Statement by
Carol Tobias
Political Director
January 24, 2005

Four days ago, we were extremely pleased and delighted to watch as George W. Bush was sworn in for a second term as President of the United States. Pro-lifers always work hard, but their efforts to re-elect this wonderful president were exceptional and we look forward to working with him for another four years.

We are also looking forward to working with many new pro-life members of Congress.

As a quick recap, of the nine new members of the Senate, seven are pro-life. Of 40 new members in the House of Representatives, 22 are pro-life and we expect three other new members to vote with us most of the time, giving us, in all practical effect, almost 2/3 of the new members.

PRO-LIFE MOVEMENT PROVIDES INCREMENT

We have known for many years that being pro-life helps a candidate in his or her race. This was borne out again this year.

A Wirthlin Worldwide post-election poll, taken November 2, found that 42% of the people said that abortion affected their vote. Twenty-four percent voted for George W. Bush while 15% voted for John Kerry. This comes out to a 9% increment for President Bush on the abortion issue.

Asked in another, and much tougher, question, 8% of the voters said that abortion was the most important issue in deciding who to vote for-- 6% voted for George W. Bush while 2% voted for John Kerry.
This was a net increment of 4% for President Bush.

In a close election, this 4% advantage made the difference between winning and losing.

Pro-lifers are proud to have a man like President Bush in the White House. His re-election was a giant step forward in our efforts to protect unborn children. This year, and the next year, and the year after next, we will continue to move forward. And eventually, we will succeed. Unborn children will once again be welcomed in life and protected in law.