by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 21, 2004
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A national organization for
pro-life Democrats says it will not back Democratic presidential nominee
John Kerry because of his staunch position in favor of abortion. The
group plans to stay neutral in the presidential campaign because it
doesn't endorse Republicans, thus it cannot support President Bush.
"We
are not taking a position on the race because there is no candidate
that we can support," Kristen Day, director of Democrats for Life
of America, says in a statement posted on the group's web site. "Kerry
is not pro-life and Bush is not a Democrat."
Day says Democrats for Life is receiving pressure daily from people on both sides wanting her group to take a position on the presidential race.
"Some have accused us of being disloyal to the Democratic Party for not endorsing Senator Kerry and others have questioned our commitment to the pro-life cause," Day says.
"I can assure you, our commitment to strengthening the big tent of the Democratic Party and rebuilding a Democratic majority is as true as our commitment to life issues," the group explains. That is why we cannot take a position on this race. We support only those candidates who are both pro-life and Democrat."
Day says DFL can't support Kerry because of his pro-abortion position.
The group notes that Kerry has pledged on his first day in office to fund groups that perform and promote abortions in other countries by overturning a policy President Bush instituted revoking such funding.
Despite Bush having a "proven track record on the abortion issue," Day says DFL is committed to rebuilding her party in a pro-life tradition rather than lending support to pro-life Republicans.
What will pro-life Democrats do on election day?
The group admits that some will vote for Bush and others will support Kerry. But Democrats for Life urges pro-life Democrats to continue working to return the party to its pro-life roots. A Zogby poll showed 40 percent of self-declared Democrats say they oppose abortion.
Many pro-life Democrats will apparently support the president's re-election bid. A recent Survey USA poll shows President Bush faring 13 percent better with pro-life voters than Kerry does with pro-abortion voters.
Related web sites:
Democrats for Life of America - http://www.democratsforlife.org
