Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) joined the chorus, calling Stupak’s amendment “radical” and complaining that “the leading voices [opposing abortion rights] always, since I’ve been in Congress, have always been males. And that is one of the reasons why I think it is so important to have more women. Not that every woman is pro-choice. But most of the women are.”
Congress should vote the way “most women” feel about abortion? Boxer should be careful there — because the trend lines for the pro-choice movement are not in her favor.
A May 2009 Gallup Poll found a shift from the past: More women said they were “pro-life” than “pro-choice” by 49 percent to 44 percent. In October, Pew found 52 percent of women in favor of keeping abortion legal, vs. 42 percent wanting it outlawed — a five-point drop for the pro-abortion-rights side over the last year. That’s hardly overwhelming support of abortion rights by women.
According to a Politico report, heated confrontation before the health-care vote had Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.) telling Rep. Rosa De- Lauro (D-Conn.) that there are “more pro-life votes in the House than pro-choice” and that abortion-rights advocates had better acknowledge that reality.
Indeed: Ladies, it’s time to wake up from your time warp. It’s not the 1970s anymore.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member