Pro-Life Leader Calls for the Movement to Withhold Support for All Democratic Candidates for Federal Office

"The pro-life movement has learned firsthand that party affiliation matters, and it is a lesson we must never forget."

Mike Fichter, President of Indiana Right to Life and author of the newly-published book "Viability: What The Pro-Life Movement Must Do To Survive and Thrive", is calling on pro-life organizations to withhold support and endorsement of all Democratic candidates for federal office as a result of Sunday's passage of health reform legislation that includes federal funding for abortion.

"We must now relentlessly work for a Republican majority if we are to repeal this disastrous legislation, and that means withholding all support for Democratic candidates," states Fichter. "Every congressional Democrat is responsible for the passage of the pro-abortion health reform bill. We must especially recognize the political betrayal by those Democratic members of the House who call themselves pro-life, yet chose in the end to place party over principles by supporting this massive expansion of abortion. The pro-life movement has learned firsthand that party affiliation matters, and it is a lesson we must never forget."

Fichter notes that although the pro-life movement has historically extended its support for candidates in a bipartisan fashion, Democratic strategists have abused that approach in order to gain control of Congress and to advance an aggressive abortion agenda. "Democratic leaders understand that they must field conservative candidates in some districts in order to win those seats for the party," says Fichter. "They also know the key to political power is found in majority rule, not some romantic notion of bipartisanship. This strategy can only be defeated when the pro-life movement has the courage to draw hard lines and to call the Democratic Party out for the pro-abortion party that it really is."

"This disastrous turn of events must be a wake-up call to the pro-life movement to change its fundamental approach to political strategy, and it starts with a unified decision to withhold all support for members of the Democratic Party. Failure to do so will cost the lives of millions of unborn children."