Never Forget....

Depending on the vagaries of the United States Postal System, you'll receive this edition of National Right to Life News very close to the November 5 off-year elections or a couple of weeks out. Either way, I am sure that our Movement, knowing how much is at stake, will have already built up a head of steam by then.

Watch the antics of pro-abortion leaders in the United States Senate. It's clear they believe they can ride out the storm that blew in with the election of pro-life President George W. Bush, provided they maintain control, even if it's only by a single vote. On the surface we can see why they've come to this conclusion.

In partnership with their soulmates at Planned Parenthood, NARAL, and NOW, the Democrats, led by Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), have elevated obfuscation and stalling into an art form. Solid, meaningful pro-life legislation has passed the House only to vanish into the black hole known as the pro-abortion, Democratically controlled Senate. (See stories, pages 8 & 13.)

Their modus operandi is to cover their ideological tracks with vapid underbrush which the Major Media, for its own reasons, choose not to uncover. As the risk of sounding hopelessly good-government-ish, it is blatantly irresponsible and subversive of the legislative process to sit on bills passed in the House for months, even years. But try telling that to, say, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Understand, if Daschle hangs on as Senate Majority Leader by his fingernails, we will grit our teeth, hunker down, and redouble our efforts. There is no quit in individual pro-lifers or in our Movement.

But pro-lifers believe 2002 presents a golden opportunity. There are many superb pro-life challengers and many incumbents are in solid shape. All in all we can hope/trust/believe that the stars are in proper alignment.

In every election, there is a din of competing messages. Abortion is a central, defining issue for people like us and our anti-life counterparts. But for most people its urgency can be drowned out by the cacophony of voices talking about many other issues.

But note, we have the numbers--single-issue voting based on a candidate's stand on abortion virtually always favors the pro-life candidate. Granted, with pro-abortionists, it sometimes seems as if "money" is their middle name. But while unquestionably an advantage, drowning in dollars will not offset our primary asset--people power--so long as each of us does what we do best.

A final thought on the eve of the 2002 off-year elections. Getting every single pro-lifer to the polls in every state in the Union is of crucial importance. This is even more important in non-presidential years.

Along the way many people will be influenced by either the pro- or anti-life message. And by that I do not primarily mean educational literature, although that is vitally important as well.

I mean rather the "message" that each of us as individuals sends by the very nature of the people that we are. And that is of enormous importance for two complementary reasons.

First, for most people, the only "Pro-Life Movement" they will ever meet is you! You are the Movement for 99% of the population.

Second, never forget that often times it is seemingly the most unlikely prospect who joins our ranks. We don't know, cannot know, people's histories. But there may well be something in there that needs just the slightest nudge to come over to the side of life.

Thank you for all that you've been doing for the littlest Americans. Thank you for all that you will do. It is my priviledge to work with such marvelous human beings.

dave andrusko can be reached at dha1245@juno.com