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Anti-abortion ad targets Obama

  • Story Highlights
  • In new ad, woman calls on Obama to support born-alive infant protections
  • Ad is from BornAliveTruth, an independent expenditure group known as a 527
  • In another independent ad, a former POW criticizes John McCain
  • These groups are not allowed to communicate with campaigns
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From Alexander Mooney
CNN
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- An anti-abortion group is taking aim at Barack Obama with a television ad featuring a 31-year-old woman whose mother underwent a late-term abortion procedure unsuccessfully.

Gianna Jessen says if "Obama had his way, I wouldn't be here" in a new ad from a 527 group.

BornAliveTruth.org, an independent expenditure group known as a 527, is hitting airwaves with a 30-second spot that criticizes the Democratic presidential nominee for voting against the Born Alive Infants Protection Act when he was an Illinois state senator.

The new ad features Gianna Jessen, who survived the late-term abortion procedure in 1977. She says in the ad, "If Barack Obama had his way, I wouldn't be here."

"Can you imagine not giving babies their basic human rights, no matter how they entered our world?" Jessen says in the ad. "Four times, Barack Obama voted to oppose a law to protect babies left to die after a failed abortion. Sen. Obama, please support born-alive infant protections. I'm living proof these babies have a right to live." Video Watch the ad »

BornAliveTruth was founded by Jill Stanek, a columnist for the Web site World Net Daily, who has made controversial statements in the past expressing her opposition of abortion rights.

The group, which The Associated Press reports is heavily backed by former Mitt Romney supporter Raymond Ruddy, is spending $350,000 in the initial buy to air the ad in Ohio and New Mexico television markets -- two states that are considered up for grabs this presidential cycle.

The ad is one of a handful of newly launched independent television commercials hitting airwaves in recent weeks as the final stretch of the presidential campaign begins.

BornAliveTruth's ad follows a spot from Brave New PAC and Democracy for America, independent Democratic organizations supporting Obama.

In their 30-second ad, McCain's fellow prisoner of war Philip Butler describes the Republican nominee as "unfit to lead" -- making the spot one of the first to mention McCain's POW stint in a negative context.

"The prisoner of war experience is not a good prerequisite for president of the United States," says Butler. "He was known as a very volatile guy, and he would blow up and go like a Roman candle. John McCain is not someone I would like to see with his finger near the red button."

That ad's release comes amid reports that the conservative American Issues Project is planning a multimillion dollar negative ad buy aimed at Obama.

MoveOn.org and the Services Employee International Union, two groups backing Obama, have already launched substantive ad buys critical of McCain in key battleground states.

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None of these groups are allowed to communicate or coordinate with the campaigns in any way because of federal campaign finance regulations.

Both Obama and McCain were highly critical of independent expenditure groups during their respective primary contests, but the candidates have refrained from condemning the wave of new commercials.

All About Barack ObamaJohn McCainU.S. Presidential Election

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