Democratic Party Chair Howard Dean Promotes Abortion on Roe Anniversary 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
January 23, 2008
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — Republicans and Democrats couldn’t be further apart when it comes to the issue of abortion. Polls show a majority of Republicans are pro-life while a majority of Democrats are pro-abortion and Howard Dean, the head of the Democratic Party, proved the latter in comments celebrating the thirty-fifth anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
"As we mark the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade today, Democrats stand solidly in support of women and their right to make important life decisions about their health care," Dean said in a statement LifeNews.com obtained.
"It’s critical that abortion remain a personal decision," Dean added.
Though women have never been subjected to prosecution for illegal abortions, Dean added, "If Roe was overturned, women and their doctors would be treated like criminals, jeopardizing women’s health and safety."
A September survey conducted by the Diageo polling firm of self-identified Republicans shows 63 percent of Republicans said they want all or almost all abortions prohibited, while just 20 percent said abortions should be legal. Another 16 percent want them legal but want more limits on them.
And a June survey by the Republican-leaning Fabrizio-McLaughlin polling firm of Republicans found only 16 percent of GOP voters say abortion should always be legal.
Another question in the poll asked the GOP voters to identify themselves as "pro-life" or "pro-choice," and 61 percent of Republicans say they are pro-life while just 34 percent said they’re not.
In December 2003, a Zogby poll found 43 percent of Democrats oppose abortion.
However, their strongly pro-abortion presidential candidates haven’t reflected the views of the party — something that Kristin Day of Democrats for Life of America laments.
"Unfortunately, the ‘big-tent’ Democratic party has allowed itself to be controlled by pro-choice forces and suffered as a result," Day explained. "For the past 25 years, pro-life Democrats have been leaving the party over the issue of abortion."
"If Democrats are going to be a majority party again, Democrats must embrace pro-lifers and encourage them to come back," Day has said. "To do that, we first have to prove that we’re sincere in our openness and that we stand behind our ‘big tent’ policy of welcoming those with differing views on issues such as abortion."
However, if Democrats nominated a pro-life candidate for the presidency, a ChristiaNet.com survey shows 43 percent of pro-life voters would strongly consider supporting the candidate.
A November Harris poll also illustrates the political divide on abortion, even though its question was worded in a biased way.
It found Republicans oppose Roe on a 51-45 percentage point margin while Democrats favor it by a 63-33 percent margin.
Related web sites:
Democrats for Life of America – https://www.democratsforlife.org
