Longtime Democrat Congressman Nancy Pelosi, a fierce proponent of abortion whose unyielding support for killing babies has drawn sharp rebukes from Catholic leaders, is poised to retire from Congress at the end of her current term.
The 85-year-old California lawmaker, who has represented San Francisco since 1987, has finally announced she is stepping down.
In a CNN interview aired Monday, Pelosi emphasized her drive to reclaim House control for Democrats, saying, “For me, it’s just a question about one thing: winning the House for the Democrats, and that’s what we’re doing with Proposition 50. It’s the first step.”
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She added, “And the only reason I’m in Congress this term is to win the House for the Democrats, to protect us from the poison of the Trump administration.”
For pro-life advocates, Pelosi’s potential exit represents a long-awaited shift in a chamber where she wielded immense influence to advance abortion-on-demand policies.
As House speaker from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023, she steered through landmark legislation, including the Affordable Care Act, which expanded taxpayer funding for abortion despite fierce opposition from faith-based groups.
Her pro-abortion record has long clashed with her Catholic faith, drawing condemnation from church officials.
San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone barred her from receiving Holy Communion in 2022, citing her “persistent advocacy for abortion.”
Pelosi dismissed the rebuke, stating, “I received Communion anyway. That’s his problem, not mine. My Catholic faith is, Christ is my savior. It has nothing to do with the bishops.”
The decision to send her as a U.S. delegate to Pope Francis’ funeral in April further inflamed tensions, with critics arguing it rewarded a politician whose views they see as antithetical to core Catholic teachings on the sanctity of life.
Pelosi’s departure from leadership came in late 2022 after Republicans reclaimed the House majority, but she clung to her seat through another reelection bid in 2024. At the time, she brushed aside retirement talk, announcing her candidacy on X with a vow to continue fighting for progressive priorities, including abortion.
Yet, as speculation mounted this fall, challengers began circling her district, including state Sen. Scott Wiener, who launched his bid last month amid reports of her imminent exit.
The timing aligns with California’s Proposition 50 vote Tuesday, a Democratic-backed measure to redraw congressional maps in ways that could bolster the party’s hold on seats like Pelosi’s.
Analysts say her retirement clears the path for younger Democrats.
