A national pro-life group is questioning Republican U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer's anti-abortion stance following his refusal to meet with the group and a claim that he ignored evidence of forced abortions during his 1999 trip to the Northern Marianas islands, the Rocky Mountain News is reporting.

The pro-life group, American Right To Life, wants to ask Schaffer why he hasn't yet endorsed a proposed ballot measure that would define a human embryo as a person. The group also wants to know why Sc[img_assist|nid=967|title=U.S. Senate candidate Bob Schaffer|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=239|height=200]haffer supports most-favored-nation status with China despite reports of forced abortions in China and involving Chinese workers in the Marianas, the paper reported.

"I believe Bob Schaffer believes he's pro-life, but there's an inconsistency here," said American Right To Life spokesperson Steve Curtis, according to the Rocky.

Curtis added Schaffer refused to meet last week with his organization, the newspaper reported.

Schaffer manager Dick Wadhams said Schaffer is staunchly pro-life, and questioned the criticism.

The claim that Schaffer ignored forced abortions in the Marianas came from Wendy Doromal, who said her Filipino-American husband posed as a guest worker and claimed his wife was pregnant. Doromal then said her husband was directed to an abortion clinic, the Rocky stated.

Schaffer said he asked about forced abortions but said he saw no evidence of it occurring while in the Marianas.

Wadhams called Doromal a "left-wing activist who came up with her own version of events," the Rocky reported

"'Big deal' is all I can say about her," Wadhams said, according to the Rocky.

Wadhams also said since the "personhood" referendum isn't yet on the ballot, Schaffer hasn't yet endorsed it.

Curtis and Wadhams clashed in 1998, when Curtis was state GOP chair and Wadhams was running Bill Owens' gubernatorial campaign, the Rocky reported.

Curtis said at the time that he couldn't endorse Owens.

That helped Bill Owens win the election. Need I say more?" Wadhams told the Rocky.

Curtis said the issue wasn't personal, noting he left the GOP after 1998 but rejoined the party specifically to vote for Schaffer in the 2004 GOP U.S. Senate primary.

Some of Schaffer's backers were upset by the charges, according to the Rocky.

"Of all the Colorado politicians that we have, this is one of the few where I would not question his commitment to pro-life," state Rep. Kevin Lundberg (R-Berthoud) told the Rocky.