Herman Cain | Credit: Flickr- Gage Skidmore

Herman Cain, the former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza who is now running for the Republican presidential nomination, took aim at legalized abortion in a speech made on Friday at the National Right-to-Life Committee’s (NRLC) annual convention in Jacksonville.

“This nation has been a nation of crises,” said Cain, pointing to a number of fronts including the economy, immigration, energy and foreign policy, as well as social issues. “We’ve got a moral crisis in this nation.

“This nation was founded on godly principles,” insisted Cain. “One of the reasons we have this moral crisis is too many people are trying to get God out of our culture.”

Cain, who ran for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in Georgia back in 2004 and who has become a favorite of the tea party movement, hammered President Barack Obama for removing references to the “Creator” in the Declaration of Independence and attacked NBC for deleting “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance used in that network’s airing of the U.S. Open golf tournament.

The Republican candidate insisted there was a connection between protecting religion in the public square and defending the unborn.

“The way we’re going to protect the unborn in this nation … is to get God back in the culture,” insisted Cain.

Praising Martin Luther King Jr. as a “great leader,” Cain said that pro-life advocates should look to the civil rights movement for inspiration. “First change the hearts and then we change the minds,” said Cain.

Cain insisted in his speech that pro-life voters not back down in the 2012 election cycle. “We have got to fight back,” he said. “We fight back with our voices and our votes.”

The Republican hopeful called for an end of taxpayer funding of abortion and for pulling the plug on federal funding of Planned Parenthood.

Taking aim at President Barack Obama for a “severe deficiency in leadership,” Cain called for conservative voters to mobilize against the incumbent and toss him out in 2012.

“In 2012 we’ve got some voting to do,” said Cain. “We’ve got to change that leadership in the White House with our votes.”

Cain said that pro-life advocates can advance their cause by educating people about abortion and supporting alternatives, signaling out pregnancy resource centers for praise. “We have to inform and educate people,” said Cain. “Only God can give life and only God can take it away.”

Asked by the media after his speech about his refusal to sign a pro-life pledge from the Susan B. Anthony list, Cain said he would fight against abortion if elected but he did not like the wording of the pledge which, he insisted, overstepped the boundaries of the Executive Office. Only two other Republican hopefuls -- former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and former Gov. Gary Johnson -- have not signed the pledge.

“It was a separation of powers issue,” said Cain.

Asked by Sunshine State News if he was going to take part in the Presidency 5 straw poll hosted by the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) in Orlando come September, Cain said his campaign would take part in the event.

Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.