Members Throw Pro-life Principles, Constituency, and the Unborn Under the Bus
by Staff
March 22, 2010
WASHINGTON, (christiansunite.com) -- Yesterday, as self-labeled "pro-life" Democratic Members of Congress announced their support for the current Healthcare reform legislation, Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser offered the following statement:"Any Member of Congress who votes for this pro-abortion legislation can no longer call themselves 'pro-life.' Support for the Senate version of healthcare flies in the face of all pro-life principles. A vote in favor of this healthcare bill will be a vote for abortion and against Life. There is no middle ground.
"Announcing they will vote in favor of the bill means that Reps. Carney, Ellsworth, Kildee, Hill, and Oberstar have put themselves on the side of Barbara Boxer, who last November told McClatchy News' Rob Hotakainen that the Senate language regarding abortion was 'only an "accounting procedure" that will do nothing to restrict coverage.' These representatives now stand with the likes of NARAL, NOW, and Planned Parenthood, they have betrayed their pro-life principles and their constituents.
The pro-life American majority, and hundreds of thousands of unborn children, are counting on the remaining self-labeled 'pro-life' Democrats to hold firm."
Polling conducted in the past two weeks in 20 Democratic districts by the polling companyTM, inc./WomanTrend found that, in virtually every district, at least two-thirds of voters opposed "using tax dollars to pay for abortions" and would reject a candidate who 'votes for healthcare legislation that includes federal government funding of abortion.'"
"This has been a long and difficult battle since we began targeting members and drawing attention to constituent opposition to federal funding of abortion in the healthcare reform bill more than a year ago. The SBA List will inform the voters how their Member voted on this legislation. Constituents will not soon forget the vote that their Member of Congress casts tomorrow. The President wants the help of these Democrats now to pass his pro- abortion bill, but his support will not be able to save them on November 2nd."
The Susan B. Anthony List has been leading the fight against abortion funding in health care reform for over a year, spending nearly $2 million on a grassroots campaign of targeted television and radio ads, 1.3 million automated calls, 70,000 patch-through constituent calls, 1.2 million letters and petitions to Congress, two media and grassroots tours in pro-life Democratic districts, and comprehensive polling in 20 pro-life Democratic districts. Yesterday, the Susan B. Anthony List launched a $250,000 television advertisement campaign aimed at pricking the consciences of self-professed pro-life Democrats to live up to the title they have embraced. The ad, which will run throughout the weekend in the districts of six swing, pro-life Democrats, exhorts these members to vote "No" on the healthcare bill which includes federal funding of abortion, fails to protect consciences, and creates numerous abortion mandates.
On a March 4th appearance on Good Morning America, Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) explained exactly where the healthcare bill includes federal funding of abortion: "If you go to Page 2069 through Page 2078 [of the Senate bill], you will find in there the federal government would directly subsidize abortions, plus every enrollee in the Office of Personnel Management-enrolled plan, every enrollee has to pay a minimum of one dollar per month toward reproductive rights, which includes abortions."
The Susan B. Anthony List is a nationwide network of Americans, over 280,000 residing in all 50 states, dedicated to mobilizing, advancing, and representing pro-life women in politics. Its connected Candidate Fund increases the percentage of pro-life women in the political process.
