Advocacy Groups Target Campaigns Of Anti-Choice Democrats Who Voted For Health Reform
July 26th, 2010
Some advocacy groups that traditionally oppose abortion rights but were divided on health care reform are now trying to influence the re-election of Democrats, who oppose abortion rights and voted for the health care reform law (PL 111-148), Politico reports. Both sides are targeting fundraising and voter mobilization efforts in the re-election campaigns of anti-choice Democrats who voted for the legislation after President Obama signed an executive order reaffirming that no federal funds would be used for abortion services under the law. Many antiabortion-rights groups maintain that the law “create[s] a loophole” that would allow federal funding of abortion, while others argue that the health care reform law clearly prohibits federal funding of abortion, Politico reports.
Former Colorado Rep. Marilyn Musgrave (R) — now project director of the Votes Have Consequences Campaign for the Susan B. Anthony List, which works to get antiabortion-rights candidates elected — said, “We are going to do everything we can to point out that Democrats who said they were pro-life caved on the big one.” The candidates targeted by Musgrave’s campaign include Pennsylvania Rep. Kathleen Dahlkemper, Ohio Rep. Steve Driehaus, and Indiana Reps. Joe Donnelly and Brad Ellsworth, who is running for Senate. According to Politico, Ellsworth is Musgrave’s “top target,” and she is hoping to raise “a few million” dollars to fund efforts to defeat him.
At the same time, other groups that traditionally oppose abortion rights are “rallying” to refute mischaracterizations of the health care reform law and to support antiabortion-rights candidates who supported health care reform, according to Politico. A Catholics United campaign — Set the Record Straight — aims to counter myths about the health reform law, including the claim that abortions will be covered with federal funds, Catholics United Executive Director Chris Korzen said. Korzen added that Set the Record Straight is “a pushback campaign” that is raising money for new advertisements to defend vulnerable candidates’ votes on health reform. The group is aiming to run the campaign on less than $1 million in advertising to divide among the races. In addition, Democrats for Life has launched a website that focuses on refuting mischaracterizations about the health reform law and highlighting the 16 antiabortion Democrats who supported the measure, whom they call the Whole-Life Heroes (Cummings, Politico, 7/27). Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women’s Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women’s Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families. © 2010 National Partnership for Women & Families. All rights reserved.
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Tags: Advocacy Groups, Reform
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