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LINCOLN — As Nebraska abortion opponents prepare for Saturday's “Walk for Life'' protest, they're feeling burned by two officeholders they have supported.
They are upset with recent actions by U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson, a Democrat, and University of Nebraska Regent Jim McClurg, a Republican.
Nelson voted for health care legislation that did not include abortion language sought by the National Right to Life organization. McClurg voted to allow expanded stem cell research at the university.
Both men were endorsed by Nebraska Right to Life when they ran for office.
“I think our rank and file is ready to hold some feet to the fire,” said Denise Ashby of Lincoln, chairwoman of the group's political action committee. “They're just really, really getting tired of getting told one thing and shown another.”
The annual march begins at 10 a.m. and will proceed from the State Capitol eight blocks to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus.
It is the 35th such protest, held each January to mark the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion.
Some abortion opponents say Nelson's vote for the Senate health care bill was a betrayal.
Nelson said Thursday that he betrayed no one, least of all his personal convictions. He said he opposes abortion because his children were adopted at birth.
“I'm pro-life,” he said. “I didn't bend my principles. We just had a difference of opinion about some language in legislation.
“I believe my language would have prevented federal dollars from being used for elective abortion. The discussion seems to have gotten personal and partisan.”
During a meeting today, the Nebraska Right to Life PAC will talk about whether to tighten its endorsement requirements in the future. Julie Schmit-Albin, the group's executive director, said it's a discussion that will continue over the next few months as the 2010 election campaigns unfold.
Both Schmit-Albin and Ashby emphasized that Nebraska Right to Life will not base endorsements on party affiliation. Some abortion opponents have been urging the group to endorse only Republican candidates because the GOP has an explicitly anti-abortion platform.
“It won't be by party line — you can't make it as simple as some people want to make it,” Ashby said of the group's endorsement policy. “Even with Ben Nelson, it's just not that black-and-white. We've been burned by members of both parties.”
Some of Nebraska Right to Life's staunchest allies in political office have been Democrats, such as the late State Sen. Bernice Labedz and former State Sen. John Lindsay, both of Omaha. Five Democrats now serving in the Legislature were endorsed by Nebraska Right to Life.
Schmit-Albin said her group's current policy is to endorse incumbents with anti-abortion voting records. That's why the group endorsed Nelson in 2006 but not his GOP challenger, Pete Ricketts, who also opposes abortion.
A Nebraska Right to Life endorsement can be helpful to winning elections in Nebraska.
Although the group does not have a lot of cash for contributions, it distributes a statewide voter guide with detailed information about candidates' views. Endorsed candidates also have access to the group's network of volunteers and can purchase its mailing list of anti-abortion households.
Mark Fahleson, state GOP chairman, said he would not expect the group to endorse only Republicans.
“Even though we agree with Nebraska Right to Life on issues of abortion and embryonic stem cell research, we don't want them to be an arm of the Republican Party. They are an independent organization,” Fahleson said.
However, he said, the GOP's stance against abortion and embryonic stem cell research is strong enough that the party will take part in Saturday's march. Gov. Dave Heineman is among the scheduled speakers.
Fahleson said it's too early to say whether the party would endorse McClurg should he run for re-election in 2012.
McClurg said he hasn't decided whether he will run. If he does, he said, he would seek the Right to Life endorsement.
“I am a pro-life candidate,” he said. “For me, pro-life is not about embryonic stem cells and embryos that would otherwise be destroyed.”
McClurg acknowledged that he initially told abortion opponents he would vote to limit embryonic stem cell research. But he changed his mind and voted against the limits after studying the issue.
Ashby and Schmit-Albin say they don't know whether Nebraska Right to Life would support Nelson again in 2012. It remains to be seen how the health care legislation plays out, they say.
Contact the writer:
402-473-9581, leslie.reed@owh.com
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