Pat Robertson Condones China's Forced Abortion Policy, Angers Right.

Anti-abortion activists were infuriated in April when TV preacher Pat Robertson condoned China's policy of forced abortions.

Appearing on the CNN program "Wolf Blitzer Reports" April 17, Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition, remarked that the Chinese are "doing what they have to do" to keep the lid on a spiraling population. Robertson, who has repeatedly blasted legal abortion in the United States, said the Chinese policy is necessary because the country's population has topped 1 billion.

Asked by Blitzer to give his thoughts on the forced abortion policy, Robertson replied, "Well, you know I don't agree with it. But at the same time, they've got 1.2 billion people, and they don't know what to do. If every family over there was allowed to have three or four children, the population would be completely unsustainable."

Robertson, who acknowledged that he has business interests in China, went on to say that China suffers from "tremendous unemployment" and is plagued with "antiquated factories" owned by the government that will have to be shut down, spawning more loss of jobs. "And the leadership is like on a teeter-totter board," he said. "They can fall off if the population gets too restive. So, I think that right now they are doing what they have to do. I don't agree with forced abortion, but I don't think the United States needs to interfere with what they're doing internally in this regard."

Blitzer then asked Robertson if he was worried about conservatives accusing him of justifying the Chinese abortion policy. Robertson refused to back down, stating that China is courting "a demographic catastrophe" by aborting more girls than boys. He speculated that in 10 or 20 years Chinese men will have to import wives from Indonesia. This move, he said, "will, in a sense, dilute the -- what they consider the racial purity of the Han Chinese."

The next day Robertson issued a clarification, saying his remarks "were not spoken with sufficient clarity to communicate my lifelong opposition to voluntary and forced abortion as a means of population control."

Reaction from fellow conservatives was swift. Ken Connor, president of the Family Research Council, observed, "I have profound respect for Pat Robertson and all he has done to champion faith and family ... but these statements, and the clarification that failed to clarify, are misguided and just plain wrong."

Gary Bauer, former FRC head and frequent critic of China, agreed. "What's clear, even in the clarification," he said, "is that [Robertson] refuses to be critical of the government of China."

In Nebraska, Doug Patton, former head of the Nebraska Christian Coalition, called on Robertson to retire.

Americans United noted that this is not the first time Robertson has justified repressive policies in China in order to advance his business interests. In September of 1998, Robertson traveled to China where he met with top government officials and praised religious freedom in the country.

Other conservative leaders were criticizing China for persecuting Christians and forcing them underground, but Robertson said he believes the country respects religious freedom. At the time, Robertson's U.S. Media Corporation was involved in a business deal with the Chinese government to produce children's television programming. The TV preacher reportedly is a major investor in Zhaodaola, a Chinese internet concern that Robertson hopes will become "the Yahoo! of China."

Former FRC head Bauer said business interest in China is swaying political opinion in this country. "It turns some American capitalists and, in some cases, even some religious leaders, into apologists for an odious regime," Bauer told U.S. News & World Report.

In other news about the Christian Coalition:

* The Christian Coalition's "Road to Victory" Conference has been cancelled this year, according to The Washington Times.

The Coalition usually holds the annual event in Washington, D.C. In peak years, attendance topped 4,000. Last year, it was down to about 1,200. The conference was usually held at the Washington Hilton Hotel, but the Coalition owed the facility $84,148 from last year's conference and on March 13 hotel managers told the group that it could not use the hotel in 2001 unless the overdue bill was paid by March 20. Hilton officials said a check for the full amount did eventually arrive, but not until April 23.

In lieu of the conference, the Coalition says it will hold political organizing sessions in 21 states. Roberta Combs, executive director of the group, told The Times the decision to cancel the conference had nothing to do with the billing dispute with the Hilton.

The paper also reported that the Coalition's budget has plummeted from $13 million in 1998 to about $3 million in 1999.

* Ironically, as the Coalition spirals downward, its former director, Ralph Reed, is a rising star in the Republican Party. Reed, who ran the Robertson group from 1990-97, was recently elected chairman of the Georgia Republican Party.

During his tenure at the Christian Coalition, Reed always claimed that the organization and its work were nonpartisan. After leaving the Coalition post, however, he opened a political consulting firm in Atlanta that worked on behalf of Republican candidates, including President George W. Bush.

Democratic leaders in the state promised to make the most of Reed's tenure. "Georgia Democrats are going to be very aggressive in pointing out Ralph Reed's ... politics," said David Worley, chairman of the Georgia Democratic Party. "I think Ralph Reed's election sends a strong signal that middle-of-the-road voters have no place in the Georgia Republican Party, and that's going to benefit us in the election."