Yesterday, the Democratic National Committee released its most radically pro-abortion platform to date, alienating Pro-Life Democrats and confirming President Obama’s extreme position on abortion.
“What we’re seeing is the abortion lobby taking over an entire political party,” said Elizabeth Graham, Director of Texas Right to Life. “The Democratic National Committee’s revised platform calls for unrestricted abortion on demand, at any time during pregnancy, and on the taxpayer’s dime. That’s been the abortion lobby’s goal all along.”
The following excerpt from the platform speaks to those goals and is an affront to the bipartisan Pro-Life majority in this country:
Protecting A Woman’s Right to Choose. The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to make decisions regarding her pregnancy, including a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay. We oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right. Abortion is an intensely personal decision between a woman, her family, her doctor, and her clergy; there is no place for politicians or government to get in the way.
There’s a lot being said in those short three sentences. Let’s take a closer look:
“Strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade.”
This indicates that the party and its leaders explicitly support every aspect of the court ruling that allows for abortion at any stage of pregnancy – even partial birth abortions or when science has documented when an unborn child can feel pain.
“A woman’s right to make decisions regarding her pregnancy, including a safe and legal abortion.”
Until 2008, the democratic platform called for abortion to be safe, legal, and rare. Since Barack Obama has been the candidate of the Democratic Party, the word “rare” has been struck from the platform, and the extreme positions of the most pro-abortion president have been adopted.
“Regardless of ability to pay.”
Taxpayer funding of abortion has long been opposed by the majority of the country, yet this platform states that, along with supporting Roe to the very point of birth, all taxpayers should be expected to fork over their money for government-funded abortions.
“We oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right.”
Pro-Life activists have long-sought informed consent legislation that allows a parent to be involved in a minor’s decision to abort her child, as well allowing a woman to see the sonogram of her unborn child before having an abortion. This platform calls for unmitigated, unregulated access to abortion that might not meet medical standards.
“Abortion is an intensely personal decision between a woman, her family, her doctor, and her clergy; there is no place for politicians or government to get in the way.”
This calls for all government entities and politicians to remove themselves from the abortion debate in this country. Yet, just two beats before this sentence, the platform calls on taxpayers to unwillingly subsidize abortion and the abortion industry. The platform also demonizes, for example, commonsense regulations requiring doctors to screen for coercion, or requiring a doctor to outline all medical risks associated with abortion.
This doesn’t sound pro-woman, or even pro-choice. Graham concluded, “That an entire campaign can rally around death and call it ‘women’s health’ is very disturbing. Abortion is not healthcare. Abortion is a cop-out to real opportunity and respect for women.”
This extreme Democratic Party platform will force Pro-Life Democrats to compromise their values. Like the abortion lobby itself, it is out of step with the Pro-Life majority of Americans, with women, and even with standard medical practice.