Jacob Wetterling: Twenty Years Missing

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the abduction of Jacob Wetterling, perhaps the greatest unresolved child abduction ever. Living in rural Minnesota, Jacob, his brother and a neighborhood friend were biking home from the store when they encountered an armed man who abducted Jacob. Jacob was never seen again.


In the months that followed, Jacobs parents formed the Jacob Wetterling Foundation, a group that has has nobly promoted awareness of child abduction and advocated for stricter laws to protect children. They also offer support to families of other abducted children.

As the years went by, Jacob's mother Patti, was enticed into running for public office. Patti ran as a Democrat for Congress in 2004 (losing to Mark Kennedy) and 2006 (losing to Michele Bachmann) in Minnesota's right-leaning 6th district.

In some ways, Patti Wetterling is Minnesota's Mother Theresa. She rose up from the horrific experience of losing her son, and has made the safety of children her life's work. When Patti was running for Congress with the message of protecting kids, there was one question she was never willing to answer: How do you feel about the protecting the rights of the unborn?

In all honesty, Patti's biggest asset in running for office was name recognition. She had no political or business experience. Patti is an advocate of children, but running as an endorsed Democrat she was forced by her party to ignore a large subset of children - the unborn.

I fully expect to see a lot of Patti on TV today. As I do, I will be reminded of Jacob's abduction and the great cause that his mother has fought for. I won't look at Patti as an abortion advocate, that is simply something the Democratic Party forced upon her.