More Than 100 Democrats Push DNC to Open Door to Pro-Lifers

The Democratic Party has made it increasingly clear that pro-life sentiment has no place in the national platform, and they are swiftly eliminating Democratic politicians who believe otherwise. But now pro-life Democrats are pushing back; in a letter to the Democratic National Committee’s platform committee this week, more than 100 Democratic politicians are calling on the DNC to change their platform and welcome pro-lifers into the fold.

“In the U.S., pro-life Democrats have been a critical part of the coalition to expand voting rights, improve health care, and pass criminal justice reform,” the letter said. “These accomplishments would not have been possible if the Democratic Party had in place a litmus test on abortion.”

The Democrats warned that the party’s ever-more extreme stance on abortion over the last twenty years has sent a message to pro-life Democrats: You don’t belong in this party. They said this was a grave political mistake, seeing as how more than 30% of Democrats consider themselves to be anti-abortion. Democrats like John Bel Edwards, the Louisiana governor who signed a “heartbeat bill” last year, and Katrina Jackson, the Louisiana senator who wrote the state’s abortion clinic law, were among the signatories.

“In 389 out of 435 Congressional districts, a majority of voters support a ban on abortion after 20 weeks,” they wrote. “When Democratic leaders support late-term abortion, they push many voters into the arms of the Republican Party. Many people holding pro-life views are single-issue voters.”

As recently as 2000, the DNC welcomed pro-life views into the party: “We respect the individual conscience of each American on this difficult issue, and we welcome all our members to participate at every level of our party.”

Four years later, this language was tightened up in an obviously pro-abortion direction, but it did still maintain a commitment to keeping abortion “safe, legal, and rare.”

But by the time Hillary Clinton was at the top of the party in 2016, the word “rare” was off the table. The new mandate was simply “safe and legal” abortion, which is to say: Virtually no restrictions on the procedure whatsoever. And this view of the procedure has been clearly woven into the party’s political rhetoric, to say nothing of their votes. They support no restrictions on abortion, no matter how limited. In Virginia, there was even legislation written to allow doctors to let a baby die if it survives an abortion procedure.

How anyone who considers abortion to be murder could still vote for Democratic politicians is beyond us. And we’re pretty sure – letter or no letter – that the party is too far gone to be drawn back in.