Pro-abortion forces are on the move. After investing millions of dollars into the 2010 Massachusetts special election to keep the late Senator Ted Kennedy’s seat in pro-abortion Democratic hands, they were dealt a devastating blow when Bay State voters elected Republican Scott Brown. Regaining Kennedy’s seat is a top priority in 2012 for Democrats and the pro-abortion movement.
The pro-abortion movement may have found their candidate this week in Harvard Law professor Elizabeth Warren (D), who formed an exploratory committee for Senate. EMILY’s List, a pro-abortion organization committed to electing female candidates who support even the most extreme elements of the pro-abortion movement like partial-birth abortion and taxpayer funding of abortion, expressed its support for Warren’s candidacy.
EMILY’s List President Stephanie Schriock said in a statement, “The EMILY’s List community has been telling me loud and clear that they want Elizabeth Warren in the race to beat Scott Brown. Today, they got a little bit closer to getting their wish.”
Numerous liberal groups have launched Draft Elizabeth Warren efforts to encourage a full-fledged Senate campaign. These groups support her in part because of her staunchly pro-abortion stance and her support for Obamacare, which allows taxpayer funding of abortion and poses a grave threat to the elderly and those with disabilities in the form of healthcare rationing. Warren has also been encouraged to enter the race by top Democratic leaders including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.
Not all conservatives and pro-life advocates, however, are rushing to Senator Scott Brown’s side in order to stop Democrats from retaking Kennedy’s seat. Senator Brown in public statements asserts that he is “pro-choice,” a label no pro-life advocate likes to be attributed to an elected official.
However, Sen. Brown has proven to be beneficial to the pro-life movement in achieving both long-term and short-term goals. The long-term goal of the pro-life movement is to overturn Roe vs. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion-on-demand throughout all nine months of pregnancy. Senator Brown supports the appointment of strict constructionist justices to the Supreme Court. He voted against the confirmation of pro-abortion Justice Elena Kagan.
The short-term goals of the pro-life movement are to repeal Obamacare and to reduce the number of abortions. The entire reason Senator Brown was elected was due to his opposition to Obamacare. The special election fell during the height of the debate over healthcare reform. Brown became a voice for those outraged by the plans being proposed by President Obama and his Democratic allies, which included abortion funding and incentives to ration care. Once elected, Brown voted to both repeal the law and to block its funding.
Brown has also helped move the ball further down the field in terms of reducing the number of abortions. Prior to his election to the US Senate, then-State Senator Brown co-sponsored the Women’s Right to Know Act in Massachusetts, which would have provided women considering abortion the opportunity to view developmental images and review information about her baby in the womb. In addition, it would have required a 24-hour waiting period before an abortion.
Brown opposes embryonic stem cell research and successfully passed cord blood legislation in Massachusetts, which expanded life-affirming adult stem cell research.
In the US Senate, Brown voted to protect right-to-life groups by opposing the DISCLOSE Act, which sought to penalize grassroots organizations for publicizing the records of elected officials. (The vote was scored by the National Right to Life Committee on their legislative scorecard.)
Senator Brown’s only misstep so far in the US Senate has been voting to sustain federal funding for Planned Parenthood. Brown joined several other Republicans from Democratic-leaning states to keep Planned Parenthood’s funding in place. Elizabeth Warren, who is likely to be the Democratic nominee against Brown, would not only vote to sustain Planned Parenthood funding but would like to see their funding increased.
In addition to voicing their support for Warren, EMILY’s List posted on their blog an article entitled “Top 5 Reasons Tea Party Republican Scott Brown is bad for Women and Families.” The top 2 reasons cited relate to the right to life and pro-life conscience protections:
“1) Scott Brown is no friend to women. He’s a favorite of Massachusetts Citizens for Life because of his right wing stance on choice, stem cell research, and opposition to the historic expansion of health care.”
“2) In 2005, as a state legislator, Brown showed his right-wing colors by sponsoring a bill that allowed anti-choice doctors and nurses to turn away rape victims if they had religious objections to providing emergency contraception.”
NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts said this of Scott Brown during his campaign for Senate: “There is no way Scott Brown can honestly call himself a defender of a woman’s right to choose.”
Senator Brown has defied conventional Massachusetts politics by consistently polling as the Bay State’s favorite politician. A Democratic stronghold’s most popular elected official is a Republican. Brown’s popularity ranks even higher than Massachusetts mainstay Senator John Kerry. In 2012, President Obama will likely win Massachusetts by double digits. He won by nearly 30 points in 2008. Scott Brown may be the Republicans’ only shot at holding this Senate seat.
Some Tea Party groups have made hints at challenging Brown in a Republican primary but so far nothing has materialized. Acknowledging political realities, many conservative and tea party groups have come to the conclusion that Senator Brown may be the only way to prevent a Ted Kennedy-radical from re-taking the seat.
