By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS Staff Writer The Family Research Council and Focus on the Family have released a Family Action Vote Scorecard on the 110the Congress which reveals the dramatic shift away from pro-family values that has resulted since the Democratic party took control of Congress in 2006. “The election of 2006 saw the Democratic Party increase their seats in the House of Representatives by 31 and their seats in the Senate by seven,” the groups say in the Scorecard’s introduction. “This dramatic change resulted in a Congressional Leadership generally hostile to pro-family legislation.” Hate crimes, taxpayer funding of abortion and embryonic stem cell research, free speech and religious liberty are just a few of the votes the Democratic Leadership allowed to come to the floor. However, in 2008, with an election looming and a President vowing to veto anti-family legislation, Congress decided doing nothing was a better alternative than putting their full radical agenda up for a vote. ”This does not mean 2008 was uneventful,” the group says. “In addition to votes on defining the unborn as children and expanding gambling in the states, this Congress tried pushing their agenda in different ways. For example, the original draft of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) reauthorization shifted the intent of the legislation away from helping those suffering from disease to a bill that would have turned PEPFAR into a taxpayer funded windfall for groups that promote abortion worldwide. ”This Congress also used the Committee hearing process to lay the groundwork in case a President is elected who supports their agenda. Taxpayer-funded destructive embryonic stem cell research, eliminating abstinence funding, overriding the Mexico City Policy, legalizing unrestricted Internet gambling and overturning the ban on homosexuals serving in the military were all on the agenda of this year.” The Scorecard looks at 17 votes in the House and nine votes in the Senate for the full 110th Congress. “The votes recorded here are only part of our effort to protect the family. Only through your help as informed and active constituents, working with us in contacting your Members of Congress on pro-family issues, can we defend traditional pro-family policies in Washington. “There is no greater asset in the battle to preserve the American family than an involved citizenry. Thank you for joining us in our defense of the family. We can't do it without you.” The Scorecard can be downloaded free at http://downloads.frcaction.org/EF/EF08I02.pdf © All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly/Women of Grace. http://www.womenofgrace.com How should our faith inform the way we vote? In “Faith and Politics: Voting the Catholic Conscience,” Ambassador Alan Keyes and Fr. Edmund Sylvia explain how we can use our faith – and our vote – to bring about a more just society. Available in our store at http://womenofgrace.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=141