The Democratic Party’s national political agenda should not exclude anti-abortion dialogue, argued the executive director of Democrats for Life of America, an anti-abortion advocacy group, during a Georgetown University Right to Life discussion Nov. 9.
The event, titled “Pro-life Across the Aisle,” featured Kristen Day, DFLA’s executive director, speaking with around 15 students about her organization’s work to integrate the national anti-abortion movement with the mission of the Democratic Party.
The party’s 2016 platform, its most recent, supports “safe and legal” abortion and endorses a plan to end a ban on federal funding for abortion, a stance that NARAL Pro-Choice America, a pro-abortion rights advocacy group, praised as the “best ever for reproductive freedom.” Prominent Democrats including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have vocally supported funding for Planned Parenthood, a national provider of reproductive health services, including abortion.
Founded in 1999, DFLA advocates for and supports programs and policies that respect and promote human life from conception to natural death, according to the organization’s mission statement. This mission includes opposition to abortion, capital punishment and euthanasia.
The support for anti-abortion Democrats is dwindling, Day said. The number of Democrats identifying with the anti-abortion movement in government is at its lowest numbers since the 1930s, according to Day.
Day attributed the decreasing numbers to the increasingly polarized nature of national politics, arguing that the Democratic Party is cultivating a culture in which anti-abortion activists are unwelcome.
“The Democratic Party is kicking pro-life members out, encouraging them not to run, or to run on a pro-choice platform,” Day said.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez drew the ire of anti-abortion Democrats in April when he released a statement stating that “every candidate who runs as a Democrat” should support the party’s pro-abortion rights stance.
However, Pelosi later said in an interview that “of course” it is possible for Democrats to oppose abortion rights, while Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Ben Ray Luján said in July the party would not withhold financial support for anti-abortion candidates in the 2018 elections.
Day said anti-abortion issues are important to the future growth of the Democratic Party.
“Pro-life Democrats’ voice is so important within the party, talking not only about abortion but whole-life issues,” Day said. “Nobody wants to find common ground anymore, but I still think we can do it.”
DFLA must work actively to recruit financial donations to build on its mission, which must include lobbying the Democratic Party to be inclusive of anti-abortion advocacy, Day said.
“I don’t want to give to the Democratic Party,” Day said. “I want to give to pro-life candidates; please direct my money there.”
Day, who now oversees all operations in DFLA’s Washington, D.C. office, said she became interested in politics as a sophomore at Michigan State University when she was selected to serve as a precinct delegate for the Democratic Party.
Day then became the chief of staff for Rep. Jim Barcia (D-Mich.), who opposed abortion. Day has been advocating for anti-abortion policy since then.
Havens Clark (COL ’20), president of Right to Life, said the event aimed to promote a conversation about anti-abortion initiatives and raise awareness about the efforts of Democratic politicians and activists who identify with the anti-abortion movement.
“We are trying to dispel the notion that a lot of people get that Democrats are all pro-choice,” Clark said. “We have members of our organization who are Democrats, so we want to support them with this event and create a dialogue that was more bipartisan.”
Michael DeFelice (COL ’20), who identifies as a Democrat and is a member of Right to Life, said many students at Georgetown do not know that there are groups that support both Democratic and anti-abortion policy.
“[These events] tell people that we exist and that the Democratic Party needs to support candidates that are pro-life in order to start winning,” DeFelice said.
Regardless of how low Democratic anti-abortion support may be, Day said she will continue to advocate for anti-abortion Democratic initiatives.
“I really believe the Democratic Party should be the pro-life party,” Day said. “We need to make bipartisanship cool again.”
Correction: A previous version of this article stated Democrats for Life of America was founded in 2005. It was founded in 1999.