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December 1, 2006

Religious Voters Helped Turn the Tide in the Mid-Term Elections

Religious moderates and progressives are being credited with helping to produce significant wins in the midterm elections, according to Religion News Service. In Pennsylvania, white evangelicals and Catholics were instrumental in the defeat of Senator Rick Santorum, an anti-choice zealot. His opponent, Bob Casey, an anti-choice but pro-family planning Democrat, received 58% of the Catholic vote, a dramatic change from previous elections, according to John Green of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

In Ohio, Methodist minister and Democrat Ted Strickland conducted intensive outreach to religious voters. He trounced religious conservative Ken Blackwell in the race for governor. Sherrod Brown, a strong pro-choice supporter, defeated anti-choice conservative Mike DeWine to become the state's junior senator.

In South Dakota, voters defeated an abortion ban by 56-44% despite a massive "Religious Right" campaign that included a rally with failed presidential hopeful Alan Keyes and "Patriot Pastor" founder Rick Scarborough, convener of a recent conference called "The War on Christians." In Missouri, a constitutional amendment to allow stem cell research was overwhelmingly approved, despite the vigorous opposition of the state's four Catholic bishops and the Missouri Baptist Convention. Mandatory parental notification was defeated in both California and Oregon.

Outlook Is Brighter for Reproductive Health Goals
When the 110th Congress convenes in January, the outlook for reproductive health and rights will be brighter than at any time in recent years, thanks in part to moderate and progressive religious voters who helped defeat anti-choice extremists. Democratic gains in the Senate and House may allow family planning legislation such as the "Prevention First" omnibus bill to move forward. The bill has been championed in the Senate by Democrat Harry Reid and in the House by Louise Slaughter, a co-chair of the Bipartisan Pro-Choice Caucus. Advocates are also working to move a comprehensive sexuality education bill and to provide funding for comprehensive education programs. RCRC activists have sent thousands of petitions to Congress in support of "Prevention First" and of medically accurate sexuality education legislation.

But with pro-choice members still in the minority, the outlook is not good for lifting abortion restrictions such as the ban on privately funded abortions at military health facilities overseas. The make up of the Senate for the 110th Congress is likely to be 35 pro- choice members, 17 members who sometimes vote pro- choice, and 48 who are anti-choice. In the House, the count is 164 pro-choice, 52 inconsistent, and 219 anti- choice. In both chambers, Democratic votes are far short of the two-thirds necessary to override a presidential veto. Support from the dwindling ranks of moderate Republicans will continue to be the key to advancing reproductive health goals.

With key committees to be headed by pro-choice legislators for the first time in years, it is likely that there will be hearings and votes on women's health bills that have been stalled for many legislative sessions. The National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association predicts that fewer anti-choice, anti- family planning riders will be tacked onto spending bills. In the best possible scenario, more funding will be allocated for preventive health services such as domestic and international family planning, STD services, and vaccines.

Pro-choice stalwart Nancy Pelosi (California) will become the first woman Speaker of the House, replacing Dennis Hastert (Illinois). Family planning advocate Harry Reid (Nevada) will take over from retiring Senator Bill Frist (Tennessee) as Senate Majority Leader. The new Democratic leadership includes James Clyburn (South Carolina), who heads the House Democratic Faith Working Group, an outreach effort to ministers. Clyburn will be Majority Whip.

Pro-family planning and pro-choice legislators who are likely to chair key House committees include Louise Slaughter, slated to chair the Rules Committee, which establishes the rules for floor debate and can decide what kind of amendments may be offered. Among other likely chairs are Rose DeLauro (Connecticut), slated to head the Agriculture subcommittee with jurisdiction over the Food and Drug Administration; Nita Lowey (New York), the foreign operations subcommittee with jurisdiction over international family planning and reproductive health programs; Henry Waxman (California), the Government Reform Committee; John Conyers (Michigan), the Judiciary Committee, and Jerry Nadler (New York), the Constitution subcommittee.

In the Senate, chairs of special interest include Patrick Leahy (Vermont), the Judiciary Committee; Edward Kennedy (Massachusetts), the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Joseph Biden (Delaware), the Foreign Relations Committee.