This week, when the House passed what is colloquially known as the “Let Women Die” Act, which would among other things make it illegal for hospitals to perform a life-saving abortion on a woman, 15 Democrats joined all but two Republicans in voting for it. Here are the names of the 15 Democrats:

Jason Altmire (PA), Sanford Bishop (GA), Dan Boren (OK), Jerry Costello (IL), Mark Critz (PA), Henry Cuellar (TX), Joe Donnelly (IN), Tim Holden (PA), Dan Lipinski (IL), Jim Matheson (UT), Mike McIntyre (NC), Collin Peterson (MN), Nick Rahall (WV), Mike Ross (AR), Heath Shuler (NC)

Boren, Costello and Ross are retiring this year. But the other twelve are on track to run for re-election as Democrats. Joe Donnelly is looking to step up by running for US Senate in Indiana. Jim Matheson may do the same in Utah, for either Governor or Senate.

So these twelve Democrats would consign over half the population to potentially being refused life-saving treatment at a hospital. And over the next year, the lead committee that elects Democrats will tell you to overlook that and help fund them in their re-election efforts.

CREDO, the progressive organization, has had enough. They noticed that the DCCC, the campaign arm for Democrats in the House, which solicited fundraising right after the vote on the Let Women Die Act saying that Democrats had to be elected to “protect the health of women,” listed three of the Democrats above as “Frontline” candidates, meaning they will be at the front of the line for that cash (the three are Matheson, Mark Critz and Mike McIntyre). So they have begun a campaign to get the DCCC to stop funding candidates who sell out women. Here’s an excerpt from the email to supporters; I’ll put the entire email on the flip.

It is shameful that the DCCC is using these horrible attacks on women’s lives as a chance to fill their own coffers with the money of supporters who are genuinely angry about the war extremists in Congress are waging against women.

Not only is it hypocritical for the DCCC not to mention that the money raised for their women’s health fund will be going directly to three anti-choice candidates, but it is simply wrong that they are funding candidates who are so anti-choice that they voted for a bill that would let women die in a hospital without any intervention.

The DCCC’s two-faced messaging must stop. If they care about protecting women’s health, then they need to stop funding extreme anti-choice candidates — and if they want to fund those anti-woman candidates, then they need to stop running fundraising campaigns that use attacks on women’s health to solicit contributions from pro-choice activists.

This is a rare challenge from a progressive group, directly confronting the party on an important issue. The DCCC has been pissing away money they fundraise from liberals on conservative candidates for a long time. They gave well over a million dollars to Parker Griffith, who ended up switching parties. That’s just one of dozens of examples. The top option should be funding candidates worthy of support directly, instead of these campaign arms that hand money over to people who vote against the interests of the donors. But the D-Trip should have to answer for their investment in anti-woman lawmakers.

The silence from women’s groups, incidentally, is deafening.

The full letter is below.

The House of Representatives voted to let women die by passing a bill that would make it legal for hospitals to refuse to perform a life-saving abortion on a woman as an emergency procedure.

In response to that vote, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) sent out a fundraising email asking supporters to donate to help protect the health of women.

But three out of fifteen of the DCCC’s top candidates who would receive that money voted to let women die.

Tell the DCCC: You can’t have it both ways. Either stop fundraising off attacks on women’s health or stop fundraising for anti-choice Democrats who vote to let women die.

It is shameful that the DCCC is using these horrible attacks on women’s lives as a chance to fill their own coffers with the money of supporters who are genuinely angry about the war extremists in Congress are waging against women.

Not only is it hypocritical for the DCCC not to mention that the money raised for their women’s health fund will be going directly to three anti-choice candidates, but it is simply wrong that they are funding candidates who are so anti-choice that they voted for a bill that would let women die in a hospital without any intervention.

The DCCC’s two-faced messaging must stop. If they care about protecting women’s health, then they need to stop funding extreme anti-choice candidates — and if they want to fund those anti-woman candidates, then they need to stop running fundraising campaigns that use attacks on women’s health to solicit contributions from pro-choice activists.

Tell the DCCC: You can’t have it both ways. Either stop fundraising off attacks on women’s health or stop fundraising for anti-choice Democrats who want to let women die.
Thank you for speaking out against hypocrisy at the DCCC and working to defend women’s rights.

Ali Rozell, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets