August 18, 2010

By Dave Andrusko

There is a certain irony--and cause for celebration--when a pro-abortion PAC with more money than Ft. Knox has gold announces a campaign to go after former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin because (in the words of EMILY's List President Stephanie Schriock ) "we didn't want women across the country to think that there is only one voice for women." That, of course, is the whole point of Palin's public support of pro-life female candidates--that for too long too many media outlets took it as a given that the only position on abortion female candidates could take was in favor.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin

So yesterday EMILY's List told reporters that it had launched a campaign to promote pro-abortion female candidates (nothing new there) in "response to Palin's endorsement of conservative, anti-abortion women in races across the country," according to Politico. EMILY's List said "its website will feature multimedia, user-submitted stories and information about Palin-backed candidates," whom Palin has playfully dubbed "Mama Grizzlies."

According to various accounts, EMILY's List wouldn't specify how much money would be spent, only that the focus would be "national" and had only started Tuesday. Noteworthy was that at the same time its spokeswoman said the campaign "will focus on helping all the candidates EMILY's List has endorsed this year rather than zeroing in on any specific states or races," Jess McIntosh also "said the campaign would most likely have more of an effect in certain races, such as California's Senate race between incumbent [pro-abortion] Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer and [pro-life] Republican Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO."

Two quick thoughts. First, EMILY's List loves to characterize pro-life candidates as "extremists," yet it supports only female Democratic candidates who are the hardest of hardcore supporters of abortion.

Second, even if this was only a PR campaign to raise more dollars, that does not change the truth that EMILY's List is acknowledging in a back-handed way. Pro-life organizations have made the case over and over and over again that to assume that the default position of female candidates is in support of abortion on demand is to get the situation completely backwards.

As we pointed out yesterday in looking at the latest Rasmussen Reports polling results, women are virtually always more pro-life than men. That is a constant in the abortion debate.

What's "changed" is not this underlying reality but the fact, that must be acknowledged, that more and more pro-life women are running for office in high-profile contests. And that is cause for celebration.

Please send your comments on Today's News & Views and National Right to Life News Today to daveandrusko@gmail.com. If you like, join those who are following me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/daveha.

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