We have three very contentious Congressional races right now. And a very tight governor’s race.<\/p>\n
What are most of our candidates campaigning on? At least the Democrat and Independent candidates? Abortion. No, not about those reasons \u2013 such as poverty<\/a> \u2013 why people might seek abortion. Just about abortion.<\/p>\n And the Guttmacher Institute reports<\/a> that 73% of women seeking\u00a0abortion do so at least partly because they\u2019re afraid they can\u2019t afford a baby.<\/p>\n Just recently, President Biden also\u00a0put abortion on the ballot by promising to \u201ccodify Roe\u201d first thing<\/a> if Congress remains in Democrats\u2019 hands.<\/p>\n Candidate X will make sure that all people who want an abortion in this state will have one, or will ensure that Congress protects the right to abortion. That is the lead in most of the ads. Some go on to mention other issues, such as homelessness and housing, and gun safety.<\/p>\n The Republican candidates\u2019 ads mostly address crime and homelessness and the fear that people will lose their guns. They don’t mention abortion.<\/p>\n I\u2019m sure other states are experiencing the same types of ads.<\/p>\n When the license to kill becomes the number one issue candidates put forth in their ads, it\u2019s time to examine how our culture of death has permeated the mainstream \u2013 and how we can fix it.<\/p>\n Most of all, it puts pro-life progressives in a very troubling position. Our Republican candidates want to cut funding to those programs that reduce poverty and homelessness, statewide and nationally. They want to make cuts that would affect access to health care and reduce spending on education. They don\u2019t want to fund programs that could actually reduce abortion rates<\/a>.<\/p>\n A Republican governor won\u2019t be able to do much about abortion here, as we\u2019ll continue to have a Democratic majority in our legislature. The “right” to abortion was codified in the state constitution in 2017. A Republican governor isn\u2019t going to get that reversed. And too many Republicans are against a national law opposing abortion for that possibility to become a reality any time soon.<\/p>\n So why are our candidates so focused on this? They know it will get out the vote.<\/p>\n Abortion is on the ballot, claim the ads of all our Democratic and Independent governor candidates, and all our Democratic Congressional candidates. Life-giving, life-affirming issues take a back seat.<\/p>\n Why don’t our candidates feel that the fact that we have close to 15,000 homeless individuals<\/a> in the state, almost one out of ten people living in poverty, inspire people to vote?<\/p>\n Maybe, sadly, the question should be why don’t these facts inspire people to vote as much as “protecting access to abortion” – which isn\u2019t even at risk here?<\/p>\n Abortion is so much \u201con the ballot\u201d that it has now become a part of other issues we should be supporting. Phrases like \u201cprotect our democracy\u201d and \u201cprotect our freedoms\u201d are code for protecting the “right to choose.”<\/p>\n We should be supporting voter protection and fighting voter suppression. We should be supporting legislation that will help prevent another January 6, 2021. But when abortion becomes part of that campaign, how can we support the campaign?<\/p>\n Lisa Stiller<\/p><\/div>\n The same thing has been happening with the single payer health care movement, which is now demanding that the right to “abortion care” be protected. Universal health care should not be a partisan issue. Inserting abortion “rights” into other issues adds to the toxic, divisive environment we are living in post Roe. How can I support those issues so important to me when they have taken on advocacy for the right to kill?<\/p>\n An emphasis on individual freedom (“my body, my choice”) and the fear of losing this freedom seems to be a huge motivating factor, despite the fact that the fear is largely unfounded. When did Democrats lose their emphasis on helping the most vulnerable, on addressing poverty? On helping people lead a more productive life, on raising the minimum wage?<\/p>\n And how do we vote? Voting for candidates who make abortion access their central issue poses some moral questions. But so does voting for candidates who want to cut funding to the programs that help reduce poverty, access to health care and affordable housing, and who oppose reasonable gun safety legislation. And not voting doesn\u2019t feel like a good option, as we fear our democracy depends on our voting to help it thrive.<\/p>\n I hope I find an answer before Election Day. But meanwhile the right to kill is still on the ballot.<\/p>\n We need to speak up about this. I have emailed our Democratic and Independent candidates, asking them to put those issues that affect so many of us up front: inflation, housing, more people slipping into poverty, higher medical costs preventing people from accessing care. I hope they listen.<\/p>\n We need to find a way to make a culture of life, not a culture of death, take priority in our elections.<\/p>\n ============================<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Since referendums give a much cleaner way to vote directly on issues, we have several that we\u2019re tracking: <\/em><\/p>\n Peace and Life Referendums<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n For more of our posts on voting, see: <\/em><\/p>\n Pro-life Voting Strategy: A Problem without an Answer<\/a><\/p>\n Elections 2020: Three Consistent-Life Approaches<\/a><\/p>\n My Difficulty in Voting: Identifying the Problem<\/a><\/p>\n What History Shows: The Consistent Life Ethic Works for Pro-life Referendums<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/consistent-life.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/1-blog-Voting-Strategy.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Abortion](\"http:\/\/consistent-life.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/blog-Lisa.jpg\")
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