The new pro-choice

Abortion: Democrats for Life may be gaining some traction in their party | Mark Bergin

A Democrat took the House Floor on April 27 and tickled the ears of pro-lifers. Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-Tenn.) stumped for an initiative that aims to reduce abortion in America by 95 percent in 10 years.

Democrats did more than back the ambitious plan: They authored it. Democrats for Life of America (DLA) drafted the 95-10 initiative in an effort to reclaim the party from pro-abortion groups such as NARAL Pro-Choice America and Planned Parenthood. "The stranglehold is being released on Democrats to really be able to vote their conscience," said DLA Executive Director Kristen Day. "The Democratic Party is starting to change on this issue."

The initiative does not seek to make abortion illegal, but rather to dissuade women from having one. It proposes federal funding for a toll-free number in each state that would direct women to nonprofit adoption centers or organizations that help women carry babies to term. Organizations providing abortion referral services would not qualify.