WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats, whose party officially supports abortion rights, have elected an abortion opponent as their leader. Meanwhile, Senate Republicans, whose party officially opposes abortion, appear ready to name a rare pro-choice senator as chair of one of the Senate’s most powerful committees.
Senate Democrats elected Nevada Sen. Harry Reid as minority leader Nov. 16 by acclamation. Reid, a Mormon, is a longtime opponent of abortion rights who voted in favor of a 2003 law that bans so-called “partial-birth” abortions.
On the Republican side, Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter appears to have quelled an uproar from social conservatives against his elevation to the chairmanship of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Specter is a moderate who supports abortion rights and who has generally supported church-state separation.
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