A letter from Democrats for Life of America (DFLA) released on Friday to members of the Democrat Party’s platform committee was clear: back off on your radical stand on “abortion at any time for any reason right up until the birth of the child” or lose the election in November.
Signed by more than 100 “current and former elected Democrats from many states, representing millions of Americans,” the letter lists three “concerns”, as summarized:
• “Many Democratic leaders support policies on abortion that are radically out of line with public opinion”;
• “Due to this wide disparity, the Democratic Party is alienating voters”; and
• “An extreme position on abortion rights violates our commitment to inclusivity and diversity.”
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The letter quotes the results of a number of polls supporting the point: Abortion at any time, for any reason, is opposed by 79 percent of Americans; taxpayer funding of abortion is opposed by 60 percent of Americans; taxpayer funding of abortion in other countries is opposed by 76 percent of Americans; 30 percent of pro-life voters will only vote for a candidate with their views; and 29 percent of Democrat voters identify themselves as “pro-life.”
Three governors or former governors signed the letter along with nine members of Congress, 57 state legislators, 30 local Democrat officials, and nine Democratic nominees.
A letter sent by DFLA to the platform committee in July was more explicit:
Inspired by the Christian faith, we note that the Bible calls on us to speak up in favor of those who do not have a voice….
We also note that life begins at fertilization….
We note that abortion takes the life of the innocent, which is against Scripture….
95% of biologists affirm the biological view that life begins at fertilization….
Leading scholars … have rejected Roe v. Wade as “bad constitutional law.”…
Denying personhood to the pre-born child has disturbing parallels to Dred Scott v. Sandford….
The U.S. is just one of seven countries, alongside North Korea, to allow the horrific practice of elective late-term abortion after 20 weeks.
Such a radical position has already cost the Democrat Party dearly, according to DFLA’s Executive Director Kristen Day. Since 2010 Democrats have “lost their political advantages” in Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana, which have flipped from blue to red. In 2010 Democrats had control of both houses of state legislatures and the governorships of 27 states. “Today,” she said, “that number is 15.”
During that time period, added Day, “the Democratic Party has moved away from ‘safe, legal and rare’” to supporting “abortion up to nine months for any reason.”
She used South Carolina as an example:
This is a truly extreme policy embraced by only 13 percent of South Carolina voters. The fact that the Democratic Party can win back South Carolina from Donald Trump by embracing a policy supported by only 13 percent of the voters is crazy.
It’s even crazier that the Democratic Party leans on black voters and the black church for support but refuses to respect their deeply held values on life….
The South is especially important because it includes swing states where the right to life issue is critical. The Democratic Party says it is serious about defeating Donald Trump but is ignoring millions of pro-life Democrats in these swing states….
A majority of people are in the middle. None of these people are represented in the [party’s present] platform.
The addition of Kamala Harris to the Democrat Party ticket this week brings with it her “abortion absolutism,” which means that this complaint from the tiny DFLA is likely to be ignored by the platform committee. This only adds to the calculation that increasingly shows that the Democrats are likely to lose the election in November.
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An Ivy League graduate and former investment advisor, Bob is a regular contributor to The New American primarily on economics and politics. He can be reached at [email protected].
