Contrary to what many political strategists might think, being pro-life as a candidate can be a winning issue. Marjorie Dannenfelser was on my radio program to explain her recent commentary on why the “pro-life movement is winning the culture—and elections.” Polling statistics, recent elections, and common sense all point to the fact that being pro-life is a winning issue in most campaigns.
The most recent Gallup poll found that a majority of Americans (55%) oppose abortion in all or most circumstances. A CNN poll back in 2014 put that number even higher at 58 percent. Those who promote abortion probably assumed that most Americans would support abortion forty years after the original abortion decision of Roe v. Wade. That has not happened.
The gubernatorial election in Louisiana may have surprised some because the governor-elect (John Bel Edwards) ran as a pro-life Democrat and won. In one TV ad, his wife described how it felt to discover her child had spina bifida at 20 weeks. The couple shared that they rejected the doctor’s suggestion of an abortion.
The governor’s race in Kentucky provided a similar outcome. Republican Matt Bevin defeated the Democratic governor because he focused on social issues like abortion and marriage. He explained to the Washington Post shortly before his victory, that he tried to talk about economics on the campaign trail but voters wanted to hear about Planned Parenthood and religious freedom.
Being pro-life is also a common sense position. Promoters of abortion cannot explain why the United States should be one of only seven countries in the world (including China, North Korea, and Vietnam) where abortion is legal 20 weeks into a pregnancy. Candidates who defend these late-term abortions seem like the extremists.
Marjorie Dannenfelser is correct. The pro-life movement is winning.
(To learn more about Kerby Anderson and Probe Ministries click HERE)
