Today ABC News's Web site asks "Are Democrats Now Pro-Life? As Convention Draws Near, New Talk of a Pro-Life Presence." The story points out that after many years of being strongly pro-choice, "the party and its presumptive nominee, Barack Obama, are rethinking how they talk about the issue." It continues:
"As a party we have to remember we are the big tent and have to make room for people with diverse views on this issue," said Kristen Day, the executive director of Democrats for Life in America, a group that opposes capital punishment and euthanasia in addition to abortion.
The proposed new language mentions better care for pregnant women and newborns, the need for easier adoptions and an overall effort to reduce abortions.
"We're hopeful that some language will be included that will say pro-life Democrats welcome, but at the end of the day we're still Democrats and we're gonna work hard to work on things that we strongly believe in," Day said.
Diverse views on abortion? Not likely. NARAL Pro-Choice America used to travel under the more honest name of the National Abortion Rights Action League. It still rates members of Congress based on abortion votes. Its most recent scorecard for the U.S. Senate shows 45 members achieving a 100% pro-choice rating.
Of that number, only three are Republicans. The remaining 100 percenters are Democrats and independent Senators Lieberman and Sanders, who caucus with the Democrats. The tally for the House of Representatives shows a similar pattern. Overwhelmingly, Democrats - including presumptive presidential nominee Barack Obama and possible vice presidential selection Evan Bayh, who's often painted as a moderate, - vote in favor of abortion.
So it's no wonder that, as the executive director of Democrats for Life admits, a little respect would be nice, "but at the end of the day we're still Democrats." Regardless of what side of the abortion issue you're on, it's evident that the Democratic Party has a long-standing commitment to it.
Are Democrats now pro-life? Of course not. The story title is absurd. Yet by using the question as the headline for an article, maybe ABC News can place doubt in the minds of some folks. Folks who haven't been paying much attention.
