Strong Opposition to Pro-Abortion Health Care Fuels Votes for Pro-Life Candidates
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 19, 2010
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — New polling data shows the public’s support for the abortion-funding ObamaCare health care legislation was down in October and that is fueling support for pro-life candidates seeking House and Senate seats.
Almost half of likely voters now say they have a negative view of the health care reform law Democrats approved and President Barack Obama signed into law.
A new Kaiser Health Tracking Poll found 49 percent of likely voters have an unfavorable opinion of the law that has been soundly condemned by the pro-life movement, compared with just 39 percent who have a favorable attitude.
With the election focusing the public on the particulars of the legislation via debates,television commercials and other electioneering, the polling numbers are moving against the ObamaCare measure — with the poll showing a movement of 11 percent towards the opposition side of the debate.
The Kaiser survey also found support for repealing the measure higher among registered voters than the general public. Combined with other polling data making it clear pro-life, Republican and conservative voters turning out in higher numbers than pro-abortion, liberal, Democrats, it’s clear the makeup of the electorate will be strongly predisposed to oppose Obamacare. That’s good news for pro-life candidates and bad news for pro-abortion Democrats seeking re-election.
The poll suggests those voters who are most likely to vote in the crucial mid-term elections will be siding with the plethora of pro-life candidates challenging the Democrats who supported ObamaCare.
That is what Americans United for Life president Charmaine Yoest is hoping for, as she notes the pro-life movement and her group are targeting “enemies of life who voted for, or supported, the largest increase of taxpayer-funded abortion since Roe v. Wade.”
“If we succeed, we’ll secure a pro-life House and eliminate taxpayer-funded abortion, once and for all. If we fail, your tax dollars will pay for insurance that covers abortions under health care reform. It’s that simple,” she told pro-life advocates in an email. “Make no mistake about it: these seats are winnable, and collectively, they will determine life policy for at least the next two years.”
“We are at a critical juncture in this campaign. Will we achieve a pro-life House of Representatives in the next Congress? Or, will taxpayer-funded abortion remain the law of the land?” she asked.
The unpopularity of ObamaCare has caused some candidates like West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin, a Democrat who now finds himself in a surprisingly close race to replace the late pro-abortion Sen. Robert Byrd, to have to back off of earlier support for ObamaCare. Manchin, who praised the legislation in months passed, has had to aggressively back peddle from it recently.
During their debate last night, pro-life GOP candidate John Raese said he wants “to repeal every part of it,” calling the law “pure, unadulterated socialism” and “the worst bill that has ever come out of [Congress].”
“I don’t like socialism, to tell you the truth,” Raese said.
Manchin argued the bill is not perfect but said some of the provisions are helpful.
“There’s a lot of good,” he said. “We ought to try to fix what we have.”
The polling data also suggests Democratic leaders misread the American public in terms of their suggestion that voters would come around in support of it.
“It is definitely an advantage for us,” pro-abortion Speaker Nancy Pelosi told NPR last month, but those words appear to have come back to haunt her.
That opposition to the ObamaCare bill is driving voters to Republican candidates is seen in a new poll showing Republicans continue to hold a commanding lead among likely voters on a generic congressional ballot.
A new Gallup survey revealed Republicans hold a Republicans continue to hold a commanding lead among likely voters on a generic congressional ballot.
With registered voters, the GOP lead is now up two percent to 48-43 percent. If turnout is typical, about 40 percent of registered voters voting on November 2, Republicans hold a lead of about 17 percent. If turnout is higher than normal, the GOP has an 11 percent lead.
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