Church Groups Go Grassroots: Legislation Inspired by Bush Reelection

Christian groups have turned their attention from the presidential race to local and state efforts. Emboldened by the Bush win in November, they are attempting daring legislative feats that they may not have tried before.

Anti-abortion measures, challenges to the teaching of evolution in public schools, and legislative blocks to same-sex marriage and stem-cell research are all part of a state-by-state grassroots effort led by Christian groups who helped keep George W. Bush in the White House.

But the momentum from the Bush win isn’t the only thing pushing Christian groups towards further political action. A strategy known as redistricting has helped Republicans gain footing in state legislatures.

Redistricting…What is it?

Following each ten-year census, states consider redrawing their congressional districts, or, redistricting, in order to keep up with shifts in population. While redistricting sounds like a dull mathematical process, it is actually a lively political battle that directly affects the outcome of elections.

Through the redrawing of district boundaries, a predominantly Democratic district can be transformed into a Republican one, and vice versa. Boundaries can be re-sketched to slice a voting block into pieces, causing it to dissolve into the surrounding districts and be overcome by them. Redistricting can also create an entirely new Democratic or Republican district, a change that drastically shifts the balance of power in the legislature. Clearly then, both parties want influence over redistricting.

A redistricting effort in Georgia helped Republicans take control of the State House of Representatives, where Christian groups are lobbying for three anti-abortion bills.

The effects of redistricting

The new district map in Georgia led Republicans to several electoral victories at the state level in the 2004 elections, so 2005 is likely to see more Republican-led measures pass through the State House and Senate.

The anti-abortion organization Right to Life plans to propose three new abortion-related bills for the upcoming legislative season. One requires a parent or guardian to accompany minors to an abortion. This law has been criticized by abortion advocates because it does not account for abusive parents or incest. But anti-abortion activists say that the current law, which allows any adult to accompany minors, protects other adults who abuse minor girls.

Another bill would duplicate a federal law that considers assault against a pregnant woman to be a double crime. The third, called The Woman’s Right to Know Act, would require physicians to remind women of abortion alternatives 24 hours before the procedure.

To read more about abortion, click here.

Other legislative priorities

Christian groups say that other legislative priorities for the 2005 season include prohibiting human cloning, including the type of cloning used in embryonic stem- cell research.

Another science vs. religion matter, evolution, is a top concern of the Christian lobby. Many state and local Christian groups are looking to revise school district curricula to include alternatives to evolution or to delete evolution lessons completely.

For a full discussion of recent developments in the evolution vs. creationism debate, click here.

Christian groups are also looking to ban same-sex marriage at both state and federal levels. Anti-gay marriage activists say that the reelection of George W. Bush has encouraged them to continue to fight for the Federal Marriage Amendment by lobbying both State legislatures and Washington D.C.

For more on the Federal Marriage Amendment, click here.

Grassroots?

Christian groups say that their state and local efforts are grassroots organizing campaigns and that the National Republican Party is offering guidance only.

But many consider the vast network of churches and religious organizations to be an essential component of the Republican Party’s organizing strategy. These groups helped Republicans conduct voter-registration drives before the 2004 presidential election and, needless to say, are an important part of George W. Bush’s base of voters.

So, is the Republican Party in your state encouraging church groups to push for local and state legislation? Are church groups where you live pushing the Republican Party to legislate their concerns via state and local efforts?

What do you think?

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Update Posted on: 12/20/2004