There has been a lot of chitchat in political circles following the 2010 election about the influence, or lack thereof, of social conservatives in the new political landscape carved out by the rise of the Tea Party. Of course, this chatter affects how the pro-life movement moves forward after a remarkably successful political year. There is no doubt that financial issues dominated this election. But, like a military medical unit in a battle, we have to triage the issues. Our country’s fiscal and economic crisis is the immediate injury that must be addressed now. The culture of death is an ongoing disease we have been fighting for years — even before Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973. The future health of our coun- try depends on the treatment of the injury and curing the disease.

While we may see more focus on the issues of government spending, taxes, and regulation, I believe we have little reason for the pro-life movement to be concerned that the Tea Party will damage our efforts to pass pro-life legislation and work toward pro-life decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court. First, there are the numbers. The Gallup organization, in a poll released April 5, found that two-thirds of tea partiers identify themselves as pro- life. Second, the candidates most identified with the Tea Party are pro-life: Mike Lee of Utah, Marco Rubio of Florida, Ron Johnson in Wisconsin, and Sharon Angle (who challenged Harry Reid) in Nevada.

In January, a new session of Congress will begin in Washing- ton, D.C. and a new Oregon legislature will be seated. In both cases, the partisan make-up of the House and Senate sets the stage for gridlock on most issues, including life issues. While this can be frustrating, after the past two years of pro-abortion action coming at us at lightning speed from Washington, D.C., a respite is welcome.

Many of you are familiar with William Wilberforce, a member of the British Parliament and the subject of the film Amazing Grace. There was a time when there was a lot of public support and political momentum to outlaw slavery, but the French Revo- lution, and eventually war with France, slowed that progress. Many slavery opponents even came under scrutiny and were sus- pected of being French sympathizers. Yet in the end, Wilberforce and his fellow laborers were successful in securing freedom for the slaves. We can look to this lesson of history to help us keep our focus, continue to work toward our goal, and not become weary in well-doing.

-Lois Anderson, PAC Director