As the 112th Congress is sworn in, an already endangered species is nearing extinction in the Capitol Building: the pro-life Democrat. This increasingly rare bird is in the process of committing political suicide.
That the Democrats took a thumping in the mid-term election of November 2 is, of course, obvious. The dramatic switch from Democrat to Republican control of the House of Representatives is unprecedented in modern times. Over 60 seats changed from Democrat to Republican, giving the Republicans a huge majority.
Less-remarked upon, however, was the switch from so-called "pro-choice" legislators to pro-life ones, which, not coincidentally, accompanied that move from Democrat to Republican. Marjorie Dannenfelser, director of the excellent group Susan B. Anthony List, which seeks to elect pro-life women (from either party) to Congress, counts 38 switches from "pro-choice" to pro-life from the 111th to 112th Congress, plus another 14 seats where "unreliable" pro-life members were replaced with "reliable" pro-life votes. In all, 52 seats were "strengthened" into a more pro-life position.
Congressman Chris Smith (R-N.J.), a longtime pro-life stalwart, celebrates that this January marks "the beginning of the arguably most pro-life House ever." Smith calls it "another message to President Obama that the American people will not be fooled by the Obama administration's accounting gimmicks and phony executive orders. They expect their elected officials to stand up for life without backing down."
This is a clear reference to the "Bart Stupak Democrats," who voted yes on the "Obamacare" healthcare bill that provides taxpayer funding of abortion; they were duped into thinking that President Obama's corresponding executive order will ban abortion funding. This was quite a leap of faith for these pro-life Democrats. Recall that one of Obama's first acts of president was to overturn the Mexico City policy, thereby providing taxpayer dollars to groups like International Planned Parenthood. Most of those pro-life Democrats now find themselves no longer in Congress. Some, like Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA), were defeated in landslides.
Perhaps sweetest justice of all, leadership of the House goes from Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to Rep. John Boehner (R-OH), a tectonic shift in the pro-life direction, from one lifelong Roman Catholic to another -- but with only Boehner applying the "social justice" narrative (not to mention the Church's teaching) to the unborn.
Likewise, the U.S. Senate includes notable gains for the pro-life movement. In Florida, Marco Rubio, rising Republican star, registered a remarkable victory in a three-candidate race in November, trouncing a turncoat ex-Republican endorsed by Bill Clinton, the president who vetoed bans on partial-birth abortion. In Arkansas, pro-life Republican John Boozman defeated incumbent Democrat Blanche Lincoln. In a major upset in Wisconsin, pro-life Republican Ron Johnson defeated Democrat incumbent Russ Feingold, a dependable vote for the abortion lobby. Other significant pro-life wins occurred in North Dakota, Indiana, and elsewhere. In a giant relief in Pennsylvania, pro-lifer Pat Toomey edged out Democrat Joe Sestak, who was atrocious on human-life issues. All of these gains help mitigate the pain of Californians handily re-electing Barbara Boxer, returning to the Senate a woman with a ghastly record on the unborn.
In short, the Democratic Party has descended, yet further, down the death path, with preciously few pro-lifers in the House or the Senate. We're approaching the point where you may be able to count them on two hands, potentially even one hand. We're also approaching a point where a serious pro-life Democrat voter will find it increasingly difficult to find a pro-life Democrat politician to vote for.
Alas, I say this with regret. I'm a pro-life Republican, but as one who studies history, I know that the parties, and what they stand for, change over time. I'm far more concerned with the lives of unborn babies than political lives of Republicans. I don't support "pro-choice" Republicans; in fact, I've actively worked for their defeat. I'm an American deeply saddened by the Death Culture thrust upon this great nation through the evil of Roe v. Wade in January 1973.
Ever since Roe, the Democratic Party, in particular, has veered down a tragic path. For a time, in the early years around Roe, it wasn't completely clear where the two major parties, Democrat and Republican, would align on the matter of unborn human life. It has taken some time, but, ultimately, the progression has been steady toward the Republicans becoming the party of life and the Democrats the party of death. Importantly, there are exceptions to this, but, by and large, and certainly in Congress, we can confidently say that the vast majority of Republicans are pro-life while the vast majority of Democrats are not. If it isn't quite 90-10%, it's close.
In fact, a fascinating analysis of Catholic members of Congress, done by the National Catholic Register and National Right to Life, finds that of those with a 0%-5% pro-life ranking, all are Democrats, whereas of those with a 95-100% pro-life ranking, all are Republicans. That's a stunning religious-cultural-political shift.
Along this descent, there were Democrats who tried to stop the train-wreck. One was a governor in my home state of Pennsylvania, Bob Casey (who was also Catholic), who was distraught over the fact that his party, which prided itself as defender of the "little guy," the poor, the downtrodden, the needy, was turning its back on the most innocent among us: the unborn child. When Casey pleaded for a speaking spot at the 1992 Democratic National Convention, to share that message, Bill and Hillary Clinton and the self-proclaimed apostles of "tolerance," diversity," and "open-mindedness" refused him a platform. Looking back, that was a telling moment.
How telling? If you're a new voter looking for a political party, choose the Democrats if you want unrestricted abortion, potentially even taxpayer-funded; choose the Republicans, if you don't. The choice is pretty simple.
It's a sad development for the culture and the country. It further polarizes the abortion issue, and more starkly along party lines than ever before. For pro-life Republicans in Congress, it's a loss, as they will need pro-life Democrats as precious allies. No one -- Republicans included -- should celebrate the Democratic Party becoming the Death Party. No one -- Republicans included -- should welcome such a moral degeneration of a onetime great political party.
Letter to the Editor
Paul Kengor is professor of political science at Grove City College. His books include The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism and the newly released Dupes: How America's Adversaries Have Manipulated Progressives for a Century.
The cynics and the old guys like my late Daddy *Archie Bunker* who said what they thought regardless would point out that the people who are having babies are having Republican/Conservative babies -- so the number of Pro-Abortion Democrats MUST decrease.
It is also being said in places where nobody will hear it and file suit, that the rapidly dropping crime rate has something to do with the fact that the age (and class) group responsible for most crime is also dwindling. Once the preponderance of young people is conservatives who are brought up by Christians, lots of things will change.
As for the Bart Stupaks of the world, they ought to go back and study the story of Jacob and Esau. Selling your birthright (literally in this case) for a mess of pottage is a trick that never works.
On the contrary, the hard left has never relied upon breeding as its main recruitment tool. They have modeled themselves after the Turks, kidnapping the young and turning them into Janissaries.
Perhaps now you see why it is so important for them to control public education?
The incremental evil associated with the left is most apparent in this article. The yes's and the no's have polarized; all the while the pile of innocents grows ever deeper. Just try and repeal the right to "choice". It is so ingrained into our society that most would find this undo-able...if not unwise. When a liberal pollster asked why I was pro choice, I told her that it was my hope that by this stand, the left would abort itself from existence and the 'right to life' would return triumphantly, and forever. She was stunned and hung up...I smiled.
They are not "pro choice". They are "pro death". Call a spade a spade.
Dear Berni, Your comment was awesome. Let's call a spade a spade. Let's go back to "anti-abortion." The liberals started to refer to themselves as "pro-choice" because "pro" and "choice" sound so positive and right. Then the idiot conservatives followed suit and started saying, "I'm pro-life", because "pro" sounds better than "anti". WE ARE ANTI-ABORTION. Or if you will, ANTI-MURDER!" "I'm an American deeply saddened by the Death Culture thrust upon this great nation through the evil of Roe v. Wade in January 1973."
Thanks, Mr. Kengor, for making it plain. Abortion is murder. Normal men and women love their children. It's not normal to kill your child. If you don't want your baby, then put it up for adoption. There are plenty of good adults that will love and care for your child.
Anyone who has expected a change towards abortion by the Obama administration and his electorate must have been sleeping under a rock. The blood runs in rivers, and the dead and dying fetuses are placed in the garbage to be thrown out with the potatoe peelings. Meanwhile Obama is in the blood up to his elbows, and will one day be judged, and those same deceased fetuses, now revived, will sit with God in his judgement. It won't be pretty, but then, politics never is.
*cough*Doug Kmieck *cough*
If you list the countries without legal abortion most of them look pretty uncivilised using any reasonable metrics e.g. poverty, corruption, human rights etc. The US is never likely to join these countries by reversing its position on abortion. However, the right-wing will waste a lot of time and energy attempting to do so. I guess self-righteous indignation must be addictive.
Chris.. You can delude yourself with high-sounding phrases like "Pro-Choice" but the reality is you prefer innocent babies to be dismembered and discarded as you'd discard a Banana peel.
Please list the countries. If you are going to rely on facts please state them. Don't just give us a tease (kind of like Obama saying the "climate science is settled" without any proof).
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