Why Pro Life Is Dying, Like a Late Term Fetus with a Crushed Head

The Democratic Party is in ascendancy in America, right now. Whether they stay that way or not doesn't really hinge on the success of President Obama's policies, so much as how well the electorate bonds with him. It would be unrealistic to assume that the Democrats will control the government indefinitely, or even for very long. Things just don't work that way.

The Republicans will sooner or later put together a coalition that again controls Congress, the Executive branch or both. It seems likely though, that one faction that will not regain momentum any time soon, is the one that espouses pro life policies.

The real barrier to future popularity of the pro life agenda rests with American women. Women, of every racial, religious, political and socio economic group are pro choice in the majority. They are, in every case, more pro choice, both in numbers and degree than men in the same groups. Women have also become the majority of voters in this country and will remain so, at least for the next generation. Demographics tell us that younger women are more pro choice than older women. With each passing year it is going to become harder to pass pro life legislation.

The last Republican first lady who was not openly pro choice was Pat Nixon but it's likely that both she and Mamie Eisenhower before her, were in fact pro choice. Few prominent Republican women politicians actively campaign on the issue of criminalizing abortion. Sarah Palin is a good example of this. While she constantly stressed that she did not believe in abortion, under any circumstances, short of those that threaten the life of the mother, also loudly touted that she was proud she had "chosen" to bear a special needs child and that her unmarried teenage daughter had "chosen" to bring her pregnancy to term. She did not make these statements simply because they were true. She made these statements to appeal to women voters who, while they themselves would like to think they would never choose abortion, still believe all women deserve to have the choice.

Some churches now seek to make abortion a litmus test upon which to base membership in good standing, with full privileges and access to sacraments. This would be a mistake. Women are the primary motivator that determines if a family attends church regularly and where they attend. It is much easier for women than men to switch churches to one more amenable to their way of thought, especially if the church they are attending is a traditional paternalistic, male only clergy organization. Women have not much vesting in such churches and little to lose in the way of status if they take their families away.