Is there room in the party for Pro-Life Democrats? According to the Democratic presidential front runners, the answer is “No.”
At a presidential forum in New Hampshire, a moderator from MSNBC asked Bernie Sanders, “Is there such a thing as a Pro-Life Democrat in your vision of the party?” Sanders answered without hesitation, “I think being pro-choice is an absolutely essential part of being a Democrat.” He concluded by stating, “I think by this time in history, I think when we talk about what a Democrat is, I think being pro-choice is an essential part of that.”
Sanders’s comments come on the heels of fellow Democrat presidential frontrunner Pete Buttigieg telling a Pro-Life Democrat that she’s not welcome in the party. Since making that statement, Buttigieg has tried to backtrack his comments. When asked on “The View” to clarify his statements on abortion, he dodged the question and said there should be no legal limits on abortion. This answer implies support for abortion on demand up to and after the point of birth, something he has previously declared on the campaign trail.
When moderators raised this question during Democratic presidential debates, the candidates similarly reaffirmed the role of abortion on demand in their party, outlining how they would further entrench a culture of death in the United States by codifying Roe v. Wade and removing states’ ability to protect innocent preborn Life. In fact, Democrats are chastised for wanting any restrictions on abortion:
- Tulsi Gabbard was reamed for opposing third-trimester abortions and for repeating the now-outdated “safe, legal, and rare” Clinton mantra; and
- Joe Biden shifted from his former opposition to taxpayer-funded abortions.
This all points to just how radical and intolerant the Democratic Party has become on the issue of abortion.
Abortion being an essential belief for a Democrat is not only ridiculous, but also foolhardy. Buttigieg and Sanders, the two Democratic presidential winners of the first caucus and first primary in the nation respectively, are alienating approximately 21 million voters who are both Pro-Life and Democrat. If the Democrats’ goal is to beat the most Pro-Life president in history, they are going to need all the votes they can get, including from those whom they are now marginalizing with their comments. As Meghan McCain warned Buttigieg in response to his comments on “The View”, espousing such radical views on abortion will not win over the independent and moderate Republicans he is trying to persuade to vote for him.