Abortion foes seek Democrat support.

Byline: David Steves The Register-Guard

SALEM - As a self-described pro-life Democrat, Ward Ricker feels out of place in the political party he calls home.

As president of the newly formed group Democrats for Life-Oregon, the Eugene man is trying to make the party more welcoming for people like himself: those who are at odds with the party's abortion-rights views, but just can't see themselves joining the Republican Party because they don't agree with most of its positions.

"I look at Republicans, particularly the present administration, and I'm just appalled at what I see," said Ricker, who described himself as a peace activist with a strong environmental ethic and a supporter of robust public services for people in need. "But it seems like the Democrats take the opposite view as we do on the question of abortion."

Last week, Ricker got some help from a national founder of Democrats for Life of America, the national umbrella for state groups such as his.

The national organization's vice president for chapter development, Carol Crossed, visited Oregon, joining Ricker in calling on party leaders, anti-abortion organizations and others as they try to make a mark on Oregon politics.

Crossed said her group has found more common cause among rank-and-file Democrats than with the party's top leaders and elected office-holders. She cited recent poll results:

50 percent of Democrats told a 2004 Gallup poll that abortion is morally wrong and 8 percent said it depends on the situation.

43 percent of Democrats agreed that abortion "destroys a human life and is manslaughter," according to a 2004 Zogby poll.

Crossed said Democratic leaders and elected officials haven't reflected those views because of the way money from abortion-rights groups has "poured in" to party and candidate coffers.

"It's hard for us to refuse that money as Democrats," said Crossed, who lives in Rochester, N.Y.

Her group has developed an agenda for Congress called the "95-10 Initiative." It lists a variety of policy changes aimed at reducing the number of abortions by 95 percent in the next 10 years.

Kelly Steele, communications director for the Democratic Party of Oregon, said some of the agenda items would clearly resonate with party members.

The proposals include mandatory government health care coverage for low income pregnant women and newborns in their first year of life and required insurance coverage of contraception devices.

Other proposals, such as prohibiting the transport of a minor across state lines to obtain an abortion, most likely would not fly with the Democratic Party.

But he said Oregon Democrats were eager to welcome members of all viewpoints.

"The Democratic Party is a big-tent party," Steele said. "There's room in the party for a lot of different voices."

The emergence of Democrats for Life comes at a time when the party is seeking to shore up its image among Democratic voters who have supported Republicans for their stances on personal moral issues.

Democratic members of Congress who consider themselves anti-abortion last month urged party Chairman Howard Dean to establish an official relationship with Democrats for Life.

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., a possible presidential candidate in 2008, appeared to reach out to such voters when she gave a speech emphasizing the importance on curbing abortions.

The Oregon group is still in its early organizational stages, Ricker said. He is one of five founders and said its mailing list consisted of about 40 people. Nationally, 41 such state groups have formed.

Oregon Right to Life Director Gayle Atteberry said she was pleased that anti-abortion Democrats were trying to organize in Oregon.

If they are able to make themselves heard, she said, some Democratic candidates "who start out with a so-so position on abortion" may support proposals such as requiring parental notification when minors seek abortions and requiring doctors to provide information about the health risks of abortions to women who are seeking the procedure.