Now he just has one name

Marvin “Pro-Life” Richardson has now officially changed his name – to just “Pro-Life.” Richardson went to court yesterday in Gem County and got the change approved. Now, he said, he has no first name – just the last name of “Pro-Life.” It won’t change how he appears on the ballot in his Constitution Party candidacy for governor this year, however. Richardson already is certified for the ballot as Marvin Richardson, and ballots already are being printed.

“We’ve made it clear to him since March we were not going to put ‘pro-life’ on the ballot, and that’s still our position,” said Secretary of State Ben Ysursa. “The ballot is not supposed to be a forum for political expression – it’s supposed to be as neutral as it can be.”

Richardson, or Pro-Life, said, “I’m not going back to anything else. I’ll just go the rest of my life as Pro-Life.” An ardent anti-abortion activist who spends his Sundays holding anti-abortion protest signs on busy roadsides, Richardson said he believes abortion is equivalent to murder and he hopes his name change will save a life. “We know that there’s women that pray, ‘What should I do with this crisis pregnancy?’” the 6-foot-5 organic farmer said. “And they see us out on the street holding a sign, or they see my name on a ballot, or a political ad in the newspaper or something, and they take that as a sign from God … and it saves a life.”

The 65-year-old candidate and activist said his 10-year-old son’s middle name is Pro-Life. He also said he hopes to run for statewide office again in 2008 and list his new name on the ballot, adding, “I don’t care how many votes I get.”