--- description: Find out which six male Democrats in Congress consistently support an anti-abortion agenda, according to Democrats for Life. title: All of the 'Pro-Life' Democrats in Congress Are Men image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7e8c50912dd7a5e3/6988cde6cd1bba0ca1705442/manchin-donnelly-casey-dem-senators.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [motto](/tag/motto/) ## motto Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # All of the 'Pro-Life' Democrats in Congress Are Men  by [Samantha Cooney](/author/samantha-cooney/)  ## Samantha Cooney Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 18, 2017 4:45 PM CUT  Left to right: Senator Joe Manchin, Senator Joe Donnelly and Senator Bob Casey. Left to right: Senator Joe Manchin, Senator Joe Donnelly and Senator Bob Casey.Photos by Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call & Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency—Getty Images  by [Samantha Cooney](/author/samantha-cooney/)  ## Samantha Cooney Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 18, 2017 4:45 PM CUT _Updated: May 18_ The [Democratic Party](http://time.com/4737967/new-generation-democratic-candidates/ "undefined") is currently facing an internal [debate](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/04/pro-life-democrats-abortion-sanders-perez-party/524394/ "undefined") over whether it should embrace anti-abortion lawmakers. The party currently has six men — and no women — who consistently support an anti-[abortion](http://motto.time.com/4636915/abortion-rates-lowest-roe-v-wade/ "undefined") agenda serving in the U.S. House of Representatives or Senate, a spokesperson for Democrats for Life of America told _Motto_. There are currently [78 women](http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/current-numbers "undefined") Democrats in all of Congress. On Tuesday, the _Atlantic_ [reported](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/05/democrats-abortion-pro-life-pro-choice-tom-perez-dnc/526551/ "undefined") that Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez would meet with [Democrats for Life of America](http://www.democratsforlife.org/ "undefined"), an organization that [describes ](http://www.democratsforlife.org/index.php/about-us "undefined")itself as “the pro-life voice and wing of the Democratic Party.” The meeting follows Perez’s controversial comments that that all members of the party should [support](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/democrats-tom-perez-abortion-rights%5Fus%5F58fa5fade4b018a9ce5b351d "undefined") abortion rights. Perez issued the statement after the Democratic National Committee and other party leaders, including former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, faced [criticism](https://www.prochoiceamerica.org/2017/04/20/naral-statement-dnc-chair-perez-senator-sanders-embracing-anti-choice-candidate-nebraska-today/ "undefined") for [supporting](http://www.npr.org/2017/04/20/524962482/sanders-defends-campaigning-for-anti-abortion-rights-democrat "undefined") Omaha, Neb. mayoral candidate [Heath Mello](http://time.com/4771152/heath-mello-tom-perez-omaha-nebraska-mayor-abortion/?iid=sr-link1 "undefined"), who had an [anti-abortion](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/omaha-mayoral-candidate-under-fire-says-he-would-never-do-anything-to-restrict-access-to-reproductive-health-care%5Fus%5F58f8e868e4b018a9ce590a84 "undefined") track record. Mello [lost](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/heath-mello-loses-jean-stothert-omaha%5Fus%5F59124e8de4b05e1ca202e4aa "undefined") the election earlier this month. But while the party’s 2016 platform had a clear [stance in favor of abortion rights](http://time.com/4422862/democratic-platform-guns-abortion-immigration/ "undefined"), some [argue](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/pelosi-democratic-candidates-should-not-be-forced-to-toe-party-line-on-abortion/2017/05/02/9cbc9bc6-2f68-11e7-9534-00e4656c22aa%5Fstory.html?utm%5Fterm=.e169c89d9bdf "undefined") the party [shouldn’t alienate](https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/03/27/opinion/to-win-again-democrats-must-stop-being-the-abortion-party.html "undefined") its anti-abortion wing. The group lost one of its more prominent female voices in Congress when Rep. [Kathy Dahklemper](http://www.ontheissues.org/PA/Kathy%5FDahlkemper%5FAbortion.htm "undefined") of Pennsylvania was [voted](http://www.thederrick.com/news/front%5Fpage/thompson-re-elected-dahlkemper-loses/article%5Ff5984923-9a4f-59c9-8df9-59efc3923ca5.html "undefined") out of office in 2011 after serving one term. Here are the current Democrats in the U.S. House and Senate who consistently support anti-abortion legislation. ## **U.S. Senate** **Sen. Joe Donnelly (Indiana):** Donnelly, who was [elected](https://www.donnelly.senate.gov/about/joe "undefined") to the Senate in 2012 after a number of years in the House of Representatives, has [said](http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/indiana/Donnelly-with-GOP-on-abortion--defense-8946169 "undefined") that he is “committed to protecting the sanctity of life.” He has voted to support a 20-week [abortion ban](http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2015/09/22/donnelly-joins-republicans-week-abortion-ban/72632728/ "undefined") and co-sponsored legislation that would [prohibit transporting minors](http://www.ontheissues.org/Social/Joe%5FDonnelly%5FAbortion.htm "undefined") across state lines to get an abortion. While he has voted to [defund](http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/behind-closed-doors/2015/12/04/switch-donnelly-backs-planned-parenthood-funding/76797302/ "undefined") Planned Parenthood in the past, he began voting against those efforts in 2015\. Donnelly said that the party should welcome anti-abortion members. “I don’t know why we would want to start walking away from folks, like myself, who have a personal conviction on the pro-life issue,” Donnelly [told](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/04/pro-life-democrats-abortion-sanders-perez-party/524394/ "undefined") the _Atlantic._ “We ought to be able to include everyone, as opposed to saying ‘no, we don’t want these folks, even though they fight with us on jobs, even though they fight with us for economic rights, even though they fight with us on healthcare.’ It just seems to me to be very, very short-sighted.” **Sen. Bob Casey (Pennsylvania):** Casey, who was first [elected](http://members-of-congress.insidegov.com/l/429/Robert-P-Casey-Jr "undefined") in 2007, is the son of former Pennsylvania Democratic Governor Robert Casey, who also famously [opposed](http://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/31/us/former-gov-robert-p-casey-dies-at-68-pennsylvania-democrat-opposed-abortion.html "undefined") abortion. Casey [supports](https://www.casey.senate.gov/newsroom/releases/casey-statement-on-planned-parenthood "undefined") the [Hyde Amendment](http://motto.time.com/4608232/congress-letter-donald-trump-hyde-amendment/ "undefined"), which bars federal funding from being used to pay for abortions in most cases, and has [voted](http://www.ontheissues.org/Social/Bob%5FCasey%5FAbortion.htm "undefined") in favor of prohibiting minors from crossing state lines to get the procedure. But this year, he [signed](https://www.casey.senate.gov/newsroom/releases/casey-to-republicans-reverse-course-on-defunding-planned-parenthood "undefined") onto a letter criticizing Republicans for attempting to defund Planned Parenthood and has long [said](http://thetimes-tribune.com/opinion/pro-life-and-pro-planned-parenthood-1.1930507 "undefined") that he [supports](http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/How-Americas-dullest-senator-became-Woke-Bob-Casey.html "undefined") the organization. **Update:** A spokesperson for Casey notes that he has voted against the so-called [Mexico City Policy](http://time.com/4644042/mexico-city-policy-abortion-womens-health/?iid=sr-link1 "undefined"), which bans federal money from going to international groups that perform or provide information on abortion. **Sen. Joe Manchin III (West Virginia):** Manchin, who [began](https://www.manchin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/about-joe "undefined") serving in 2010, [opposes](http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/03/joe-manchin-senator-profile-west-virginia-red-state-democrat-bipartisan-214865 "undefined") abortion and has [said](http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/14/abortion-politics-senate-2018-238331 "undefined") that “life is very sacred to \[him\].” He has [faced](http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/14/abortion-politics-senate-2018-238331 "undefined") criticism for his views on Planned Parenthood — earlier this year, he [voted](http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/14/abortion-politics-senate-2018-238331 "undefined") to preserve funding for the organization. In 2015, he [voted ](https://www.manchin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=45be230b-912e-4c0f-afc6-bda7e4541a15 "undefined")to defund the group following the release of [videos](http://time.com/4194226/planned-parenthood-david-daleiden-felony/?iid=sr-link1 "undefined") that alleged the group had sold fetal tissue for profit, claims which the organization strongly denies. ## **U.S. House of Representatives** **Rep. Dan Lipinski (Illinois):** Lipinski, who began [serving](https://www.congress.gov/member/daniel-lipinski/L000563 "undefined") in 2005, has [voted](http://www.ontheissues.org/IL/Dan%5FLipinski%5FAbortion.htm "undefined") to ban federal health coverage for abortion, [ban](http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/241979-house-approves-bill-banning-many-abortions "undefined") abortions after 20 weeks and [defund](http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/254181-house-votes-to-freeze-funding-for-planned-parenthood "undefined") Planned Parenthood. He has [served](https://www.sba-list.org/suzy-b-blog/rep-dan-lipinski-co-chair-pro-life-caucus "undefined") as the co-chair of the House’s Pro-Life Caucus. **Rep. Collin Peterson (Minnesota)**: Peterson, who was [elected](http://collinpeterson.house.gov/about-me/full-biography "undefined") in 1990, has supported [prohibiting](http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/241979-house-approves-bill-banning-many-abortions "undefined") abortions after 20 weeks and cutting [funding](https://apnews.com/c32871e238c74c5f8dfc97cc845bcca4/gop-bill-would-allow-states-defund-planned-parenthood "undefined") to [Planned Parenthood](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2015/09/18/npr-planned-parenthood-funding "undefined"). **Rep. Henry Cuellar (Texas)**: Cuellar, who was [elected](http://www.henrycuellar.com/about/track%5Frecord "undefined") in 2005, has said he [opposes](http://www.rollcall.com/news/home/rep-henry-cuellar-i-will-die-as-a-democrat "undefined") abortion. He has [supported](http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/241979-house-approves-bill-banning-many-abortions "undefined") a 20-week abortion ban, [banning](http://www.ontheissues.org/TX/Henry%5FCuellar%5FAbortion.htm "undefined") federal health coverage that includes abortion and permanently [prohibiting](http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/315944-house-votes-to-permanently-ban-taxpayer-funds-for-abortion "undefined") taxpayer funding from being used for abortion services. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4782994/democrats-anti-abortion-men-congress/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4782994/democrats-anti-abortion-men-congress/"},"headline":"All of the 'Pro-Life' Democrats in Congress Are Men","datePublished":"2017-05-18T16:45:15.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T09:05:38.460Z","description":"The party faces an internal debate on the issue of abortion","url":"https://time.com/4782994/democrats-anti-abortion-men-congress/","keywords":["motto"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7e8c50912dd7a5e3/6988cde6cd1bba0ca1705442/manchin-donnelly-casey-dem-senators.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Samantha Cooney","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/samantha-cooney/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7e8c50912dd7a5e3/6988cde6cd1bba0ca1705442/manchin-donnelly-casey-dem-senators.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"170518_Manchin-Donnelly-Casey Dem Senators","caption":"Left to right: Senator Joe Manchin, Senator Joe Donnelly and Senator Bob Casey.","creditText":"Photos by Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call & Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/motto/","name":"motto"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4782994/democrats-anti-abortion-men-congress/","name":"All of the 'Pro-Life' Democrats in Congress Are Men"}}]}] ```