Following the adoption of the Democratic Party’s most pro-abortion platform to date, as well as the nomination of Hillary Clinton – arguably the most pro-abortion presidential candidate in American history – pro-life Democrats are speaking out against the party’s stance on abortion.
Although a minority, pro-life Democrats represent a significant group, and they argue that the Democratic Party cannot win elections in the long-run if they continue to ignore – and even attempt to silence – pro-lifers within the party.
Sterling Miller, a pro-life Democrat from Pennsylvania, explained: “The platform they just adopted is the most extreme that we’ve ever seen, at least as far as I know. I think that that signals that pro-life Democrats aren’t really welcome, which is really troubling.”
Democrats for Life America Executive Director Kristen Day said that only one pro-life Democrat was part of the DNC platform committee. That one man is James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute. Zogby told reporters that he proposed including language expressing that Democrats have various views on abortion, but his proposal was rejected.
Zogby said that the party’s rejection of pro-life ideas “indicates a kind of tone-deafness and insularity to where most Democrats are.” “It almost makes it look like the default position is an abortion,” he continued.
Pro-life Democrats expressed frustration with Clinton’s VP pick, Sen. Tim Kaine, who formerly promoted himself as pro-life, but reportedly flip-flopped on the Hyde Amendment just in time to join the Clinton ticket. (Kaine has since stated that he has not changed his position on the Hyde Amendment, and disagrees with Clinton on taxpayer-funded abortions.)
“I need to talk to [Kaine],” Day said. “You know, if you believe in the sanctity of life, you may still think that women should have the choice, and you may vote that way, but you know as far as when you get to taxpayer funding of abortion, that’s just something that’s really repulsive.”
Whether pro-life Democrats can retake their influence within the party remains to be seen, but the party’s recent steps toward taxpayer-funded abortions with no limits is not encouraging to members who want to protect human life.
