Pro-Life Democrats Will Rally Against Abortion at Democratic Convention
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 19, 2004
Boston, MA (LifeNews.com) — Though they constitute a sizable minority, pro-life Democrats are often the forgotten element of a Democratic Party increasingly dominated by abortion advocates.
To make their case that the party’s extreme pro-abortion stance is alienating voters, members of Democrats for Life of America will conduct a rally at the 2004 Democratic convention in Boston.
"This is a homecoming party for the many pro-life democrats who have left our party," says DFLA executive director Kristen Day. "We are dedicated Democrats who are tired of standing outside the big tent."
Members of the pro-life Democratic group will sport buttons with the phrase "43 percent of Democrats can’t be wrong."
That’s a reference to a January 2004 Zogby poll that found 43 percent of respondents who call themselves Democrats take a pro-life position opposing most or all abortions.
Hearkening back to previous battles within the party, Patrick and Robert Casey, Jr., sons of the late Governor Robert Casey from Pennsylvania, will speak at the DFLA event.
In 1992, Bill Clinton’s campaign prevented Governor Casey, despite his solid liberal credentials on other issues, from speaking at the Democratic convention.
The Democratic Party will continue to lose elections — especially in Southern and Midwestern states — because of its pro-abortion stand, Day contends.
"The current Democratic platform supporting abortion on demand, an unrestricted ‘right to chose’ is going to be our party’s ‘right to lose,’" Day said. "If we loyal Democrats don’t want four more years of Bush, we’ve got to care enough to stay in our party and change its extreme and fatal abortion position so we can win again."
Day encourages pro-life Democrats to return to the fold.
"To all those who have left the party, we say come back," Day said. "Come back and help us bring our Party back to its nonviolent principles."
However, many pro-life Democrats are voting to re-elect President Bush, and they supported him in 2000 against pro-abortion presidential candidate Al Gore.
A study published by the Gallup Poll Special Report entitled "Public Opinion About Abortion — An In-Depth Review" said "the abortion issue has been an advantage for Republican candidates" for all six presidential elections from 1984 to 2000 because of the nominee’s pro-life position.
In the 2000 presidential election, Gallup polls showed that 14 percent of voters (the highest percentage ever) said abortion was one of the most important issues on which they based their vote for president.
Of those voters, 58 percent supported Bush while only 41% supported pro-abortion candidate Al Gore.
Likely Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, and his running mate, North Carolina Senator John Edwards, both favor abortion.
Established in May 2002, Democrats for Life of America has grown to include nearly thirty-two state chapters.
Several pro-life Democrats in Congress have lent their names to the effort, including Bart Stupak of Michigan, James Oberstar of Minnesota, James Langevin of Rhode Island and
Senator Ben Nelson (Nebraska).
In addition to the rally, The Third Annual Pro-Life Democrat Hall of Fame Dinner will also take place in Boston during Convention Week. The event is July 26 from 4-6 pm in the Great Hall of the Massachusetts State House.
DFLA’s dinner host is Massachusetts Speaker of the House and pro-life Democrat Tom Finneran.
Related web sites:
Democrats for Life of America – https://www.democratsforlife.org
