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Founded in 1993 by sociologist and psychologist ], the SBA List was a response to the success of the ] group ], which was partly responsible for bringing about the 1992 "]" in which a significant number of women, all pro-choice, were elected to Congress. MacNair wished to help pro-life women gain high public office. She recruited ] and ] as the first experienced leaders of SBA List. Dannenfelser is now president of the organization and Abraham is chairman of the board. | Founded in 1993 by sociologist and psychologist ], the SBA List was a response to the success of the ] group ], which was partly responsible for bringing about the 1992 "]" in which a significant number of women, all pro-choice, were elected to Congress. MacNair wished to help pro-life women gain high public office. She recruited ] and ] as the first experienced leaders of SBA List. Dannenfelser is now president of the organization and Abraham is chairman of the board. | ||
Named for suffragist ], SBA List identifies itself with Anthony and several 19th-century women's rights activists; SBA List believes Anthony and other early feminists were opposed to abortion. Regarding Anthony's abortion beliefs, SBA List has been challenged by ] activists |
Named for suffragist ], SBA List identifies itself with Anthony and several 19th-century women's rights activists; SBA List believes Anthony and other early feminists were opposed to abortion. Regarding Anthony's abortion beliefs, SBA List has been challenged by scholars and ] activists; Anthony scholar ] and Anthony biographer ] argue that Anthony "spent no time on the politics of abortion."<ref name=GordonSherr2010>{{Cite news |url=http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/guestvoices/2010/05/sarah_palin_is_no_susan_b_anthony.html |title=Sarah Palin is no Susan B. Anthony |last1=Gordon |first1=Ann D. |authorlink1=Ann D. Gordon |first2=Lynn |last2=Sherr |authorlink2=Lynn Sherr |date=May 21, 2010 |work=WashingtonPost.com, "On Faith" blog |accessdate=October 22, 2010}}</ref> | ||
==Founding== | ==Founding== | ||
The formation of the SBA List was catalyzed in March 1992 when Rachel MacNair, head of ], watched a '']'' television documentary profiling ]-heiress ] and the successful campaign-funding activities of her ] pro-choice group ].<ref name=Crisis1997>{{cite journal |work=Crisis |pages=30–33 |year=1997 |volume=15 |number=1 |publisher=Brownson Institute |quote=The list has its origins in a 1992 CBS ''Sixty Minutes'' program on EMILY's List ("EMILY" stands for Early Money Is Like Yeast), which funds pro-abortion women candidate. After watching the program, Rachel MacNair, a pro-life Quaker and head of ], grabbed the telephone and began calling her friends in the pro-life movement. They all agreed: The time had come to counter EMILY's List with a pro-life version.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=Herbert E. |last1=Alexander |first2=Anthony |last2=Corrado |title=Financing the 1992 election |publisher=M.E. Sharpe |year=1995 |pages=212–213 |isbn=1563244373 |series=American political institutions and public policy |volume=9}}</ref> MacNair, a ] and pro-life ], was motivated to organize the Susan B. Anthony List for the purpose of countering EMILY's List by providing early campaign funds to pro-life women candidates.<ref name=Kennedy1997/><ref name=Crisis1997/> Led by FFL and MacNair, 15 pro-life groups formed an umbrella organization, the National Women's Coalition for Life (NWCL), which adopted a joint pro-life statement on April 3, 1992.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.priestsforlife.org/articles/nwclstmt.html |title=National Women's Coalition for Life Statement of Commitment |publisher=Priests for Life |date=April 3, 1992 |accessdate=August 23, 2011}}</ref> | The formation of the SBA List was catalyzed in March 1992 when Rachel MacNair, head of ], watched a '']'' television documentary profiling ]-heiress ] and the successful campaign-funding activities of her ] pro-choice group ].<ref name=Crisis1997>{{cite journal |work=Crisis |pages=30–33 |year=1997 |volume=15 |number=1 |publisher=Brownson Institute |quote=The list has its origins in a 1992 CBS ''Sixty Minutes'' program on EMILY's List ("EMILY" stands for Early Money Is Like Yeast), which funds pro-abortion women candidate. After watching the program, Rachel MacNair, a pro-life Quaker and head of ], grabbed the telephone and began calling her friends in the pro-life movement. They all agreed: The time had come to counter EMILY's List with a pro-life version.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=Herbert E. |last1=Alexander |first2=Anthony |last2=Corrado |title=Financing the 1992 election |publisher=M.E. Sharpe |year=1995 |pages=212–213 |isbn=1563244373 |series=American political institutions and public policy |volume=9}}</ref> MacNair, a ] and pro-life ], was motivated to organize the Susan B. Anthony List for the purpose of countering EMILY's List by providing early campaign funds to pro-life women candidates.<ref name=Kennedy1997/><ref name=Crisis1997/> Led by FFL and MacNair, 15 pro-life groups formed an umbrella organization, the National Women's Coalition for Life (NWCL), which adopted a joint pro-life statement on April 3, 1992.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.priestsforlife.org/articles/nwclstmt.html |title=National Women's Coalition for Life Statement of Commitment |publisher=Priests for Life |date=April 3, 1992 |accessdate=August 23, 2011}}</ref> | ||
Also inspired by EMILY's List, in 1992 the ] was formed to promote pro-choice candidates who were members of the opposing ].<ref name=Felder>{{Cite news |title=A Century of Women: The Most Influential Events in Twentieth-Century Women's History |first=Deborah G. |last=Felder |year=2003 |publisher=Citadel Press |page=304 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=0yrMbNGvVSIC&pg=PA304}}</ref> In November 1992 after many of the pro-choice candidates won their races to create the "]", MacNair announced the formation of the SBA List, describing its purpose as endorsing and supporting women who held pro-life beliefs without regard to party affiliation.<ref>{{cite news |date=November 7, 1992 |work=The Washington Times |title=Feminist launches PAC for pro-lifers – Sees lopsided 'Year of the Woman' |location=San Francisco |quote=As a feminist who opposes abortion, Rachel MacNair could find only one flaw in Tuesday's 'Year of the Woman' electoral triumph. All the women newly elected to the House and Senate were pro-choice. That's no accident, she says, since women's fund-raising organizations like EMILY's List and WISH List refuse to support pro-life candidates.</ref> MacNair determined to challenge the EMILY's List and the WISH List notion that the top female politicians were primarily pro-choice.<ref>{{cite book |title=Women's PACs: abortion and elections |first1=Christine L. |last1=Day |first2=Charles D. |last2=Hadley |page=21 |publisher=Pearson Prentice Hall |year=2005 |isbn=0131174487}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=Mary Zeiss |last1=Stange |first2=Carol K. |last2=Oyster |first3=Jane E. |last3=Sloan |title=Encyclopedia of Women in Today's World |publisher=SAGE |year=2011 |isbn=1412976855 |page=474}}</ref> The NWCL sponsored the SBA List with $2,485 to create it as a ] (PAC)<ref>The Susan B. Anthony List was formed as a political action committee with the ] identification number C00280057.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/ProLife.News/1993/pln-0319.txt |work=Life Communications |month=September |year=1993 |title=Feminist Launches Pro-Life Political Action Committee (PAC) |volume=3 |number=19}}</ref><ref name=PACs>{{cite book |title=Almanac of federal PACs |last=Zuckerman |first=Ed |publisher=Amward Publications |year=1994 |page=354 |isbn=0939676117}}</ref> on February 4, 1993 the group operated out of MacNair's office inside a ] in ].<ref name=PACs/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://images.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/fecimg/?_93038282487+0 |title=Page by Page Report Display (Page 1 of 2) |publisher=Federal Election Commission |accessdate=August 23, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://images.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/fecimg/ |title=Page by Page Report Display (Page 6 of 13) |publisher=Federal Election Commission |accessdate=August 23, 2011}}</ref> The first SBA List public event was held the same month at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the ].<ref name=NCR1998>{{cite web |url=http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/efforts_to_elect_pro_life_women_are_paying_off1/ |title=Efforts to Elect Pro-Life Women Are Paying Off: In short time, political neophytes' initiative has become a growing force |last=Esposito |first=Joseph |work=National Catholic Register |date=November 22, 1998 |accessdate=August 23, 2011}}</ref> | Also inspired by EMILY's List, in 1992 the ] was formed to promote pro-choice candidates who were members of the opposing ].<ref name=Felder>{{Cite news |title=A Century of Women: The Most Influential Events in Twentieth-Century Women's History |first=Deborah G. |last=Felder |year=2003 |publisher=Citadel Press |page=304 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=0yrMbNGvVSIC&pg=PA304}}</ref> In November 1992 after many of the pro-choice candidates won their races to create the "]", MacNair announced the formation of the SBA List, describing its purpose as endorsing and supporting women who held pro-life beliefs without regard to party affiliation.<ref>{{cite news |date=November 7, 1992 |work=The Washington Times |title=Feminist launches PAC for pro-lifers – Sees lopsided 'Year of the Woman' |location=San Francisco |quote=As a feminist who opposes abortion, Rachel MacNair could find only one flaw in Tuesday's 'Year of the Woman' electoral triumph. All the women newly elected to the House and Senate were pro-choice. That's no accident, she says, since women's fund-raising organizations like EMILY's List and WISH List refuse to support pro-life candidates.</ref> MacNair determined to challenge the EMILY's List and the WISH List notion that the top female politicians were primarily pro-choice.<ref>{{cite book |title=Women's PACs: abortion and elections |first1=Christine L. |last1=Day |first2=Charles D. |last2=Hadley |page=21 |publisher=Pearson Prentice Hall |year=2005 |isbn=0131174487}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=Mary Zeiss |last1=Stange |first2=Carol K. |last2=Oyster |first3=Jane E. |last3=Sloan |title=Encyclopedia of Women in Today's World |publisher=SAGE |year=2011 |isbn=1412976855 |page=474}}</ref> The NWCL sponsored the SBA List with $2,485 to create it as a ] (PAC)<ref>The Susan B. Anthony List was formed as a political action committee with the ] identification number C00280057.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/ProLife.News/1993/pln-0319.txt |work=Life Communications |month=September |year=1993 |title=Feminist Launches Pro-Life Political Action Committee (PAC) |volume=3 |number=19}}</ref><ref name=PACs>{{cite book |title=Almanac of federal PACs |last=Zuckerman |first=Ed |publisher=Amward Publications |year=1994 |page=354 |isbn=0939676117}}</ref> on February 4, 1993, listing MacNair as the first secretary; the group operated out of MacNair's office inside a ] on East 47th Street in ].<ref name=PACs/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://images.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/fecimg/?_93038282487+0 |title=Page by Page Report Display (Page 1 of 2) |publisher=Federal Election Commission |accessdate=August 23, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://images.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/fecimg/ |title=Page by Page Report Display (Page 6 of 13) |publisher=Federal Election Commission |accessdate=August 23, 2011}}</ref> The first SBA List public event was held the same month at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the ].<ref name=NCR1998>{{cite web |url=http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/efforts_to_elect_pro_life_women_are_paying_off1/ |title=Efforts to Elect Pro-Life Women Are Paying Off: In short time, political neophytes' initiative has become a growing force |last=Esposito |first=Joseph |work=National Catholic Register |date=November 22, 1998 |accessdate=August 23, 2011}}</ref> | ||
===Susan B. Anthony and early feminist connection=== | ===Susan B. Anthony and early feminist connection=== | ||
{{Main|Susan B. Anthony abortion dispute}} | {{Main|Susan B. Anthony abortion dispute}} | ||
MacNair named the SBA List after the famous ], ].<ref>{{cite book |title=The New Encyclopedia of Unbelief |last1=Flynn |first1=Tom |last2=Dawkins |first2=Richard |publisher=Prometheus Books |page=825 |isbn=1591023912 |year=2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |work=Fidelity |title=Commentary |page=24 |publisher=Wanderer Forum Foundation |year=1992 |volume=12 |quote=To counter the influx of prochoice women who have just entered Congress, Rachel MacNair, head of Feminists for Life, has formed a political action committee ... To the consternation of feminist prochoicers, she's named it the Susan B. Anthony List.}}</ref> The early leaders of the SBA List believed that Anthony was "passionately pro-life".<ref name=Dannenfelser2010>, ''Washington Post'', May 2010</ref><ref name=EarlySuffragists></ref> This topic has been subject to a modern-day ], with pro-choice activists "concerned that their heroine is being appropriated."<ref name=Stevens2006>{{Cite web |last=Stevens |first=Allison |title=Susan B. Anthony's Abortion Position Spurs Scuffle |publisher=Women's eNews |date=2006-10-06 |url=http://www.womensenews.org/story/abortion/061006/susan-b-anthonys-abortion-position-spurs-scuffle |accessdate=2009-11-21}}</ref> While Anthony deplored abortion, she never worked against it.<ref></ref> Anthony scholar ] and Anthony biographer ] say the quotes SBA List cites are misattributed or taken out of context. Gordon said that Anthony "never voiced an opinion about the sanctity of fetal life ... and she never voiced an opinion about using the power of the state to require that pregnancies be brought to term."<ref name=Stevens2006/> | |||
The SBA List also cites other early feminists, such as ], who wrote a letter saying, "When we consider that women are treated as property, it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit."<ref name="Dannenfelser2010"/> The SBA List notes that ], the first female presidential candidate in the U.S., told the ], ''Evening Standard'' newspaper in 1875 that "Every woman knows that if she were free, she would never bear an unwished-for child, nor think of murdering one before its birth."<ref name=Dannenfelser2010 /> The SBA List refers to a fourth early feminist, ], the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, who recorded in her diary her thoughts about ], an early 19th-century abortionist: "The gross perversion and destruction of motherhood by the abortionist filled me with indignation, and awakened active antagonism. That the honorable term 'female physician' should be exclusively applied to those women who carried on this shocking trade seemed to me a horror. It was an utter degradation of what might and should become a noble position for women."<ref name=Dannenfelser2010 /> Finally, the organization also cites suffragist ],<ref name="EarlySuffragists"/> author of the original ], who said, "Abortion is the ultimate exploitation of women."<ref></ref> | The SBA List also cites other early feminists, such as ], who wrote a letter saying, "When we consider that women are treated as property, it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit."<ref name="Dannenfelser2010"/> The SBA List notes that ], the first female presidential candidate in the U.S., told the ], ''Evening Standard'' newspaper in 1875 that "Every woman knows that if she were free, she would never bear an unwished-for child, nor think of murdering one before its birth."<ref name=Dannenfelser2010 /> The SBA List refers to a fourth early feminist, ], the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, who recorded in her diary her thoughts about ], an early 19th-century abortionist: "The gross perversion and destruction of motherhood by the abortionist filled me with indignation, and awakened active antagonism. That the honorable term 'female physician' should be exclusively applied to those women who carried on this shocking trade seemed to me a horror. It was an utter degradation of what might and should become a noble position for women."<ref name=Dannenfelser2010 /> Finally, the organization also cites suffragist ],<ref name="EarlySuffragists"/> author of the original ], who said, "Abortion is the ultimate exploitation of women."<ref></ref> |
Revision as of 18:41, 21 December 2011
File:SBAList.jpg | |
Founded | February 4, 1993 Reorganized 1997 |
---|---|
Founder | Rachel MacNair |
Type | 501(c)(4) non-profit |
Focus | Pro-life political advocacy |
Location | |
Area served | United States |
Members | c. 280,000 |
Key people | Marjorie Dannenfelser (President) Emily Buchanan (Executive Director) |
Website | http://www.sba-list.org |
The Susan B. Anthony List, or simply SBA List, is a 501(c)(4) non-profit, non-partisan organization that seeks to eliminate abortion in the U.S. by supporting pro-life politicians, primarily women, through its SBA List Candidate Fund political action committee. It has over 330,000 members.
Founded in 1993 by sociologist and psychologist Rachel MacNair, the SBA List was a response to the success of the pro-choice group EMILY's List, which was partly responsible for bringing about the 1992 "Year of the Woman" in which a significant number of women, all pro-choice, were elected to Congress. MacNair wished to help pro-life women gain high public office. She recruited Marjorie Dannenfelser and Jane Abraham as the first experienced leaders of SBA List. Dannenfelser is now president of the organization and Abraham is chairman of the board.
Named for suffragist Susan B. Anthony, SBA List identifies itself with Anthony and several 19th-century women's rights activists; SBA List believes Anthony and other early feminists were opposed to abortion. Regarding Anthony's abortion beliefs, SBA List has been challenged by scholars and pro-choice activists; Anthony scholar Ann D. Gordon and Anthony biographer Lynn Sherr argue that Anthony "spent no time on the politics of abortion."
Founding
The formation of the SBA List was catalyzed in March 1992 when Rachel MacNair, head of Feminists for Life, watched a 60 Minutes television documentary profiling IBM-heiress Ellen Malcolm and the successful campaign-funding activities of her Democratic pro-choice group EMILY's List. MacNair, a peace activist and pro-life Quaker, was motivated to organize the Susan B. Anthony List for the purpose of countering EMILY's List by providing early campaign funds to pro-life women candidates. Led by FFL and MacNair, 15 pro-life groups formed an umbrella organization, the National Women's Coalition for Life (NWCL), which adopted a joint pro-life statement on April 3, 1992.
Also inspired by EMILY's List, in 1992 the WISH List was formed to promote pro-choice candidates who were members of the opposing Republican Party. In November 1992 after many of the pro-choice candidates won their races to create the "Year of the Woman", MacNair announced the formation of the SBA List, describing its purpose as endorsing and supporting women who held pro-life beliefs without regard to party affiliation. MacNair determined to challenge the EMILY's List and the WISH List notion that the top female politicians were primarily pro-choice. The NWCL sponsored the SBA List with $2,485 to create it as a political action committee (PAC) on February 4, 1993, listing MacNair as the first secretary; the group operated out of MacNair's office inside a crisis pregnancy center on East 47th Street in Kansas City, Missouri. The first SBA List public event was held the same month at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of the National Woman's Party.
Susan B. Anthony and early feminist connection
Main article: Susan B. Anthony abortion disputeMacNair named the SBA List after the famous suffragist, Susan B. Anthony. The early leaders of the SBA List believed that Anthony was "passionately pro-life". This topic has been subject to a modern-day dispute about Anthony's views on abortion, with pro-choice activists "concerned that their heroine is being appropriated." While Anthony deplored abortion, she never worked against it. Anthony scholar Ann D. Gordon and Anthony biographer Lynn Sherr say the quotes SBA List cites are misattributed or taken out of context. Gordon said that Anthony "never voiced an opinion about the sanctity of fetal life ... and she never voiced an opinion about using the power of the state to require that pregnancies be brought to term."
The SBA List also cites other early feminists, such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who wrote a letter saying, "When we consider that women are treated as property, it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit." The SBA List notes that Victoria Woodhull, the first female presidential candidate in the U.S., told the Wheeling, West Virginia, Evening Standard newspaper in 1875 that "Every woman knows that if she were free, she would never bear an unwished-for child, nor think of murdering one before its birth." The SBA List refers to a fourth early feminist, Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, who recorded in her diary her thoughts about Madame Restell, an early 19th-century abortionist: "The gross perversion and destruction of motherhood by the abortionist filled me with indignation, and awakened active antagonism. That the honorable term 'female physician' should be exclusively applied to those women who carried on this shocking trade seemed to me a horror. It was an utter degradation of what might and should become a noble position for women." Finally, the organization also cites suffragist Alice Paul, author of the original Equal Rights Amendment, who said, "Abortion is the ultimate exploitation of women."
History
Early activities and reorganization
The early SBA List did not have much skill at furthering its mission. Founding board member Susan Gibbs, later the communications director for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, said "None of us had political experience. None of us had PAC experience. We just had a passion for being pro-life." Shortly after its founding, experienced political activists Marjorie Dannenfelser and then Jane Abraham were brought on board—Dannenfelser served as executive director, leading the organization from her home in Arlington, Virginia. In 1994, the SBA List was successful in helping 8 of its 15 selected candidates gain office. In 1996, only two challengers who were financially backed were elected, while five SBA-List-supported incumbents retained their positions; a disappointing election for the group.
In 1997 the SBA List was reorganized by Dannenfelser and Abraham into its current form as a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization with a connected PAC, the SBA List Candidate Fund. Abraham became president and Dannenfelser held the position of Chairman of the Board. The rules for endorsing and financially supporting candidates were tightened: in addition to the politician having to be female, she must have demonstrated a pro-life record (a simple declaration was not enough), and she must be seen as likely to win her race. In 1998, the SBA List began backing male pro-life candidates as well, endorsing three men in a pilot program. One of the three gained office: the SBA List gave millionaire Republican Peter Fitzgerald $2,910 to assist him in his $12.3 million win over pro-choice Democrat Carol Moseley Braun in a battle for the U.S. Senate seat in Illinois. Abraham served as president from 1997 until 2006 when Dannenfelser became president.
The election year 2000 was another disappointment for the SBA List, with the group contributing $25,995 to endorsed pro-life candidates in contrast to the pro-choice candidates funded with $608,273 from the WISH List or with $20 million from the EMILY's List.
Recent history
Contributions from supporters grew by 50% from 2007 to 2009. As of December 2009, the SBA List had outspent one of its pro-choice counterparts, the National Organization for Women, in every election cycle since 1996.
Former Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave joined the SBA List in March 2009 and works as a project director and spokesperson. Musgrave had previously been given a pro-life award in 2003 by the SBA List.
The organization was involved in trying to keep abortion coverage out of health care reform legislation in 2009 and 2010. It had targeted Senator Bob Casey to ensure abortion was not covered in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), and lobbied for the Stupak-Pitts Amendment to H.R. 3962 The group criticized Senator Ben Nelson for what it called a fake compromise on abortion in the PPACA and condemned the Christmas Eve passage of the Senate bill.
The group had planned to honor Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) at its March gala, but after Stupak's deal with President Obama in which Obama would issue an executive order banning federal funding for abortion under the bill, Stupak was stripped of his "Defender of Life Award" three days before the gala because of Dannenfelser's doubts, shared by the most prominent pro-life groups, about the effectiveness of the Executive Order. Stupak had told Dannenfelser, "They know I won't fold. There is no way." On the day of the vote, Dannenfelser said she promised Stupak that the SBA List was "going to be involved in your defeat." In a statement, Dannenfelser said, "We were planning to honor Congressman Stupak for his efforts to keep abortion-funding out of health care reform. We will no longer be doing so...Let me be clear: any representative, including Rep. Stupak, who votes for this health care bill can no longer call themselves 'pro-life.'" No one received the award in his place, and Dannenfelser instead used the occasion to condemn Stupak. The group also dropped its plans to help Stupak fend off a primary challenge from Connie Saltonstall, who was running on a pro-choice platform. Stupak later dropped out of the race, announcing his retirement from Congress.
In 2010, the SBA List hosted events featuring prominent pro-life political figures as speakers, including Sarah Palin, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and Rep. Michele Bachmann.
In August 2010, to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote, the SBA List held a colloquium at the Yale Club of New York City, billed as "A Conversation on Pro-Life Feminism". The event featured a panel of five scholars in the fields of law, philosophy, history, political science and sociology, who discussed various concepts of feminism and the possibility of broadening the spectrum of pro-life political candidates to include those with more centrist fiscal views.
An SBA List project, "Votes Have Consequences", was headed by former Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave and was aimed at defeating vulnerable candidates in 2010 who did not vote pro-life on key issues, such as health care reform. Under this project, the group endorsed Dan Coats of Indiana for Senate against Rep. Brad Ellsworth, who had voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
In January 2011, along with Americans for Tax Reform and The Daily Caller, the organization sponsored a debate between candidates for chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Peter Roff writing for U.S. News and World Report credited the SBA List for the passage in the House of an amendment to defund Planned Parenthood of federal dollars for fiscal year 2011.
In March 2011, the SBA List teamed with Live Action for a bus tour through 13 congressional districts either thanking or condemning their representatives for their votes to defund Planned Parenthood of tax dollars in the Pence Amendment. In response, Planned Parenthood launched its own tour to follow the SBA List bus. The SBA List also bought $200,000 in radio and television ads backing six Republicans who voted to defund Planned Parenthood in response to a $200,000 ad buy by Planned Parenthood against the Pence Amendment.
In July 2011, the SBA List held a rally in New Hampshire supporting the New Hampshire Executive Council's decision to cut off state funding for Planned Parenthood. Spokeswoman Marilyn Musgrave said the Council's decision "really will save unborn lives."
Elections
The SBA List Candidate Fund endorses pro-life women, and pro-life men running against pro-choice women.
2008 presidential election
The SBA List gained renewed attention during the 2008 presidential election following Sarah Palin's nomination for Vice President. They had endorsed her 2006 run for governor of Alaska. In 2008, the SBA List also started a social networking site and blog called "Team Sarah", which is "dedicated to advancing the values that Sarah Palin represents in the political process."
Palin headlined the organization's 2010 "Celebration of Life" breakfast fundraiser, an event which got extensive media coverage and in which she coined the term "mama grizzly".
According to Politico, Palin's criteria for endorsing candidates is whether they have the support of the Tea Party movement and whether they have the support of the SBA List.
2009 elections
In September 2009, in a special election to fill an empty House seat in upstate New York, the group endorsed the pro-life third-party Conservative candidate Doug Hoffman over the pro-choice Republican candidate, Dede Scozzafava, on the stated basis that Scozzafava was an "abortion radical who does not represent the views of the growing majority of pro-life American women." The SBA List joined forces with the National Organization for Marriage in support of Hoffman, spending over $100,000 printing literature, making phone calls, and flooding the district with volunteers from across the country.
2010 elections
For the 2010 elections, the SBA List planned to spend $6 million (including $3 million solely on U.S. Senate races) and endorsed several dozen candidates. The SBA List spent nearly $1.7 million on independent expenditure campaigns for or against 50 candidates.
The SBA List conducted a 23-city bus tour to the Congressional districts of self-described pro-life Democrats in Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania who voted for the health care reform bill and to rally supporters to vote them out. The bus tour attracted counterprotests at some stops, such as one in Pennsylvania where a group called Catholics United accused the SBA List of lying about health care reform. Emily Buchanan of the SBA List responded by noting that Catholics United accepted funds from liberal philanthropist George Soros, a non-Catholic.
The organization launched a "Life Speaking Out" petition to urge the Republican Party to include opposition to abortion in its Pledge to America. The petition was sent with over 20,000 signatures on it.
The organization especially focused on the California Senate race where Carly Fiorina challenged incumbent Senator Barbara Boxer. The group spent $200,000 in support of Fiorina's campaign during the Republican primary and expected to spend another $1 million for the general election campaign against Boxer. The SBA List partnered with the National Organization for Marriage to air Spanish language TV commercials attacking Boxer's positions on abortion and gay marriage. The two groups bought $200,000 worth of airtime for the commercial to air in the markets of Los Angeles, Fresno, and San Diego. However, Boxer prevailed over Fiorina in the November 2010 election.
Other notable endorsements included Sharron Angle, who unsuccessfully challenged incumbent Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in Nevada; the SBA List endorsed Angle despite having previously endorsed Angle's primary opponent, Sue Lowden. In September 2010, the SBA List launched a $150,000 campaign on behalf of New Hampshire Senate candidate Kelly Ayotte for the Republican primary. Ayotte won the primary to become the nominee, and later prevailed in the general election. In October 2010, the SBA List endorsed Joe Miller, Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in Alaska. The SBA List endorsed Miller after Sen. Lisa Murkowski decided to stage a write-in campaign after losing the Republican primary to Miller, and they launched a $10,000 radio campaign to air ads attacking Murkowski for turning a "deaf ear" to the will of voters who voted her out in the primary. Murkowski defeated Miller, who conceded after two months of court battles over contested ballots.
36 of SBA List's 2010 endorsed candidates were elected.
Driehaus political ad litigation
In the 2010 campaign, the organization purchased billboard advertisements in the district of Rep. Steve Driehaus of Ohio that showed a photo of Driehaus and said, "Shame on Steve Driehaus! Driehaus voted FOR taxpayer-funded abortion" The advertisement referred to Driehaus's vote in favor of the health care overhaul bill. The SBA List takes the position that the health care legislation allows for taxpayer-funded abortion, a factually incorrect claim. In response, Driehaus, who represented the heavily pro-life 1st congressional district of Ohio, filed a complaint with the Ohio Elections Commission (OEC), stating that the advertisements were false and violated Ohio election law. The OEC ruled in Driehaus' favor in a probable cause hearing on October 14, 2010. In response, the SBA List asked a federal judge to issue an injunction against the OEC on the grounds that the law at issue stifles free speech and that its ads were based on the group’s own interpretation of the law. The American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio filed an 18-page amicus brief on the SBA List's behalf, arguing that the Ohio law in question is "unconstitutionally vague" and has a "chilling" effect on the SBA List's right to freedom of speech. A federal judge rejected the SBA List's federal lawsuit on abstention grounds and allowed Driehaus's OEC complaint to move forward.
After the OEC complaint was filed, the SBA List began airing a radio ad in Driehaus's district in which Dannenfelser stated that the group " not be silenced or intimidated" by Driehaus's legal action. Driehaus was able persuade the billboard company to withdraw the SBA List's advertisement, which was never erected. Driehaus ended up losing his seat to Steve Chabot in the November election. Driehaus then sued the SBA List in a second case on December 3, 2010, accusing the organization of defamation that caused him a "loss of livelihood", arguing that the "First Amendment is not and never has been an invitation to concoct falsehoods aimed at depriving a person of his livelihood." The SBA List countered by stating that the organization would "continue to defend the truth and the right to criticize our elected officials." The SBA List continued seeking to have the law in question overturned; the ACLU joined in the organization's fight against the law.
On August 1, 2011, judge Timothy Black dismissed the SBA List's challenge to the Ohio law, holding that the federal court lacked jurisdiction since the billboards were never erected and the OEC never made a final ruling and denied a motion for summary judgment by SBA List in the defamation case, allowing Driehaus's defamation claims regarding other SBA List statements to go forward. Black also required that SBA List stop claiming on its website that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act subsidized abortion, because it did not directly mention abortion. SBA List argued that its statements were opinions and were thus protected, but the court rejected this argument given that SBA List itself had claimed that this was a "fact." On August 19, 2011, the SBA List appealed the decision on the Ohio law to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.
2011 elections
In October 2011, the SBA List announced it was getting involved in the 2011 Virginia state Senate elections, endorsing challengers Bryce Reeves against Edd Houck, Caren Merrick against Barbara Favola for an open seat, Patricia Phillips against Mark Herring, and incumbent Sen. Jill Vogel in an effort to give control of the Senate to pro-lifers to stop the state Senate from being a "graveyard for pro-life legislation." It also announced it was spending $25,000 against Sen. Edd Houck to expose his "extreme record on abortion." Merrick and Phillips lost, but Vogel won re-election and Reeves defeated Houck by just 222 votes.
2012 presidential election
In June 2011, the SBA List unveiled a pro-life pledge for 2012 Republican presidential candidates in which signers commit to appointing only pro-life judicial nominees and cabinet members, preventing taxpayer funding of abortion, and supporting legislation to ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy based on the fetal pain concept. Candidates Rick Perry, Tim Pawlenty, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Thaddeus McCotter, Herman Cain, and Ron Paul all signed the pledge, but Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman, Jr., and Gary Johnson declined. Romney's refusal (he said the pledge might have "unintended consequences") sparked heated criticism from the SBA List, some of the other candidates, and political observers given Romney's past support for legalized abortion. Huntsman said he would not sign any pledges from political groups during the campaign and was criticized by the SBA List as well. Cain initially said he agreed with the first three parts, but objected to the wording in the pledge which said he would have to "advance" the fetal pain bill; he said he would sign it but Congress would have to advance it. Cain later signed the pledge in November 2011. Johnson declined because he is pro-choice.
The SBA List embarked on a Values Voter Bus Tour in Iowa with the Family Research Council and National Organization for Marriage from August 9-12, 2011, ending the day before the critical Iowa Straw Poll. The tour visited 22 cities and was joined by Pawlenty, Bachmann, and Santorum as well as Iowa Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and Reps. Steve King and Louie Gohmert, among other "state and national leaders".
See also
References
- ^ Kennedy, Angela (1997). Swimming against the tide: feminist dissent on the issue of abortion. Open Air. p. 117. ISBN 1851822674.
Rachel MacNair ...is the founder of the Susan B. Anthony List...
- "People At". Susan B. Anthony List. Archived from the original on January 30, 1998. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
- GuideStar: Susan B. Anthony List non-profit status
- Stupak 'More Optimistic' Abortion Fight Will End
- "SBA List Mission: Advancing, Mobilizing and Representing Pro-Life Women". Susan B. Anthony List. 2008. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
To accomplish our ultimate goal of ending abortion in this country...
- Electing - Susan B. Anthony List
- ^ SBA List History
- SBA List endorsement process
- A feminine face for the anti-abortion movement
- Gordon, Ann D.; Sherr, Lynn (May 21, 2010). "Sarah Palin is no Susan B. Anthony". WashingtonPost.com, "On Faith" blog. Retrieved October 22, 2010.
- ^ Crisis. 15 (1). Brownson Institute: 30–33. 1997.
The list has its origins in a 1992 CBS Sixty Minutes program on EMILY's List ("EMILY" stands for Early Money Is Like Yeast), which funds pro-abortion women candidate. After watching the program, Rachel MacNair, a pro-life Quaker and head of Feminists for Life, grabbed the telephone and began calling her friends in the pro-life movement. They all agreed: The time had come to counter EMILY's List with a pro-life version.
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(help) - Alexander, Herbert E.; Corrado, Anthony (1995). Financing the 1992 election. American political institutions and public policy. Vol. 9. M.E. Sharpe. pp. 212–213. ISBN 1563244373.
- "National Women's Coalition for Life Statement of Commitment". Priests for Life. April 3, 1992. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
- Felder, Deborah G. (2003). "A Century of Women: The Most Influential Events in Twentieth-Century Women's History". Citadel Press. p. 304.
- {{cite news |date=November 7, 1992 |work=The Washington Times |title=Feminist launches PAC for pro-lifers – Sees lopsided 'Year of the Woman' |location=San Francisco |quote=As a feminist who opposes abortion, Rachel MacNair could find only one flaw in Tuesday's 'Year of the Woman' electoral triumph. All the women newly elected to the House and Senate were pro-choice. That's no accident, she says, since women's fund-raising organizations like EMILY's List and WISH List refuse to support pro-life candidates.
- Day, Christine L.; Hadley, Charles D. (2005). Women's PACs: abortion and elections. Pearson Prentice Hall. p. 21. ISBN 0131174487.
- Stange, Mary Zeiss; Oyster, Carol K.; Sloan, Jane E. (2011). Encyclopedia of Women in Today's World. SAGE. p. 474. ISBN 1412976855.
- The Susan B. Anthony List was formed as a political action committee with the Federal Election Commission identification number C00280057.
- "Feminist Launches Pro-Life Political Action Committee (PAC)". Life Communications. 3 (19). 1993.
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ignored (help) - ^ Zuckerman, Ed (1994). Almanac of federal PACs. Amward Publications. p. 354. ISBN 0939676117.
- "Page by Page Report Display (Page 1 of 2)". Federal Election Commission. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
- "Page by Page Report Display (Page 6 of 13)". Federal Election Commission. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
- ^ Esposito, Joseph (November 22, 1998). "Efforts to Elect Pro-Life Women Are Paying Off: In short time, political neophytes' initiative has become a growing force". National Catholic Register. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
- Flynn, Tom; Dawkins, Richard (2007). The New Encyclopedia of Unbelief. Prometheus Books. p. 825. ISBN 1591023912.
- "Commentary". Fidelity. 12. Wanderer Forum Foundation: 24. 1992.
To counter the influx of prochoice women who have just entered Congress, Rachel MacNair, head of Feminists for Life, has formed a political action committee ... To the consternation of feminist prochoicers, she's named it the Susan B. Anthony List.
- ^ "Susan B. Anthony: Pro-life Feminist", Washington Post, May 2010
- ^ SBA List – Early Suffragists
- ^ Stevens, Allison (2006-10-06). "Susan B. Anthony's Abortion Position Spurs Scuffle". Women's eNews. Retrieved 2009-11-21.
- Desperately Seeking Susan
- BBC Abortion and the early feminists
- Ertelt, Steve (1994). "Announcements: Susan B. Anthony List Seeks Support". Life Communications. 4 (10).
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ignored (help) - "Leadership". Susan B. Anthony List. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
- "Susan B. Anthony List Contributions to Federal Candidates – 1998". Influence & Lobbying: PACs. OpenSecrets.org. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
- Morris, Dwight (December 7, 1998). "The Bogeyman Unmasked: TV in the '98 Senate Races". Washington Post. Retrieved September 6, 2011.
- Stevens, Allison (September 22, 2006). "Election Victories Reveal a PAC's Rising Influence". Women's eNews. Retrieved August 23, 2011.
- Swers, Michele L. (2002). The difference women make: the policy impact of women in Congress. University of Chicago Press. p. 155. ISBN 0226786471.
- Wayne, Stephen J.; Wilcox, Clyde (2002). The election of the century and what it tells us about the future of American politics. M.E. Sharpe. p. 118. ISBN 0765607433.
- "Health Bill Revives Abortion Groups", New York Times, Nov. 24, 2009
- Under Obama, Abortion Rights Advocates Try To Build Steam
- Former Rep. Musgrave Takes Job With Susan B. Anthony List
- "Abortion Foes Aren't Buying Obama's Assurances", Los Angeles Times
- "The Abortion Hurdle: Can a Pro-Life Dem Bridge the Health Care Divide?" Time
- "Group Runs Anti-Abortion Ad Against Casey"
- "Pro-Life Groups Applaud Passage of Stupak Amendment to Stop Abortion Funding", LifeNews
- "Pro-Life Group Blasts Nelson Compromise", Politico, Dec. 2009
- "Reaction from Across Political Spectrum to Health Vote", Boston Globe, Dec. 2009
- ^ "Choice, Life Groups Slam Obama Order on Abortion Funding", Fox News, Mar. 21, 2010
- "Stupak Award Rescinded", CNN, Mar. 22, 2010
- "Stupak Stripped of 'Defender of Life' Award He Was to Receive this Week", The Hill
- ^ Woman who supported abortion rights experienced evolution that changed her mind
- ^ "Without Stupak, Anti-Abortion Group's Dinner Goes On", New York Times, Mar. 24, 2010
- Why I Decided to Challenge Bart Stupak in the Democratic Primary
- Davey, Monica (2010-04-09). "Under Fire for Abortion Deal, Stupak to Retire". The New York Times. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
- "Tim Pawlenty, Michele Bachmann Headline Anti-Abortion Fundraiser" Politico, March 2010]
- "Susan B. Anthony Gala" The Hill
- ^ "Reaching Out to the Woman in the Yellow Sweater", Slate, The XX Factor Blog, Aug. 26, 2010
- "Susan B. Anthony Revived", Accuracy In Media blog, Sept. 1, 2010
- "A Conversation on Pro-life Feminism", SBA List website
- "Musgrave to Pilot Pro-Life Push", Politico, Mar. 2009
- "Indiana Senate Candidate Dan Coats Gets Pro-Life Backing Over Ellsworth" LifeNews
- Steele Meets Challengers For GOP Chairmanship
- House Votes to Defund Planned Parenthood Over Abortion
- LiveAction, Planned Parenthood Embark On Rival Bus Tours
- Planned Parenthood, Susan B. Anthony List put up dueling ads
- ^ N.H. activists laud end of Planned Parentood contract
- Endorsement criteria at sba-list.org Accessed 2011-08-05.
- "Pro-Life Groups Excited John McCain Picks Sarah Palin, Both Oppose Abortion", LifeNews
- "Team Sarah" website
- "Palin Hits Campaign Trail for Anti-Abortion Group", CNN, May 14, 2010
- "Sarah Palin Boosts 'Mom Awakening'", Politico, May 14, 2010]
- "Sarah Palin Issues a Call to Action to 'Mama Grizzlies'", Washington Post, May 14, 2010
- "Palin Tells Women's Group Washington Should Beware of 'Mama Grizzlies'", Associated Press, May 14, 2010
- Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee bid for conservative base
- "Club for Growth Backs Hoffman, Too", The Hill
- The New York 23 hits its tipping point
- Open Secrets - SBA List 2009 independent expenditures
- Conservative Loses Upstate House Race in Blow to Right
- "For GOP Women, 2010 May Not Be Their Year", Los Angeles Times, July 24, 2010
- Abortion an issue in Senate races
- Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund: 2010 Endorsed Candidates
- OpenSecrets.org
- "Celebrating 'Suffrage to Success': Are All Women Invited to the Party?", Politics Daily, Aug. 8, 2010
- "Organization to Host Bus Tour", Brazil Times
- "First Stop for Pro-Life Bus Tour: Cincinnati", Aug. 6, 2010
- "Catholic Groups Protest SBA List Tour", Politico, Aug. 2010
- "Bus Tour Opposing Abortion in Health Care Raises Ire of 'Pro-Life' Democrats", LifeNews, Aug. 2010
- Some Supporters Fret as GOP Readies Agenda
- Pro-life priority in GOP
- Abortion activists target GOP
- Social conservatives confident views will be in new GOP contract
- "Fiorina Endorsed by Major Anti-Abortion Group in California Senate Race", The Hill
- "Boxer Tries to Highlight Differences on Abortion", Associated Press
- Conservatives hit Boxer on marriage, abortion, in Spanish
- Outside groups appeal to Latinos on Fiorina's behalf
- Barbara Boxer defeats Carly Fiorina in Senate race
- Senate Democratic Leader Reid Defeats Angle to Win Re-Election in Nevada
- "Pro-Life Group Endorses Sue Lowden for Senate", CNN, Mar. 30, 2010
- "Pro-Life Groups Back Sharron Angle in Nevada After Primary Election Victory", LifeNews
- SBA List works to boost Ayotte in final stretch
- New Hampshire election results: Kelly Ayotte wins GOP nod in N.H.
- Ayotte wins U.S. Senate seat
- Susan B Anthony List endorses Miller
- Anti-abortion group backs Miller, targets Sen. Murkowski
- Miller Ends Fight, Concedes Alaska Race
- SBA List 2010 Winning Candidates
- ^ Driehaus sues to stop abortion attacks
- ^ Driehaus suit against SBA List moves forward
- ^ Defeated Pro-Life Democrat Driehaus Sues Pro-Life Group
- ^ Judge: Reform doesn't fund abortion
- ^ Ohio Democrat files election complaint over pro-life group’s billboard
- Judge Allows Driehaus Case against Susan B. Anthony List to Move Forward
- FOX News: SBA List fights for billboards
- ACLU joins fight over anti-Driehaus billboards
- ACLU of Ohio Files Amicus Brief on SBA List's Behalf
- Federal Judge Denies Ohio Election Law Challenge From Susan B. Anthony List
- SBA List radio ad
- Rep. Driehaus files defamation lawsuit over SBA List’s abortion funding claims
- Battle over Ohio law that targeted anti-abortion ads heats up
- Driehaus wins abortion billboard battles
- Order at Justia website. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
- http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/lawsuit-against-susan-b.-anthony-list-continues/
- Bassett, Laura (October 13, 2011). "Protect Life Act Passes House: Congress Passes Controversial Anti-Abortion Bill". Huffington Post.
- Baker, Sam (August 1, 2011). "Court: No tax-funded abortion in healthcare law". The Hill.
- SBA List appeals ruling on healthcare law and abortion
- Pro-Life Group to Target Houck, Announces Virginia State Senate Endorsements
- Anti-abortion group targets Sen. Houck
- Democrat Edd Houck concedes Virginia Senate race; Republicans lock up hold on power
- ^ Frontrunner Romney Takes Heat Over Abortion Stance
- Ron Paul Adviser Criticizes Mitt Romney For Declining Abortion Pledge
- Michele Bachmann becomes third GOPer to get glittered, blasts Mitt Romney for his abortion policy
- ^ Susan B. Anthony List keeps up anti-abortion pledge pressure
- Herman Cain Declines to Sign Pro-Life Pledge
- Herman Cain signs anti-abortion pledge
- ^ Social cons tour Iowa ahead of straw poll
- Pawlenty, Santorum to join socially conservative bus tour
External links
- SBA List official website
- Suzy B, SBA List official blog
- Team Sarah website, an SBA List special project