The Democratic Party is taking over Capitol Hill, and pro-life activists are downcast. Operation Rescue even termed Nov. 7 “Bloody Tuesday,” since “America voted across the board to reject measures and candidates that would have restricted abortion.”
Democrats won both the House and Senate. A near absolute abortion ban was rejected in South Dakota, while California and Oregon voters killed proposals for parental notification.
The pro-life movement lost ground, but the election was about everything except abortion. The Republican Party wrecked because of Iraq, overspending and corruption.
Moreover, California and Oregon were guaranteed to be among the most difficult states for any social regulation. The South Dakota measure was particularly extreme, forthrightly challenging current Supreme Court doctrine and failing to provide an exception for rape.
Although pro-life legislators were lost, the seeds of a pro-life revival have been planted in the Democratic Party. Over the long-term, the drop in GOP abortion opponents might be balanced by the rise in the number of pro-life Democrats.
So far the number is small, but the election points to a time when scores of Democrats helped deliver a majority for the so-called Hyde Amendment, blocking public funding of abortion — in the heavily Democratic House.
Democrats for Life of America (DFLA) points to the election of five pro-life Democratic House members: Jason Altmire (Pennsylvania), Joe Donnelly (Indiana), Brad Ellsworth (Indiana), Heath Shuler (North Carolina), and Charlie Wilson (Ohio).
In the main, these candidates were not shy about promoting their pro-life views. For instance, Shuler declared: I am “a pro-life Democrat and I believe that all life is sacred.”
Assuming seniority holds, three committees will be chaired by pro-lifers: Jim Oberstar (Minnesota), Transportation; Collin Peterson (Minnesota), Agriculture; and Ike Skelton (Missouri), Armed Services. Others will run subcommittees.
Equally important, Bob Casey Jr., of Pennsylvania, will join the Senate. He neutralized the appeal of Sen. Rick Santorum, R- Pa., on social issues and triumphed with his emphasis on economics and the war. The onus now will be on Casey to break with Democratic orthodoxy on judges and to make his colleagues more sympathetic to the plight of the unborn.
There also were pro-life Democratic victories at the state level. Amy Sullivan of the New Republic wrote about Bill Ritter, Colorado’s new governor. A Catholic and one-time overseas missionary, Ritter has confronted the Democratic Party’s pro-abortion lobby head-on. He has emphasized steps other than legal restrictions; the true test will come when he must act on legislation, whichever way it goes.
The pro-life challenge today is to better sell the anti-abortion message in a bipartisan environment. Winning votes from both sides has got to be the game.
Kristen Day, DFLA executive director, said after the election: “We look forward to working with Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi and the new leaders of the House to promote an agenda that will dramatically reduce the abortion rate in America.”
Such hopes seem badly inflated given the Democratic caucus’s overall tenor, but Day’s effort will provide an important litmus test. Does the Democratic majority attempt to govern from the center or does the liberal majority attempt to enforce its will on all Democrats?
In turn, that willingness will be critical if the Democrats hope to preserve their newfound majority. At some point Iraq will no longer be an issue.
Voters still prefer GOP economics — the Republicans lost votes because more people saw them as representatives of big government. A couple years of Democratic governance likely will dispel that sentiment.
Which means social issues again will become a critical area of electoral competition. Observes Steven Waldman of Beliefnet: “To cement the gains with religious voters and Catholics, the Democrats will likely need to develop a more moderate position on abortion. These new pro-life Democrats will surely press the case; it’s an open question how the pro-choice Democrats who will still dominate the party will react.”
The answer will determine much about the future course of U.S. politics.
Today pro-lifers lament the transfer of party control in Congress. But if the recent election sparks a revival of pro-life Democrats, the loss may ultimately prove to be a boon. Over the long-term the unborn will be more secure if they have protectors in both parties.
Doug Bandow is vice president for Policy of Citizen Outreach. He is the author of “Leviathan Unchained: Washington’s Bipartisan Big Government Consensus” (forthcoming from Xulon Press).
