A group of more than 100 Christian pastors and religious advocates signed a letter to the Democratic Party urging leadership to moderate the party’s position on abortion.
The letter acknowledges that those who are calling for the action are among a mix of political parties and registered voters, but they all “appreciate the Democratic Party’s stated commitment to human rights, equality, and fairness.”
The Christian leaders argued that by softening the platform’s pro-abortion stance, the party would do more to embrace policies that protect women and children, especially minorities.
“We call upon you to recognize the inviolable human dignity of the child, before and after birth,” the letter reads. “We urge you to reject a litmus test on pro-life people of faith seeking office in the Democratic Party. Crucially, we urge you to end the explicit support in your platform for abortion extremism, such as taxpayer-funded abortion in America and overseas.”
The Democratic National Committee’s platform drafting committee is set to release its proposed 2020 platform, which will be approved at its August convention in Milwaukee. It seeks to restore federal funding for Planned Parenthood and may for the first time include a commitment to codify Roe v. Wade, per the recommendation of the Biden-Sanders Unity Taskforce.
“Democrats believe that every woman should be able to access high-quality reproductive health care services, including safe and legal abortion,” the recommendation says. “Democrats oppose and will fight to overturn federal and state laws that create barriers to women’s reproductive rights, including repealing the Hyde Amendment, and will work to protect and codify Roe v. Wade.”
Kristen Day, the executive director of Democrats For Life of America, said the letter emphasizes voters’ disagreements with presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s personal stance on abortion and that he is at risk of alienating Democratic minorities and religious voters because of them.
“The Democratic Party should seek to include these voters rather than push them into the arms of the Republican Party,” Day said. “An extreme approach to abortion is playing right into the hands of Donald Trump’s destructive agenda. We call on the Democratic Party to moderate its platform and show a real sign of openness to pro-life voters.”
