The Democratic Party has an abortion problem. Barack Obama, its
presumptive presidential nominee, has compiled what one
TAS writer described
as a 110% pro-abortion record. The extra 10 percent comes from
having twice voted against legislation to protect babies born alive
after botched abortions. (Even the extreme abortion-rights group
NARAL refused to oppose those bills.)
And the last two weeks have seen the party’s top two leaders —
Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — baffled over questions
about when they think human life begins.
Combine such cluelessness with poll numbers that reveal an
increasingly pro-life electorate and the durability of abortion as
a top concern for the party’s most elusive voting bloc,
evangelicals and other regular churchgoers, and it’s easy to see
why softening its pro-abortion image has soared to the top of the
Democratic Party’s to-do list.
But an examination of the party platform, ratified last Monday,
reveals that the Democratic Party has no intention of moderating
its extreme stance on abortion.
Party platforms do not typically garner a lot of attention in
the media. But they matter immensely, because they are often the
only place to get the party’s official list of principles and
policy goals. As in past election years, the 2008 Democratic Party
platform re-affirms the party’s commitment to Roe v. Wade
and taxpayer funding of abortions. But this year the platform
dropped any reference to the goal of making abortion “rare.”
That goal — fewer abortions — was a mainstay in the platform
for decades. And though it always seemed ridiculous, given that the
party’s policies have led to more than 50 million abortions (equal
to the combined populations of 25 states) since Roe, the
inclusion of “rare” as a policy objective showed that the
Democratic Party at least acknowledged what most Americans believe:
that 4,000 abortions a day is too many.
Pro-life Democrats urged the platform committee to include
language about the need to reduce the number of abortions. Instead,
the committee opted for language urging a reduction in “the need
for abortion,” and went on to discuss the importance of sex
education programs and health care to achieve that end. That’s an
important distinction, because the ratified language implies that
women with unintended pregnancies need to have
abortions.
Some Democrats point to fresh platform language stating that the
party “strongly supports a woman’s decision to have a child…” as
proof that the party has “softened” its approach to abortion.
Liberal religious guru Jim Wallis told ABC News, “The language in
the platform is a real step forward. For those women who want to
take the child to term, it strongly supports that choice and
provides necessary support.” But highlighting this language only
begs the question: Did the Democratic Party previously
oppose a woman’s decision to have a child?
NARAL President Nancy Keenan hailed the party’s “strong
pro-choice position,” which “reaffirms, in the strongest of terms,
the Democratic Party’s solid commitment to a woman’s right to
choose as defined by Roe v. Wade.” The new language also
adds the word “unequivocally” to describe the party’s support for
abortion rights.
Keenan also seemed pleased to announce that as the abortion
plank was being written, “no debates, changes or amendments were
raised related to a woman’s right to choose.” That opposing views
were never considered reveals just how committed the Democrats are
to moderation on abortion.
Perhaps worst of all, the new platform language does not even
recognize a moral dimension to abortion. In 2000, the platform
declared, “The Democratic Party is a party of inclusion. 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.”
By omitting such language, the Democratic Party has revealed
that it thinks people of goodwill cannot believe abortion is wrong.
It has effectively stated: pro-life Americans need not apply to the
Democratic Party. Which is ironic considering the theme of this
year’s convention: One America.
Democrats’ omission of a “conscience clause” is even more ironic
given what their leader has said about abortion. During his recent
discussion with Pastor Rick Warren at Saddleback Church, Obama
expressed “respect” for the views of pro-life advocates. In The
Audacity of Hope, Obama calls abortion “undeniably difficult,”
“a very difficult issue,” “never a good thing” and “a wrenching
moral issue.” He even laments his party’s “litmus test” for
“orthodoxy” on abortion.
Could it be that the Democratic Party’s abortion position has
become even more extreme than that of the most pro-abortion
presidential candidate ever?
