The latest debate for the Democratic primary candidates on Wednesday, November 20, 2019, reinforced what we already know about the Democratic Party — it is the party of abortion.

The Democrats first made support for abortion part of their party platform for the general election in 1980, and have become more radical in their advocacy ever since. The 2016 Party Platform included a pledge to repeal the Hyde Amendment (which saves millions of lives and prevents taxpayer-funded abortions) and seek to overturn federal and state laws restricting abortion.

During the debate, Rachel Maddow asked Elizabeth Warren whether pro-life Democrats, such as John Bel Edwards (who signed a “heartbeat bill” restricting abortion from approximately six weeks) are welcome in the Democratic Party.

Warren’s response was vague and did not answer the question directly, rather talking about how “abortion is a human right,” and falsely claiming that if made illegal, would harm poor women most (when in fact, abortion harms and exploits poor, vulnerable, and minority women for profit).

Even though Maddow pressed for a direct answer to the question, Warren continued to respond vaguely, saying:

“I have made clear what I think the Democratic Party stands for. I’m not here to try to drive anyone out of this party. I’m not here to try to build fences. But I am here to say this is what I will fight for as president of the United States. The women of America can count on that.”


Warren did not explicitly state she would expel or not welcome pro-life Democrats — however, it is clearly implied by her statements. She is going to fight for abortion and for Planned Parenthood if she becomes President. So, it will be difficult for any pro-life Democrats, such as John Bel Edwards & Katrina Jackson, to continue their advocacy for life in a Party opposing any restrictions on abortion, even those banning discriminatory abortions, which target girls and babies with disabilities to be killed.

Soon enough, Democrats will probably start kicking pro-lifers out of the Party, the same way the Liberal Democrats did to a pro-life member of Parliament in the UK. They already tried to replace Congressman Dan Lipinski, one of only three Democrats to support the pro-life legislation which would make the Hyde Amendment permanent, by placing a primary challenger (Marie Newman) against him in the 2018 congressional elections. He won and retained his seat in Congress, but we know that the 2020 elections will be a battle given how radical the Democrats are.

Warren’s support for abortion is clear — only time will show how pro-lifers will fare in the Democratic party.

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Alireza is a Christian from the UK. Currently on a gap year, he will study Law at Exeter University from September 2020.

The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Human Defense Initiative.