When Democrats wrested control of both houses of Congress in 2006, the pro-life situation looked dire. It was anticipated Dems would try to knock off all pro-life riders on appropriations bills and pass anti-life legislation to boot.

None of that happened. Then last week the Senate even passed a ban against Indian Health Services funding for abortion.

Also last week the House stripped language that had been inserted in the U.S. relief package for AIDS in Africa (PEPFAR) that would have streamed funding to abortion groups.

These days the Democrat Congress sometimes appears as or more pro-life than a Republican Congress.

I asked 2 insiders what is going on. Here's what they told me....

After Nancy Pelosi became Speaker, pro-life Dems had a private meeting with her to discuss personal and political ramifications for them of introducing pro-abortion legislation or deleting pro-life riders from appropriations bills. The meeting included respected senior pro-life party members, including James Oberstar, chair of the House Transportation Committee, and Collin Peterson, chair of the Agriculture Committee.

Since then Democrats have not pushed the anti-life agenda other than to increase funding for "family planning," i.e., Planned Parenthood, and to try to decrease funding for abstinence. They eventually bailed on the latter.

Democrat leadership is keenly aware a wrong move on the abortion issue would fracture its coalition.

How did PEPFAR language get contaminated? The chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Tom Lantos, was very sick - he died February 11 - and it is thought staffers got away with drafting extreme language that thankfully caused an uproar and was beat back.

With the infusion of pro-life Democrats in 2006, the number is now 15-30, depending on the bill. (Embryonic stem cell bills would reveal the lowest common denominator.)

Those added to the 200 pro-life Republicans are enough to defeat anti-life proposals. Senate Democrats had enough votes to delete the Mexico City Policy, which keeps abortion groups from getting international family planning $, but House Democrats did not. So it emerged unscathed.

The 2006 election additionally weeded out many moderate Republicans. Those left are more strongly pro-life.

If Hillary or Obama wins the election, we will again be in bad shape. President Bush has also been a key player by threatening to veto riders with pro-life language removed and PEPFAR with bad language. Obviously, neither Democrat will make that threat.

And if Democrats pick up more seats in the House and Senate, they'll presumably have more pro-abortion votes and dilute out the pro-life Democrats.

So the situation, while not now dire, is precarious.

From the Associated Press, March 2:

Activist-actor Martin Sheen will be honored by the University of Notre Dame with its Laetare Medal for his humanitarian work, the school announced Sunday.

Sheen, who played a U.S. president who was a Notre Dame graduate in the TV series "West Wing," is to receive the medal at the school's May 18 commencement.

Since 1883, the Laetare Medal has been awarded annually to a Catholic "whose genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the ideals of the church and enriched the heritage of humanity."...

"He has used that celebrity to draw the attention of his fellow citizens to issues that cry out for redress, such as the plight of immigrant workers and homeless people, the waging of unjust war, the killing of the unborn and capital punishment," [university president Rev. John] Jenkins said....

Sheen, 67, describes himself as a Catholic peace activist. He has been arrested for taking part in nonviolent demonstrations against various U.S. military policies, and has donated money and time to such causes as the alleviation of poverty and homelessness, human rights for migrant workers and environmental protection.

In 2001, Feminists for Life named Sheen as 1 of its Remarkable Pro-Life Men that year.

LifeNews.com previously reported Sheen is a "longtime supporter of the Seamless Garment Network, a pro-life group that also opposes war, poverty, abortion, racism, and capital punishment."

Sheen filed a brief supporting Joe Scheidler's right to free speech in the infamous Now vs. Scheidler case, heard before the U.S. Supreme Court twice.

[HT: son Tim; photo courtesy of Anything & Everything]

On February 28 the Washington Post reported:

The Virginia Senate voted Wednesday to cut off state funding to Planned Parenthood of Virginia because it offers abortions....

Before excitement overtakes, I should warn this bill may not become law. It seems unlikely Gov. Timothy Kaine would sign it since he's a pro-abort who just rejected federal funds to teach abstinence. He would now cut off a main line to low-income contraceptive provision and compehensive sex ed? Doubtful, but pro-lifers should certainly push.

But 3 other points do make this development exciting....

1. "The decision [was] a major setback for the Senate's new Democratic majority...."

2. "The GOP-controlled House has long pushed to cut off state aid for Planned Parenthood, but the moderate Republicans who controlled the Senate until this year fought off the effort."

3. "On Thursday, however, all 19 Senate Republicans decided they would vote for the amendment...."

Democrats could not break 1 lone pro-life member, Charles Colgan, from voting with Republicans, creating a 20-20 tie broken by the GOP pro-life lietenant governor. For whatever reason milk-toast Republicans coalesced with pro-life colleagues. I expect vindictivness played a role, but I'll take it.

So in this case, 1 pro-life Democrat made the difference. Stated Colgan, according to the WP:

"It's because of my conscience, and I don't waver from that, as my colleagues found out today. I ran on a pro-life platform, and most of my constituents are pro-life."

Good for Colgan.

[HT: Thomas Peter of The American Papist; photo, circa 1970s, courtesy of Library of Virginia]

Don't know what the weather's like by you, but it's bone-cold rainy here in grey Chicago this Monday morning. So here are some talented singing kids to upshift any moods needing such.

First up is 4-1/2-year-old Young Woong Ha, who won a Korean wunderkind contest last month singing a trilogy of Beatles classics, Hey Jude, Yesterday, and Love Me Do. Make sure not to skip the latter, beginning at 6:35:

Next up are the Cactus Cuties singing the National Anthem at a January Texas Tech basketball game. Can't believe such wonderful harmony coming from girls ranging in age from 8-13...

HT: Korean wunderkind video, Dawn Patrol; National Anthem video, moderator MK]

Most of you have not heard of Tim Goeglein, the White House liaison to pro-family policy groups in DC.

According to the New York Times, among other news sources:

A longtime aide to President Bush who wrote occasional guest columns for his hometown newspaper resigned on Friday evening after admitting that he had repeatedly plagiarized from other writers.

That was Tim. I have known Goeglein for several years and am sorry he plagiarized and feel bad he had to resign a high position in disgrace. But I'm not so sorry to see him gone.

Goeglein was a nice man, but it was common thought in the pro-family public policy circle that communication with Goeglein was 1-way. He disseminated information on President Bush's behalf to pro-family groups but did not necessarily return the favor....

I spoke to Tim several times about the Born Alive Infant Protection Act. It is there, but it is not being enforced.

I even had a meeting with Tim and a couple others at the White House this past December. I provided several points of evidence that babies are still being wantonly aborted alive and left to die around the county, along with actions the President could take to make the law work without any input from the Democrat-controlled Congress. I worried at the time whether that meeting was simply to placate me, and it was. Nothing ever came of it.

I do not blame the President for any of this. Tim said at that meeting, "Jill, I promise you, if the President were sitting here with us, he would say to enforce the law." I really believe that. The problem is the President was not there, and I don't think he ever knew.

There is still time in these last months of President Bush's time in office to take specific actions to make Born Alive work. Perhaps a new pro-family gatekeeper to the President will get him the information.

This morning pro-life blogger extraordinaire Dawn Eden of The Dawn Patrol will appear on The Today Show at 10:30a EST.

Dawn will discuss her book, The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On.

In conjunction with Dawn's Today Show appearance, MSNBC has published an article by Dawn, "The thrill of the chaste: In defense of sexless dating."

On the topic of female bloggers, I received an email last week from Women's Voices, Women Vote. In celebration of Women's History Month WVWV is running a contest through March 21 to pick the top 10 female bloggers.

I'd love to see a pro-lifer in that group. I sure wouldn't mind if it were me, but I'd be happy with any pro-life woman's face.

Click on the icon, right, to go to the voting link. Please forward the link to friends.

{HT for Dawn's Today Show appearance: Thomas Peters of The American Papist]