A pro-life Democrat who was kicked out of his party earlier this year for supporting unborn babies’ right to life has a new position advising the pro-life Republican governor of Tennessee.
The AP reports Gov. Bill Lee chose former state Rep. John DeBerry to fill a senior advisor position in his cabinet this week.
“John has fought to protect life, provide better education options for Tennessee students and to reform our criminal justice system, and I’m honored to have his counsel within the cabinet,” Lee said in a statement.
A state lawmaker for 26 years, DeBerry lost his seat Nov. 3 to pro-abortion Democrat Torrey Harris. DeBerry ran as an independent this fall after the state Democratic Party kicked him off the ballot after he voted in favor of the state heartbeat law, which bans abortions once an unborn baby’s heartbeat is detectable.
In his new role in Lee’s administration, DeBerry is tasked with advising the governor about education, criminal justice reform and other issues, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. He begins Dec. 1.
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Lee said DeBerry is “a respected leader and man of faith who has served our state with integrity for decades as both a legislator and civil rights champion.”
In a statement, DeBerry said he felt honored to serve his constituents for 26 years, and he is looking forward to continuing to serve the people of Tennessee in his new role.
What happened to DeBerry is a sign of the growing pro-abortion extremism among Democratic Party leadership. Some pro-life Democrats are leaving the party, others like DeBerry are being kicked out, and still others who remain are being told that they are no longer welcome.
Recently, DeBerry joined more than 100 other Democrat leaders in urging the party to stop being so extreme on abortion. The party platform supports abortions without restriction as well as taxpayer-funded abortions through Medicaid and other federal programs.
The open letter, led by Democrats for Life of America, called on the party “to recognize the inviolable human dignity of the child, before and after birth.”
“We urge you to reject a litmus test on pro-life people of faith seeking office in the Democratic Party,” they said.
Voters have been leaving the Democratic Party because of its extreme stance on abortion. Most Americans, religious or not, disagree with its platform, which supports unrestricted abortions and demands that taxpayers pay for them.
A 2019 poll by Marist University found a startling, double-digit shift in the number of Democrats who identify as pro-life. The poll came right after Democrat political leaders defended infanticide and abortions up to birth.
Polls show strong opposition to taxpayer-funded abortions as well. A 2016 Harvard University poll found that only 36 percent of likely voters support overturning the Hyde Amendment and forcing Americans to fund abortions. A 2019 poll by Marist University found similarly strong opposition.
