate on all kinds of different issues that would come before the United States Congress."

He added, "In terms of signals, I just think that it would mean that those who look at these matters the most and consider them the most carefully know my record and know me and would be supportive of me.”

Thompson drew fire last week from conservatives for saying during an interview with “Meet the Press” that he disapproved of a constitutional amendment to ban all abortions. He said that criminalizing abortion is not “the right thing to do” and believed such abortion laws should be decided by states.

In response to critics, Thompson defended his pro-life record the following day, saying that while he didn’t support a federal ban on abortion, he is still “100 percent pro-life.”

While campaigning in Iowa Monday, Thompson told reporters that his record “speaks for itself.”

The National Right to Life is the nation's largest pro-life group with over 3,000 local chapters nationwide.

A call seeking confirmation of the endorsement Monday was not immediately returned.

Several Republicans who spoke on the condition of anonymity disclosed the group’s decision, according to the Associated Press. Three GOP sources also confirmed the reports to CNN.