Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Though numerous pro-life lawmakers were defeated in the Congressional elections on Tuesday, pro-life groups say they did better than some political observers forecasted. They also say that pro-life candidates would have done worse if not for their stands against abortion.

In a statement provided to LifeNews.com the National Right to Life Committee said it was involved in 87 highly contested races for the House and Senate and the group won 53 percent of those contests.

"Unfortunately as the races developed almost all of these races involved protecting incumbent pro-life Republicans," Darla St. Martin, the associate executive director of National Right to Life, told LifeNews.com.

With the tenuous political climate for Republicans on other political issues, that made it more difficult to defend their seats.

Another pro-life group, the Susan B. Anthony List, said that, for the fifth consecutive election in a row, more of its candidates own than lost.

The SBA List Candidate Fund won 59% of its federal campaigns this year. Seventeen of 29 SBA Candidate Fund-endorsed candidates were victorious on Tuesday

By contrast, EMILY’s List, the leading pro-abortion political action committee, won 43% of its federal races with 13 of 30 endorsed candidates prevailing on Election Day.

The group celebrated the election of two new pro-life congresswomen.

SBA List, in an email to LifeNews.com, called Mary Fallin of Oklahoma and Michelle Bachmann of Minnesota "well-known, tremendous leaders in the pro-life movement."

Meanwhile, NRLC indicated that its own internal polling shows that those who voted on the basis of abortion favored pro-life candidates by a two-to-one margin.

"Unfortunately in a number of races, even this margin was not enough to overcome the hostile political environment ... due to factors having nothing to do with the pro-life issue," St. Martin explained.

"Without the outstanding efforts of pro-lifers the results would have been far more tragic for the pro-life movement," she added.

St. Martin encouraged pro-life advocates to prepare now for the 2008 elections.

"For the sake of unborn children we must now focus on the challenges this new Congress presents...and the 2008 elections," she said.

Related web sites:
National Right to Life - http://www.nrlc.org
Susan B. Anthony List - http://www.sba-list.org