Here in Virginia, Senator John Warner and all eleven incumbents in the US House of Representatives were reelected. Thus, there is no change in the pro-life status of the Virginia delegation. (See the voting records in the October 2002 issue of the Lifesaver.) On the national scene, the results were more dramatic.

“The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) is delighted over the outcome of the mid-term elections,” according to NRL PAC Director Carol Tobias.

Of the 10 new members of the Senate, eight are pro-life. The new pro-life Senators are Norm Coleman in Minnesota, Jim Talent in Missouri, John Sununu in New Hampshire, Elizabeth Dole in North Carolina, Saxby Chambliss in Georgia, John Cornyn in Texas, Lindsey Graham in South Carolina, Lamar Alexander in Tennessee. Also, pro-life Senator Wayne Allard of Colorado fought back a strong challenge from a pro-abortion challenger. The only two Senate races that pro-lifers did not win were in Arkansas, where Mark Pryor defeated pro-life Senator Tim Hutchinson, and in South Dakota where Senator Tim Johnson was re-elected, defeating pro-life Congressman John Thune.

Of 52 new members in the House of Representatives, 34 (65%) are solidly pro-life. Of these 34 new pro-life members, 31 are Republicans and 3 are Democrats.

Over all, National Right to Life won 64 of 82 (78%) of the races in which it was involved. Of special note are a number of new pro-life women to Congress. Along with Senator-elect Elizabeth Dole (R-NC), there are Representatives Katherine Harris (R-FL), Candice Miller (R-MI), Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO), and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). In contrast, EMILY’s List, the political action committee that supports only Democratic pro-abortion women, did very poorly, losing 16 of their top 21 races.

“Once again, the pro-life issue has proved to be a winning issue for candidates,” said Mrs. Tobias.

The Pro-Life Advantage

The results were even more pronounced when asked how they voted on the general ballot. (Unlike Virginia, most states have their state and local elections at the same time as federal elections.) This time, 61% reported that they voted for the pro-life candidate vs. 31% for the pro-abortion candidate.

These results show that abortion is gaining in importance among the electorate and the pro-life advantage is growing as well.

Published in VSHL Lifesaver, January, 2003