Abortion Groups Exploit Court Decision, Democrats See Boost

[Ron Burgundy]

Bloomberg - April 23 (Bloomberg) -- The Supreme Court's anti-abortion decision last week will give the issue added weight in the 2008 presidential race by energizing both sides of the contentious, decades-old debate.

The ruling ``will be galvanizing on both sides,'' said Carrie Gordon Earll, a policy analyst at Focus on the Family, a Christian group in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that welcomed the decision barring a type of mid-term abortion.

Organizations that oppose the court's action may get a bigger boost than those who cheer it; in the past, each new twist in public policy on abortion has prompted a surge in money and support for those it puts on the defensive.

``It has been unbelievable,'' said Cecile Richards, president of the New York-based Planned Parenthood Federation of America. ``Planned Parenthood has just seen an outpouring of both activists and donors across the country.''

The group received more than $100,000 in donations in 24 hours after the court ruling, according to Richards. ``On line, we've raised more money in 48 hours than we've ever raised in any 48-hour period in our history,'' she said.

The court's action also fulfills a goal and boosts expectations for anti-abortion groups, said former Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

``Politically, this decision is incredibly important in uniting conservatives around the country,'' DeLay said in an interview. ``To let them know that good things can still happen if we get over our disappointment of 2006 and move forward.''

New Restrictions

It may also produce a flurry of proposals for new abortion restrictions in the 15 states whose legislatures are dominated by Republicans.

``The pro-life groups and the pro-family groups rightfully see this as an opportunity to go out and attempt to legislate in this area,'' said former Senator Rick Santorum, a Pennsylvania Republican who drafted the U.S. law banning ``partial birth'' abortions.

Anti-abortion advocates may now seek to ``do something a little bolder,'' Santorum said.

The ruling was hailed April 20 at a gathering in Washington of more than 80 supporters of the Family Research Council, a Christian public policy group.

``It's a reminder for conservative and Republican voters, generally, that elections matter,'' said Gary Bauer, the president of American Values, an Arlington, Virginia-based group that advocates the protection of traditional marriage.

Presidential Race

The court decision thrusts the abortion issue into the center of the presidential campaign, which may benefit Democrats in general and New York Senator Hillary Clinton, in particular, said Ellen Moran, executive director of Emily's List, a Washington group that raises money for female candidates and is supporting Clinton for president.

The former first lady garnered 39 percent of women's support compared with 19 percent for Illinois Senator Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record) and 13 percent for former North Carolina Senator John Edwards, according to an aggregate of three Gallup polls completed January through March 2007.

``This will energize her base of support,'' Moran said.

For Republican candidates, the issue doesn't cut so clean. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney supported abortion rights earlier in his career before staking out a position opposing such rights. Still, Romney has declined to back a constitutional amendment banning abortion, saying the matter should be decided by the states.

``This decision represents a step forward in protecting the weakest and most innocent among us,'' Romney said in a statement after the ruling.

Criticism

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani supports abortion rights and has drawn criticism for his backing of public funding of some abortions. Still, he opposes ``partial-birth'' abortion and applauded the Supreme Court's ``correct conclusion.'' He has said, if elected, he would appoint judges in the mold of Justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito.

While it may not help any of the presidential candidates, the court's decision will help some anti-abortion congressional Republicans, said Representative Tom Cole (news, bio, voting record) of Oklahoma, the head of the National Republican Congressional Committee. ``This really unites and energizes pro-life'' supporters, Cole said in an interview.

Congressional Democrats will try to capitalize on public support for abortion rights.

Suburban Republicans

Maryland Representative Chris Van Hollen (news, bio, voting record), head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said he plans on using the decision to criticize suburban Republicans who voted for the ban.

``In certain congressional districts, there are large numbers of people who are upset about this decision,'' Van Hollen said.

Abortion rights groups are targeting Republicans who voted for the measure, including New Hampshire Senator John Sununu (news, bio, voting record), Oregon Senator Gordon Smith (news, bio, voting record) and Senator Norm Coleman (news, bio, voting record) of Minnesota, said Nancy Keenan, president of Washington-based NARAL Pro-Choice America.

Illinois Representative Rahm Emanuel (news, bio, voting record), the No. 4 House Democrat, said the ruling makes more clear the ``importance of the Supreme Court in deciding major issues.''

To contact the reporters on this story: Jay Newton-Small in Washington at jnewtonsmall@bloomberg.net ; Scott Cendrowski in Washington at scendrowski@bloomberg.net .

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20070423/pl_bloomberg/apt3gxvbkaok [link]