WASHINGTON, D.C. — After coming under fire for attending a fundraiser for EMILY’s List last month — a political action committee dedicated to electing pro-choice women to office — Democratic Senator Bob Casey met with the head of Democrats for Life (DFLA) on Tuesday.

“We appreciate Senator Casey’s pro-life votes — most recently, voting to provide health care to unwanted children who survive an abortion attempt,” said Kristen Day, the executive director of DFLA, in a statement after the meeting. “However, you cannot claim to be for something and then turn around and support a group that stands directly against those ideals.”

Day told Crux that the board of Democrats for Life is eager to see more Democratic leaders elected to office, particularly in Congress, because there are so many other issues, such as anti-poverty issues, that the group agrees with the Democratic party on.

On the issue of abortion, however, she said that the group stands in stark contrast to EMILY’s List.

“EMILY’s List does not exist to support Democrats, but to support only abortion rights and exclusively female candidates who support abortion rights,” said Day.

“DFLA exists to support pro-life Democrats, as Senator Casey has declared himself to be as recently as his last re-election in 2018 when we proudly supported his candidacy,” she continued in a statement.

“We share the senator’s support for electing more Democrats. But that can be done without compromising his pro-life position,” said Day. “We urge the senator to support and be a voice for prolife candidates, who often find our party not very welcoming and are often told to change their position in exchange for support from the party.”

Casey has served in the U.S. Senate since 2006, when he beat then two-term Senator Rick Senator. In 2018, he was elected for a third consecutive term in office.

EMILY’s List — an acronym for “Early Money is Like Yeast” — was founded in 1985 and is widely considered one of the most powerful political groups in favor of abortion rights. Casey attended their annual gala in early April, despite the fact that he has repeatedly campaigned against abortion.

The Catholic senator holds a law degree from the Catholic University of America (CUA) and served in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps after completing his undergraduate degree at the College of the Holy Cross.