Abortion Advocates Target Pro-Life Rep. Allen West for Defeat

State   |   Andrew Bair   |   Jun 30, 2011   |   11:52AM   |   Washington, DC

Pro-life freshman Representative Allen West, a Florida Republican, has been a target of pro-abortion forces since the day he first announced his 2010 candidacy for Congress. After defeating pro-abortion Democrat Ron Klein, West went to Congress in January 2011 and has since taken bold stands in defense of unborn human life.

Rep. West is an ardent critic of taxpayer funding for the nation’s largest provider and promoter of abortion, Planned Parenthood. West, one of two African American Republicans currently serving in Congress, has called attention to the disproportionately high abortion rate in the African American community. “It is absolutely offensive to me that Planned Parenthood is located in so many of our black communities,” West stated at a town hall meeting.

After West’s vote to de-fund the scandal-plagued organization, Planned Parenthood fired back, launching radio attack ads in his district.

Now, West faces more backlash from pro-abortion forces. With redistricting taking place next year, Florida will redraw the lines of its Congressional districts. Two Democrats have already announced campaigns against West, no matter where the lines are drawn.

Former West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel, an adamant abortion advocate, is defying conventional politics by directly targeting a representative rather than a district. EMILY’s List, a political action committee dedicated to electing only the most extreme pro-abortion candidates, has thrown their support and financial resources behind Frankel.

In addition to Frankel, pro-abortion businessman Patrick Murphy has announced he will challenge Rep. West, no matter where the district lines are drawn. Right on his campaign website, Murphy expresses support for abortion:

“I fully support a woman’s right to choose and believe that efforts to curtail this right amount to an unacceptable intrusion by the government into the private lives of its citizens.   This right has been under continual assault by the courts and Republican legislatures for decades, and we should not be passive in its defense.”

While Murphy may not be passive in his defense of abortion, pro-life advocates will certainly be active in reelecting Rep. West. In addition to Rep. West’s firm position against Planned Parenthood, West has called for repeal of the pro-abortion Obama healthcare law and voted in favor of the No Taxpayer Funding of Abortion Act. He has earned a 100% pro-life rating from the National Right to Life Committee.