Last Sunday Democrats for Life of America (DFLA) published a full-page ad in the New York Times. It reprinted an August 14 letter from current and retired Democratic Party officials to the platform committee of the Democratic National Convention (DNC). It pressed the committee to listen to the “voices of innumerable elected pro-life Democrats across the United States of America” and reject the radical departure from the platform of the 2000 convention.
The Democratic Platform of 2000 wanted abortion to be “less necessary and more rare.” It also stated, “[W]e respect the individual conscience of each American on this difficult issue, and we welcome all our members to participate at every level of our party.” This language has been stripped from the 2020 platform.
Instead, pro-life Democrats have been driven from the party. The new platform supports the abortion of a full-term child without even the slightest qualification. This is so radical that 187 nations forbid it. The new platform keeps company with Communist China, Viet Nam and North Korea. The DNC even wants taxpayers to foot the bill both at home and abroad.
The letter opposing these radical policies was signed by four governors and lieutenant governors, nine members of congress, 56 state legislators and 32 local officials. Dozens more wanted to join the 109 signatories but were unable, due to fear of “the influence of Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-choice America in the party,” according to the DFLA website.
The letter echoed another sent on July 24 by over 100 faith leaders ranging from Dr. Gabriel Salguero, President of the National Latino Evangelical Association, who served on President Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, to Deaconess Tiffany Manor, Director of Life Ministry, Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. It noted “that the Bible calls on us to speak up in favor of those who do not have a voice… [and] that life begins at fertilization [according to both Scripture and biology; and]… that abortion takes the life of the innocent.” It also reminded the committee that “denying personhood to the pre-born child has disturbing parallels to Dred Scott vs. Sandford [which denied the personhood of slaves; and that] …the US is just one of seven countries, alongside North Korea, to allow the horrific practice of elective late-term abortion after 20 weeks.”
These faith leaders urged the DNC, “to recognize the inviolable human dignity of the child, before and after birth… to reject a litmus test on pro-life people of faith seeking office... [and] to end the explicit support in your platform for abortion extremism, such as taxpayer-funded abortion in America and overseas, opposed by 60% and 76% of voters.”
While these faith leaders represent denominations working in Wyoming, not a single Wyoming Democrat signed the letter in Sunday’s New York Times. What does this say about the Wyoming Democratic Party? Does it have no pro-life office holders on either a local or state level? If Senate File 97 is any indication, it would seem so.
SF 97 was titled “Born alive infant-means of care.” It clarified Wyoming law to require care for children who survived abortions, passing the senate 23-7 and the House 44-16. Governor Gordon vetoed it stating, “[T]he child might still pass away.” Thus, he made plain that the child might also live. Not one of Wyoming’s nine Democrats supported it. To deny care to a child born-alive with a chance to live is as radical as it gets.
For my part, I cannot believe that there are no pro-life Democrats in Wyoming. Those that I know are appalled both by their delegation’s stance on SF 97 as well as the extremist platform adopted at the DNC. Many more may be unaware how far from the 2000 platform the national party has strayed.
If this describes you, it’s not too late to get involved and speak truth to power. Just as 109 pro-life Democrats stood up to those at the DNC who hijacked their party platform, pro-life Democrats in Wyoming should also stand up and be heard.
Write letters to the editor. Talk with your fellow Democrats about the radical departure from the 2000 DNC platform. Show up at local precinct meetings and let them know how you feel. Run for precinct committeewoman or committeeman in the next election cycle.
All politics are local. Unless we all work to bring our local institutions into line with our personal values, they will be coopted by international special interests that do not speak for us. They will exploit our good names to advance the very things that we abhor. It is the personal duty of every life-affirming Democrat to make sure that her voice is heard for the sake of those who cannot yet speak for themselves.
Also published in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle on September 25, 2020.
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