American Christians are celebrating the election of at least 13 new pro-life women and the reelection of 11 incumbent pro-life women to the U.S. Congress.
“A record-breaking 107 women were elected to the House in 2020, surpassing the previous record of 102 set in 2019,” writes Megan Fowler in Christianity Today.
As Breitbart News reported, the number of pro-life women in the House will more than double as a result of the 2020 elections and the pro-life presence could still grow since several female pro-life candidates are running in House races that have not yet been called.
With the recent addition of Victoria Spartz (Ind.-05) and the probable victories of Beth Van Duyne (Texas-24), Young Kim (Calif.-39), and Michelle Steel (Calif.-48), the number will be higher still.
Of the 13 new pro-life women, 7 flipped seats that were previously held by Democrats, Fowler notes, including Nancy Mace who defeated Democrat incumbent Joe Cunningham in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District. All of the pro-life representatives elected last week are Republicans.
Pro-life leaders have underscored the importance of Americans’ shifting perceptions on abortion behind many of the congressional victories.
“We expect when all votes are counted and the races are called, we will have a record number of pro-life women serving in the next Congress,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List. “These gains are a repudiation of abortion extremism and further evidence that life is a winning issue in politics.”
While many of the pro-life women have defeated opponents who were pro-abortion, other replaced pro-life men, which is not insignificant given the optics of the abortion issue.
Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Foundation, said that pro-life men are sometimes dismissed because of their sex because they don’t deal with the direct effects of pregnancy.
“Bringing in more pro-life women will give encouragement and support to the leaders who have been speaking up for years,” Tobias said.
Many of the pro-life representatives elected last week are Christians who say their position on the rights of the unborn stems from their faith.
Diana Harshbarger, who won about 76 percent of the vote in Tennessee’s 1st Congressional District, is strongly pro-life and unapologetically Christian.
In one of her campaign ads, Harshbarger said, “Jesus is Lord, and his light fills our lives, even through the chaos. Even as we’re attacked by our neighbor, his hand and our faith will guide us to salvation.”
Another Christian, Mary Miller, who has served as a Sunday school teacher and Vacation Bible School volunteer, won Illinois’s 15th Congressional District.
“My family and my faith in God always come first,” Miller said.
Kat Cammack won Florida’s 3rd congressional district with the support of Baptists, Methodists, Mormons, and Catholics when she launched a Faith and Pro-Life Coalition.
“As a young, millennial, pro-life woman, I have the unique opportunity to engage with my generation and those younger on the importance of fighting for the unborn,” said Cammack, who at age 32 will become the youngest Republican woman in the House.