November Elections No Reason To Despair

After last night's elections it would be tempting to quit and despair.  It was a tough night as pro-lifers lost their leadership in the House and Senate and as four initiatives across the country went down in flames. 

But there is room for hope.  Democrats won some of their races by running as pro-life.  They got the message from Democrats for Life after the 2004 election that abortion had cost them elections for years.  This year they cleared the field for some pro-life Democrats in primaries.  For whatever the reasons the Republicans lost, it wasn't pro-lifer's fault. 

The S. Dakota banning almost all abortions lost by 10 points.  But if we would have allowed for a rape and incest exception, it would probably have won by 10 points or more.  While I oppose these exceptions, I don't think people who support them to be pro-choice or pro-abortion.  After all, they are opposing 99 percent of all abortions. 

I've already heard some despair.  But this is nothing compare to the way things were 12 years ago.  Back then pro-lifers like me were afraid to admit to being pro-life to evangelical Christians.  People blamed us for Bush I losing in 1992.  Christians said we were alienating people and ad nauseum and that our work wasn't that important.   We were wrecking the church and the Christian message.... Really, that's what it was like.  I almost left my faith-and I was a pastor. 

So things aren't nearly as bad as they seem.  There are way more people who are pro-life.  We have way more evidence on what abortion does to the baby, does to women, the family and society.  More and more women are coming forward.  There's nothing our opponents can do to undo that or silence it.  In January there will be over 15,000 people marching in Nancy Pelosi's town of San Franciso saying that Abortion Hurts Women.   And then we have new forms of media, the internet, email and Catholic radio is on the rise all over America. 

So, don't be afraid.  Don't lose heart.  This is a big setback, but the cause of life and the culture of life is the greatest cause in the world and will continue to go forward.  It's going to take a while, but truth is truth and our opponents can't do anything about it.