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Pro-Lifers and the Youth
Vote: Education and Mobilization
Part Two of Three By Jonathan Rogers With November 2 rapidly approaching, I probably don't have to remind you that there are mid-term elections on the doorstep and how important they are. If I can, I'd like to take a minute to discuss the seemingly inevitably underwhelming youth vote.
Galbraith makes the case yet again that younger Americans continue to become more pro-life, citing a seven-point swing towards the pro-life position in just the last seven years (from 40% to 47% in self-identification as pro-life). And this isn't the only recent poll showing a similar trend. Much was rightly made of the Knights of Columbus poll (http://www.kofc.org/un/eb/en/news/releases/detail/549070.html) last winter which showed that even more "Millennials" (the 18–29-year-old bracket) viewed abortion as morally wrong in most cases (58%). Good news to be sure. While the opinion battle over the youth is turning our way, the ballot boxes still need some work. Barack Obama was quite famously carried along by a huge groundswell of youth voter enthusiasm. 18-29-year-olds voted for Obama over John McCain by a two-to-one margin. Youth support for Obama was not due to his pro-abortion stance but his charisma, speaking ability, messianic tone, and voter anger over the economy. Quite a few young voters who openly identified themselves as "pro-life" ended up voting for perhaps the most pro-abortion president in history. The challenge for the Right to Life Movement is to educate the Millennial generation and the next wave of teenagers so that their voting practices are in harmony with their principles. Outreach and education focused on explaining the Right to Life Movement's involvement in the political process could go a long way to bridging the gap between Millennials' pro-life sympathies and actual pro-life activities and voting habits. Pro-life individuals and Right to Life chapters should seek out forums such as church youth and young adult groups, college campus groups (whether religious outreach centers, dedicated student pro-life groups, or political groups), and social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter, as opportunities to speak to the youth on these topics. Here are a few suggested topics to focus on. If you need a refresher or would like handouts, check out our factsheet page at www.nrlc.org/factsheets: The Basics. It always pays dividends to go back over the basics on abortion, fetal development, medical facts, abortion techniques, basic statistics, etc. Roe v. Wade and Other Supreme Court Cases. Very few individuals understand the details of most of the important abortion-related Supreme Court cases.It's surprising how often people confess to not knowing that abortion on demand is legal essentially throughout all nine months of pregnancy under federal law. Abortion Trends and Statistics. Pro-lifers hear each other say that there have been over 54 million abortions since 1973 so often that we might forget that many haven't heard this simple fact. And far too few individuals are aware that over 90% of abortions are elective and don't fall into any of the "hard choice" categories. And many individuals aren't aware of the long-term downward trend in abortion numbers, declining from 1.6 million in 1990 to 1.2 million, or that shifting attitudes on abortion and pro-life legislation have had a significant impact on this change. Pro-Life Legislation. What do most ultrasound laws do? What about women's right to know laws? Parental notification? Partial-birth abortion bans? Laws dealing with unborn victims of violence (fetal homicide)? Explaining the rationale behind such laws and how they help save lives will demonstrate to people just how much can be accomplished at the federal and state level with pro-life legislators and active civic engagement. The Hyde Amendment. The Hyde Amendment--a provision attached to Department of Health and Human Services appropriations which bans Medicaid funding of abortion except in the cases of life of the mother, rape, and incest--is one of the most important pieces of pro-life legislation ever passed. It is conservatively estimated that over one million Americans are alive today because of the Hyde Amendment. ObamaCare. While obviously the highest profile legislation passed in a number of years, many Millennials probably know or understand little of the abortion- and rationing-related problems. Abortion is part and parcel of ObamaCare, and rationing no less. The Judiciary. President Obama nominating and the Senate confirming two pro-abortion Supreme Court nominations have long-term ramifications. How different might the Supreme Court look right now with a pro-life President or sufficient pro-life votes in the Senate to block confirmation of a pro-abortion nominee? Periods of heightened attention and awareness to the political process provide opportunities to remind others of the importance of pro-lifers in the political process--and the consequences of inaction. The education of the youth vote will not only help shape the contours of the 112th Congress in January, but it will also help mold the shape of the general electorate for decades to come. With a generation that is remarkably pro-life by inclination, the chance to take good intentions and hone them into focused principle must not be missed. 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. |
Let's
first start with a recent article over at Mercator.net (