Pro-Life Democrats: Party Should Moderate Abortion Stance After Election Loss 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 4, 2004
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — A national group for pro-life Democrats says the Democratic Party needs to moderate its rigid stance in favor of abortion following Tuesday’s election defeats.
Pro-abortion nominee John Kerry failed in his attempt to defeat President Bush and pro-abortion Democrats lost numbers key House and Senate races. In addition, Republicans picked up control of in three state legislative bodies. In almost all cases, pro-life Republicans defeated pro-abortion Democrats.
"We are hopeful the national party will reassess its pro-abortion stance after the disastrous results of Tuesday night," Democrats for Life director Kristin Day said. "They are costing us elections and abandoning our founding values of protecting and advocating for those who need a helping hand. At the top of that list should be helping protect the rights of the unborn."
Calling Tuesday’s election "one of the worst performances in recent memory," Day pointed to numerous election victories for pro-life Democrats as evidence that a position in favor of abortion is hurting most party candidates.
Democrats who took a pro-life position won a governor’s race in West Virginia, made runoffs in two Congressional seats in Louisiana and won a host of legislative seats in places such as Iowa, Missouri and Michigan.
“The good news is pro-life Democrats are winning campaigns," Day said. "Pro-life Democrats win because they withstand the pressure of the national party and represent the values of their local communities."
Polls show that Democratic party leaders don’t represent grassroots Democrats on abortion.
While a January 2003 Zogby poll revealed 43 percent of Democrats oppose all or most abortions, a CBS News poll indicated that delegates to the Democratic convention in Boston that nominated Kerry were twice as likely as Democratic voters to support abortion in all cases.
"When Democrats take a stand and protect the rights of the unborn, we win elections. When Democrats campaign on a pro-abortion platform, they lose," Day explained.
Kerry’s pro-abortion position lost him the endorsement of the national group and two of its affiliates, including the Florida chapter, refused to back his candidacy because of his pro-abortion view.
Exit polls show that President Bush received the support of 80 percent of the 22 percent of voters who say they made their decision based on moral issues such as abortion. Likely, many Democrats supported the president because of his pro-life policies.
Democrats For Life of America currently has 32 state chapters with plans to expand the group into additional states by the end of they year. Several pro-life Democrats in Congress serve as official advisors.
Related web sites:
Democrats for Life – https://www.democratsforlife.org
