Pro-Life Democrats Hold National Convention: “We Want Our Party Back” From Abortion Activists

National   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Jul 19, 2018   |   3:32PM   |   Washington, DC

Yes, they still exist, and they are calling on party leaders to welcome them back.

The pro-life organization Democrats for Life is holding a national convention this weekend in Denver, Colorado, to highlight how protections for unborn babies should be part of liberal/progressive values.

“I grew up in a time where the Democratic Party stood for the most vulnerable in our society,” said Dr. Tom Perille, leader of the Colorado Democrats for Life chapter. “We want the party back to be the voice for the most vulnerable.”

Perille told the news site Westword he believes abortion is a “moral tragedy,” and the Democratic Party once welcomed members who believed that, too.

He is not alone. About 26 percent of registered Democrats identify as pro-life and even more, 32 percent, believe abortion is morally wrong, according to Gallup polling. Democrats for Life estimates more than 23 million Democrats in the U.S. are pro-life.

The theme of the convention, “I Want My Party Back,” taps into those statistics.

Here’s more from the report:

Perille says the party has been “hijacked intellectually” by abortion lobbyists, unable to recognize either the moral argument that pro-lifers are making or the political benefit of becoming the “big tent” party, inclusive of both pro-life and pro-choice views. Democrats for Life of America argues that the Democrats’ swing toward pro-choice platforms has isolated voters and resulted in big losses for the party. For example, [Democrats for Life Executive Director Kristen] Day attributes Republicans’ sweeping victories in the 2014 midterm elections partly to Democrats’ choice to expand abortion coverage in the Affordable Care Act.

“I do think that’s part of the reason that [Hillary] Clinton lost. People couldn’t vote for her after that,” Day says, referring to the presidential debate in which she stood by her previous support for late-term abortions. “You can’t put abortion above everything else.”

Perille said pro-life Democrats often feel that they do not fit in anywhere.

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“When I try collaborate with other pro-lifers, I have to overcome the bias against Democrats and be at the table, and when I try to collaborate with Democrats, I have to overcome the bias against the pro-life position,” he said.

Their own party increasingly has been rejecting them and siding with the well-funded abortion industry instead. The Democratic Party has adopted an increasingly radical stance on abortion. In 2016, the DNC approved a platform calling for full support of abortion for any reason up to birth and taxpayer funding of abortions. Both are widely unpopular positions among the general public.

Democrats for Life supports protections for unborn babies, as well as the elderly and other vulnerable members of society through opposition to assisted suicide and euthanasia. It also supports paid family leave, taxpayer-funded support for pregnant and parenting moms, disability programs, affordable healthcare and the defunding of Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion group in America.

Speakers at the convention include U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski, a pro-life Democrat from Illinois, and former U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, as well as well-known pro-life advocates Abby Johnson, Ryan Bomberger, Democrats for Life Executive Director Kristen Day, Destiny Herndon De La Rosa of New Wave Feminists, Alison Howard Centofante of Live Action and Students for Life’s Lauren Castillo.

More information about the convention is available on the Democrats for Life website.

Pro-abortion groups are planning a protest outside the convention Saturday, according to the local news.