Last month, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez sent shockwaves across the country when he announced that every Democrat must support abortion.
His statement was in response to a growing chorus of people calling for Democrats to be more open to and accepting of pro-lifers. This chorus came as the Democratic Party officially became more extreme on the issue of abortion than ever before in its 2016 platform – even officially calling for an end to the Hyde Amendment. Things got even worse when Heath Mello, a Democrat who supports legalized abortion, ran for mayor of Omaha, Nebraska. While Mello claims that his pro-life views are merely “personal,” it was discovered that he had supported basic, popular abortion restrictions such as informed consent laws.
Time and again, research shows that Americans don’t support taxpayer funding for abortion. The majority of them view abortion as morally wrong, and the majority supports restrictions on abortion – including a significant number of Democrats. Most Americans shudder in the face of abortion’s real facts – such as those displayed in the viral Abortion Procedure videos.
Chairman Perez, however, did not show any signs of being willing to welcome pro-lifers to the party, calling support for abortion a “non-negotiable.” He swore that the DNC would support only pro-abortion candidates. Approximately one third of Democrats identify as pro-life.
Unsurprisingly, there was no shortage of controversy over Perez’s remarks. And now, an aide for Perez has confirmed to The Atlantic that the chairman has agreed to meet with Democrats for Life.
Months ago, Perez spoke about not requiring Democrats to swear “fealty” on every issue. But that was before NARAL complained that big-name Democrats were openly supporting Mello in the face of his pro-life actions. After NARAL inserted itself in Democratic party business, Perez made his controversial statement about abortion support being non-negotiable. Even Nancy Pelosi, who has a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood Action, bristled at Perez’s comments, arguing that pro-life Democrats should be welcomed into the party.
Predictably, Perez’s decision to reach out to groups like Democrats for Life has abortion activists angry. “It’s incredibly discouraging to hear what sounds like equivocating on this issue,” Erin Matson said to The Atlantic. “That’s what it looks like when Democrats, in Congress or at the DNC, indicate a willingness to support, or set aside time to meet with, anyone who doesn’t believe that women’s reproductive rights are fundamental human rights.”
Matson is the founder of Reproaction and previously argued that women don’t deserve better than abortion. She also furiously slammed Democrats who called for the party to be less extreme on abortion and said the party should continue to reject pro-lifers. Matson previously complained that Barack Obama’s presidency was not pro-abortion enough. Suffice it to say, there’s no surprise she’s angry that Perez is willing to listen to what Democrats for Life has to say.
The real question here is this: whom does Perez want to be accountable to? He can choose to continue to be a slave to organizations like Planned Parenthood and NARAL, and to bend over backwards to appease pro-abortion extremists like Erin Matson…or he can choose to serve the American people and a significant portion of the Democratic Party, who, time after time, have shown they do not agree with such pro-abortion extremism and abortion on demand. It should be extremely telling to Tom Perez and the entire Democratic Party that Matson is objecting to Perez’s willingness to even “set aside time to meet” with pro-life Democrats. What does it say about abortion activists if they do not believe that others even deserve to be heard? The fact that the majority of Americans support abortion restrictions doesn’t change, no matter how loudly abortion extremists like Erin Matson and NARAL complain.
So whom does Tom Perez want to serve? The American people or the abortion lobby? It seems we will find out very soon.
