The Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion turns 34 years old this month, just as seven pro-life Democrats join the new majority on Capitol Hill. Here’s what the power shift could mean for the pre-born | Lynn Vincent
At the advent of a new Congress, a new Democratic majority, and a new batch of pro-life Democratic officials, it is easy to forget the Molly Pannells.
Pannell, 30, is a "domestic zookeeper" by trade—her affectionate term for a stay-at-home mom. The mother of three boys ages 5 and under, she spends most days with diapers, sippy cups, and hope for the ultimate maternal trifecta: the simultaneous three-kid nap.
But once a week for a little over a year now, Pannell has headed to the Capitol Hill Pregnancy Center (CHPC), a nonprofit that helps pregnant women—mostly minority and low-income—with free childbirth and parenting classes, housing and job-training referrals, and material resources like diapers, formula, and baby clothes, often maintaining relationships with them well into their children's toddlerhood.
First test
Democratic revival of embryonic stem-cell research bill challenges pro-life caucus | Lynde Langdon
Voters quickly found out how pro-life pro-life Democrats are. House speaker Nancy Pelosi pledged immediate action on stem-cell research—a bill that would provide new incentive for experimenting on, and in the process destroying, human embryos—and the House passed the measure 253-174 on Jan. 11.
Two Congresses ago, Mike Castle (R-Del.) and Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) introduced a bill to roll back some Bush restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research. Since then, the bill has been a pawn in intermittent rallies for and against embryonic life. After Korean scientists in 2005 announced an embryonic stem-cell breakthrough, the House passed the Castle bill, which would have loosened the lid on federal funding to create more stem-cell lines, but only those taken from leftover in vitro--fertilization embryos.
Find out how to get instant access to this article and one month of WORLD for only $5.00! If you are already a subscriber, please log in below.
Receive instant access to this article and the WORLDMag.com Archives
Plus, enjoy 2 issues of WORLD Magazine for only $5.00*
Want a different
type of subscription? Click here for Online-Only
Subscription options. Or
here for Print
Subscription options
(which include online subscription access).