Video
Twitter
Facebook
RSS Feed
Midterm election: defeat for abortion advocates
Abortion advocates will face many new foes in the 112th Congress. According to our internal analysis at the ACLJ, out of the 93 new Republicans and Democrats heading to Capitol Hill, 77 will be solid pro-life votes - all are Republicans.
Among the 84 Republicans, only one will vote consistently pro-abortion while 6 have mixed records or their view is unknown. At the time of writing, there are 10 House races pending. Thus, the number of new pro-life legislators can only go up.
This will be a remarkable change for pro-life advocacy groups and the socially conservative constituents they represent. There were 183 reliable pro-life representatives in the 111th Congress, 35 votes shy of the 218 necessary to pass a piece of legislation. Next year, there will be no less than 230 solid pro-life representatives, a 47-seat net gain that pushes the pro-life vote over the minimum 218 margin.
Pro-life organizations seized on the health care vote. Inside the movement, a vote for Obama-care was a vote against life. Democrat Congressman Jim Oberstar (MN), a former co-Chairman of the Pro-Life Caucus who voted for Obama-care, lost his seat to Chip Cravaack, a pro-life Republican. More Democrats - Baron Hill (IN), Allen Boyd (FL), Kathy Dahlkemper (PA), Chris Carney (PA), and Paul Kanjorski (PA) - all with at least nominal pro-life backgrounds - were defeated, in large part, due to their vote for the pro-abortion health care bill.
Two Democrats with pro-life voting records decided not to run for reelection after their votes for Obama-care. Pro-life Republicans are on their way to Washington to fill the seats that Bart Stupak (MI) and Bart Gordon (TN) occupied.
Although the House will pass a full repeal of Obama-care, there will also be targeted pro-life legislation to dismantle the pro-abortion provisions of Obama-care. Expect to also see movement on a bill to defund Planned Parenthood and a bill that prohibits all federal funding of abortion.
The midterm elections were a victory for life and a defeat for pro-abortion organizations like Planned Parenthood, NOW, Emily's List and NARAL. It's time for the pro-life movement to shrewdly utilize their victory.
More On Faith and abortion:
Dr. John Haas: Catholic groups oppose birth control in health care law
Danielle Bean: Tweeting abortion trivializes life
By
Jordan Sekulow
|
November 5, 2010; 4:27 PM ET
Save & Share:
Previous: Spiritual consciousness should navigate all acts |
Next: Elections spiritual and sociopolitical
Posted by: JenV | November 10, 2010 11:35 AM
Report Offensive Comment
A bit irresponsible, and misleading to call the health care bill "Pro-Abortion," don't you think? Besides the fact that there is no no one who actively advocates for abortion (as pointed out by other commentators), the statement that the bill is even "pro choice" is just not true. The bill doesn't encourage abortion - it just doesn't explicitly rule it out.
Also, doesn't being "pro life" sort of point in the direction of being pro-universal health care? If you are truly pro-life, then it seems disingenuous to say that you're opposed to greater health care coverage?
The bill isn't perfect, but its a huge first step. Even Catholic groups have condoned the modified abortion language of the bill.
Not to mention, the bill also provides $250 million over 10 years to pay for counseling, education, job training and housing for vulnerable women who are pregnant or parenting. Another provision provides a substantial increase in the adoption tax credit and funding for adoption assistance programs.
As I'm sure the author is aware, it simply untrue to call the bill "pro abortion." Actually, there is no such thing as a pro-abortion movement. I'm pro-life, but I recognize that the bill is a major first step to reforming a very corrupt, broken health care system that does more for the "pro life" cause than it's counterparts are trying to do by repealing it.
Posted by: maryp123 | November 8, 2010 6:42 PM
Report Offensive Comment
"Pro-abortion" would be a belief that all pregnancies should be aborted, none carried to term. I don't know of anyone who feels that way about any pregnancy that they aren't personally involved with.
I am pro-choice. I CHOSE to carry one pregnancy to term and and I CHOSE to abort a second one. Different circumstances of the two pregnancies caused me to make different choices.
That's all the term "pro-chice" means - that the pregnant woman gets to CHOOSE whwther to carry OR not carry the pregnancy to term, depending on her personal circumstances.
Posted by: lepidopteryx | November 8, 2010 12:34 PM
Report Offensive Comment
You do know the difference between being pro-choice and being pro-abortion, right? There are lots of people who are personally pro-life who do not need to demand the obedience of others.
I can tell you aren't one of those. You're more than pro-life. You're anti-choice. It's too bad that a lot of decent, freedom-loving Americans are confused for you when they say they personally disapprove of abortion but don't believe they've the right to dictate the course of another person's pregnancy.
Posted by: Cobalt_Blue | November 7, 2010 9:05 PM
Report Offensive Comment
55,000,000 babies murdered! And still people want to hide behind the word 'choice'.
These same people feel free to dictate that people 'must' purchase Health Care; but they don't feel free to dictate that they should NOT murder babies.
Very strange indeed.