Washington D.C., Jan 22, 2008 / 18:22 pm
The pro-abortion-rights organization and reproductive health provider Planned Parenthood is planning a major effort to elect abortion supporters to Congress and the White House in the 2008 elections, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The organization’s $10 million “One Million Strong” campaign aims to persuade one million voters to vote for abortion-rights candidates.
The group had avoided electoral politics until recently. It endorsed a presidential candidate for the first time in 2004, when it supported Democratic Senator John Kerry. It also supported some Democratic gubernatorial candidates in 2006. “To keep our doors open," said Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards, "it's clear that we need to step into the electoral arena.”
Two of the oldest judges on the Supreme Court are abortion supporters. A Republican victor in 2008 could replace them with justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that mandated legalized abortion nationwide. Five of the nine sitting Supreme Court justices are considered to be Roe v. Wade supporters.
Richards said she believed Planned Parenthood could rally young, unmarried independent and Democratic women with its database of four million people, five million annual visitors, and 10 million annual web site viewers. Planned Parenthood will fund political advertisements for candidates and organize paid staffers and volunteers to canvass voters door-to-door.
Other pro-abortion organizations are adding their resources to the election. Emily’s List, a group that supports pro-abortion female Democrats, hopes to exceed the $46 million it raised for the 2006 election. NARAL Pro-Choice America plans to spend $10 million to support its political allies.