Tonight NRL celebrates the 13th annual Proudly Pro-Life Awards Dinner by honoring pro-life champion Congressman Henry Hyde. Hyde (R-Il.) was previously honored with a Proudly Pro-Life Award at the second annual dinner in 1995. Tomorrow I will write about an event that is much anticipated.

It is no exaggeration to say that, for pro-lifers, Congressman Hyde is a legend. He is our role model.

Mr. Hyde, who came to Congress in 1975, is retiring in 2007. His eloquence and passion and commitment will be sorely missed.

Isn't it a wonderful coincidence that the National Right to Life Educational Trust Fund's tribute to Congressman Hyde comes only a few hours before the second annual "Real Women's Voices" gathering here in the nation's capitol? Real Women's Voices is a coalition of national and state-based pro-life organizations that comes to Washington to dispel the myth that women are "pro-choice" and to lobby Congress.

Sometimes it seems as if there as are many polls as there are grains of sand on a beach. It is not often that polls, especially on abortion, tell us something new. The poll released by Real Women's Voices this morning does.

Let me offer some of the highlights.

• 1,000 adults were surveyed and asked "which statement most closely reflects your position on the issue of abortion?" 16% said abortion should be prohibited in all circumstances; 16% said legal only to save the life of the mother; 22% said legal only in cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother. This makes for a total of 54% taking a pro-life position versus 41% who took "pro-choice" positions. This is keeping with polls that ask other probing questions.
   
• But which categories of people fall in each camp? This is important as we look to the future. There are a number of subcategories but the most interesting one is that 18-34 year- olds are among the groups most likely to identify with one of the three pro-life views. This is especially true for 18-34 year-old women!
   
• Conducted by the Polling Company/Women Trend, the poll also compared respondents' self-identified familiarity with Roe v. Wade with what Roe v. Wade actually meant. Nearly two-thirds (65%) said they were either very familiar (23%) with Roe or somewhat familiar (42%). Interestingly, this is more than twice the number (31%) who admitted they did not know much about the 1973 decision.

But how many were able to select the most accurate description from a menu of four choices? Only 29%.

As the executive summary explains, "This disconnect between what they believe and what is the truth is astonishing. While the correct explanation of the case was selected by more Americans than any other single Roe v. Wade description, it is important to note that a combined 50% thought the 1973 watershed ruling provided a much more narrow allowance for abortion than it really did. An additional 15% acknowledged they did not know what legal implications of the decision were for abortion rights."

Let me offer two quick conclusions. "Choice" is a quintessentially American value. Given the word's exalted status, it's amazing that the percentage of those who say they are "pro-choice" on abortion is not staggeringly high.

But when it comes to abortion, people hold views that are at odds with both what they say they know (how familiar they are with Roe v. Wade) and with what "choice" actually stands for in the debate--support for abortion in essentially all circumstances throughout the entire nine months of pregnancy.

Second, education is always power, but never more so than in the ongoing struggle over abortion. What makes this even more significant is that younger Americans--especially younger women--are already among the most likely to support the pro-life position.

See you tomorrow.

Please send any comments or questions to Dave Andrusko at dandrusko@nrlc.org.