Over time, pro-lifers became much more savvy—thanks in no small part to Ellen McCormack’s efforts. As a founding member of New York’s Pro-Life Action Committee (PLAC), she pledged to withhold support from legislators who supported legal abortion and to recruit pro-life candidates to run against state legislators who were not supporting pro-life bills. These efforts paid some dividends. In 1972, both chambers of the New York state legislature voted to repeal New York’s liberal abortion law. Unfortunately, the ban was vetoed by Governor Nelson Rockefeller. Nonetheless, pro-lifers had nearly enough strength in the state legislature to override the veto......
In the end, Ellen McCormack’s campaign exceeded expectations. She ran in 18 primaries and received over 200,000 votes, 1.4 percent of the total votes cast. Her success in the primaries earned her 3 pledged delegates to the Democratic National Convention. At the convention, she received both a nominating speech and a seconding speech. When the results were tallied, she received 22 votes from the convention delegates. Her campaign educated many people about abortion and demonstrated that a sizeable contingent of Democrats was willing to support a single-issue pro-life candidate.
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