A Victory (for the Moment) for Pro-Life Democrats

In recent years, at academic conferences, in faith-based circles, and on blogs such as this one, the question frequently has been posed whether political activists and politicians committed to the sanctity of human life can survive and play any meaningful role in the Democratic Party, given the national party’s commitments to an unlimited abortion license and even to government sponsorship and funding of abortions.  As some of our readers know, I have been among the skeptics.

A positive answer was delivered this past Saturday.  Pro-life Democratic Representative Bar Stupak of Michigan, supported by some 40 other pro-life Democrats, were willing to stand up against both party leaders in the House and President Obama and refuse to lend their support to the party’s highest priority legislation, the health care reform bill, without an amendment to prevent any use of government funding to promote elective abortions.  In sum, pro-life Democrats insisted upon a health care reform proposal that did not contradict the very premise of health by dealing death to unborn children.

By their courageous actions, these pro-life Democrats, joined by nearly all Republicans, forced Speaker Nancy Pelosi to allow a vote on an amendment to bar use of any government funds to finance abortions or to finance insurance that provides for abortions.  Sixty-four Democrats joined 176 Republicans in passing the amendment (link).  This is obviously is a major victory for Pro-Life Democrats (although of course it was a victory that depended upon the support of Republicans, who were virtually unanimous in their legislative witness for unborn human life).  For more on the story of Representative Supak standing up to Speaker Pelosi, see William McGurn’s Wall Street Journal column.

Sadly, the battle is not yet over for a health care reform bill that does not destroy the health of the unborn.  Democratic leaders in the Senate are expected to block full protection for the unborn in the Senate bill (link and link).  The House Democratic leadership that permitted a vote on the Stupak Amendment already is cynically planning to strip it out of the legislation in the eventual and secretive conference committee to reconcile the House and Senate versions of health care reform (assuming the Senate is able to pass any bill) (link).

Not surprisingly by this point, President Obama too has expressed his opposition to the Stupak Amendment, offering the disingenuous argument that government subsidies for private insurance that provide for elective abortions are not the equivalent of government funding of abortions (link).  Adding one more item to the growing list of pro-abortion actions by this Administration, the overtures of the Obama campaign last year to Catholics and pro-life Americans have long since been exposed as convenient and empty rhetoric.

Thus, Pro-Life Democrats in the House will have to make clear that their support of the final bill continues to be contingent on health care reform that does not destroy the health of the unborn.  (As an interesting side note, and supplement to Michael Perry’s posting about the sole Republican supporter for the bill in the House having been a former Jesuit seminarian, Republican Representative Joseph Cao of Louisiana has said that the Stupak Amendment made it possible for him to support the bill. (link))

As a sad reminder of where most Democrats stand on this matter, Democratic Representative Lynn Woolsey of California responded to the success of the Stupak Amendment by calling for the Internal Revenue Service to investigate the support of the Catholic bishops for this legislative protection of human rights for the unborn.  On behalf of the bishops’ conference, Kathy Saile responded:  “We are very grateful for the courage of the Pro-Life Dems who helped lead this effort.  The most important thing is that the House passed a health care bill and that it included the Stupak amendment.   This was a true grassroots effort. There were too many people involved to try to list them all.  The USCCB met with whomever would meet with us and listen to our concerns.”

For now, we can congratulate Pro-Life Democrats in the House, thank God for their witness, and pray for their perseverance as the legislative battle continues.

Greg Sisk