Free Republic

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Leading pro-life Democrat Nat Hentoff wrote a national editorial on Tuesday saying he had considered supporting Barack Obama for president. That was until he investigated Obama's record on abortion and found that the Illinois lawmaker essentially supported infanticide. "I was once strongly inclined to vote for Barack Obama for president (assuming he won his party's nomination)," Hentoff said in the column. "But then I learned Obama's voting record on abortion." Complete story at: http://www.lifenews.com/nat3903.html

"Pro-Life" Casey Votes Twice to Enable US Funding for Abortion Overseas By Meg Jalsevac WASHINGTON, DC, September 14, 2007, (LifeSiteNews.com) - Last week Senator Bob Casey, Jr. (Democrat-Pennsylvania) actively contradicted his largely pro-life campaign promises by voting to approve a funding appropriations bill that would provide US funding to foreign organizations that promote and provide abortions.       The funding bill (HR 2764) would effectively overturn the Mexico City Policy, a foreign aid policy which expressly prohibits the funding of overseas agencies involved in abortion.  The policy was first adopted by President Ronald Reagan and continued in the presidency of Bush, Sr. ...

The Los Angeles Times recently noted a "striking shift" in Democratic policies related to pregnant women and unborn children, featuring a "grab bag" of proposals to prevent unintended pregnancies and "encourage women who do conceive to carry to term" in a spending bill approved by the House of Representatives last month. But in the subsequent weeks some pro-family policy analysts have accused Democrats of merely crafting a pro-life-sounding rhetoric to "sell the right on traditional liberal priorities," including expanded taxpayer-funded health care programs. Decrying a contraceptive-oriented approach, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) said the initiative is "not a common ground [he]...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Catholic PRWire Should Liberals, Democrats, and the Left be pro-life? A member of the ACLU and PETA believes they should, and has written a book explaining why liberals should oppose abortion. In The Liberal Case Against Abortion, writer and activist, Vasu Murti presents formidable arguments why it the prevailing philosophy of the liberal movement demands opposition of abortion. The Liberal Case Against Abortion is unlike any other pro-life book, as it was written by a liberal to help convince others that share his beliefs to defy the political stereotype and reconsider the movement's position regarding the rights...

The nation's most prominent pro-choice spokeswoman blasted Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for giving $10,000 to right-to-life Pennsylvania Democrat Bob Casey and accused the former first lady of "putting politics over principle." "When push comes to shove, at certain times, [Clinton] will support the party even if that choice does not reflect all their standards and principles," Kate Michelman, former longtime head of NARAL Pro-Choice America, told The Post. Clinton, a darling of the pro-choice community, is taking heat from the activist for giving the maximum donation allowable under law to pro-life Senate hopeful Casey through her political committee, HillPAC.

Atlanta Right to Life March with Zell Miller

Thousands of anti-abortion advocates lined up outside the Capitol Monday and heard a remorseful former U.S. Sen. Zell Miller apologize for his tardiness in supporting their cause. "I'm more than one year late here. I'm several years late being here," said Miller, a former governor. "All those years you were out here, and I was in there," he said, pointing at the Gold Dome with a shake of his head. The demonstrators converge on the state Capitol each year on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the controversial Supreme Court decision that legalized abortions 33 years ago. Police said between...

The New Yorker, Nov. 14 An article looks at the Democrats' softening line on abortion in the lead-up to midterm elections, focusing on the decision to tap Robert Casey Jr., a pro-life Pennsylvania Democrat, to run against Sen. Rick Santorum. Ironic, as the Democrats distanced themselves from Casey's father, Robert Casey Sr. (as in Planned Parenthood v. Casey) over abortion in 1992. As Sen. Charles Schumer explains: "Democrats have to be a bigger-tent Party. And the day should be over when a potential candidate has to check twenty-seven boxes before we support him." … Another piece examines flaws in our...

Former President Jimmy Carter yesterday condemned all abortions and chastised his party for its intolerance of candidates and nominees who oppose abortion. "I never have felt that any abortion should be committed -- I think each abortion is the result of a series of errors," he told reporters over breakfast at the Ritz-CarltonHotel, while across town Senate Democrats deliberated whether to filibuster the nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. because he may share President Bush and Mr. Carter's abhorrence of abortion.

DES MOINES, IA - Agriculture Secretary Patty Judge criticized Democratic gubernatorial rival Mike Blouin on his anti-abortion stance, saying he is more extreme that many conservative Republicans. Judge said that Blouin sponsored constitutional amendments that would have banned abortion, even in cases of rape and incest, while he was a member of Congress in the 1970s. "These amendments show that Michael Blouin shares former Senator Jesse Helms views when it comes to a woman's right to choose," Judge said in a prepared statement issued on Monday. "These anti-choice amendments show that Mike Blouin is out of touch with the views...

Idaho Democrats who are anti-abortion now have their own organization that will oppose abortion, capital punishment and euthanasia. Kootenai County Clerk Dan English, the northern Idaho county's only elected Democrat, recently launched Democrats for Life of Idaho. The statewide chapter is part of the Democrats for Life of America organization. All but about nine states have chapters of Democrats for Life of America, which aims at taking steps to reduce abortion. "It's for people within the Democratic Party who are interested in those issues," English told The Spokesman-Review, adding that the group has no connection to his job as county...

Pro-Life Democrats think they’re making inroads in getting their party’s Chairman, Howard Dean, to establish an official relationship with Democrats for Life. Congressman Tim Ryan (D-OH) met with Dean and other Democrats about the recognition and said Dean is “is fully on board.” Ryan believes the chairman wants to make the party more inclusive and get away from being identified as the “pro-abortion party.” “We are really making some headway within the Party. We have a meeting this week with Nancy Pelosi, Senator Reid is obviously pro-life himself so this issue is making great strides.” Kristen Day with Democrats for...

Pro-life Democrats have met with Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean to urge that the party be more tolerant of the views of anti-abortion Democrats. Sixteen Democratic members of Congress pressed Dean to change party policy and establish a relationship with Democrats for Life of America, the national organization of party members who oppose abortion. "The lawmakers say the Democratic Party is being viewed by voters as out of touch with American values because of its overwhelming pro-abortion position,” reports LifeNews.com. "The party’s last two presidential candidates, Al Gore and John Kerry, both took positions in favor of abortion and...

WASHINGTON -- Democrats need to reach out to voters who oppose abortion rights and promote candidates who share that view, the head of the party said Friday. Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, told a group of college Democrats that their party has to change its approach in the debate over abortion. ''I think we need to talk about this issue differently,'' Dean said. ''The Republicans have painted us as a pro-abortion party. I don't know anybody in America who is pro-abortion.'' Dean's approach echoed similar arguments advanced in recent months by former President Bill Clinton and Sen....

A Democrat took the House Floor on April 27 and tickled the ears of pro-lifers. Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-Tenn.) stumped for an initiative that aims to reduce abortion in America by 95 percent in 10 years. Democrats did more than back the ambitious plan: They authored it. Democrats for Life of America (DLA) drafted the 95-10 initiative in an effort to reclaim the party from pro-abortion groups such as NARAL Pro-Choice America and Planned Parenthood. "The stranglehold is being released on Democrats to really be able to vote their conscience," said DLA Executive Director Kristen Day. "The Democratic Party is...

Washington DC, Apr. 27, 2005 (CNA) - Last week in the nation’s capital, Democrats for Life of America (DFLA) announced legislation they plan to introduce which they say could reduce the number of abortions in America by 95 percent over the next 10 years. The proposal, which the group calls the “95-10 initiative”, is “a comprehensive proposal of 15 different policy programs that, when fully funded and implemented in coordination with each other” will tackle many of the issues facing pregnant mothers. Kristen Day, Executive Director of DFLA said that, “The 95-10 Initiative is our number one priority. While many...

Republicans like Christie Whitman who think that the Republican Party is too pro-life ought to consider what the other side is doing. While witless Republicans drone on about the need to nominate pro-abortion candidates, Democrats who learned the lessons of 2004 and 2002 are looking to nominate pro-life candidates for the Senate in 2006. In Pennsylvania, Governor Ed Rendell strong-armed pro-abortion candidate Barbara Hafer out of the race to give pro-life Democrat Bob Casey a clear shot at Republican Senator Rick Santorum. Senator Santorum is also pro-life. In Rhode Island, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has recruited pro-life Rep. Jim...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New Democratic Party chief Howard Dean (news - web sites) is promising to make foes of abortion more welcome, and some potential Senate candidates are already testing that message. "We are going to embrace pro-life Democrats because pro-life Democrats care about kids after they're born, not just before they're born," Dean said recently in Mississippi as he tried to rekindle Democratic fires in the conservative South. With the next congressional elections still more than a year-and-a-half away, anti-abortion rights Democrats may run in both Pennsylvania and Rhode Island -- and in Rhode Island the Democrat would be...

“I want to reach out to people who are worried about values,” Dean said. “We are going to embrace pro-life Democrats because pro-life Democrats care about kids after they’re born, not just before they’re born.”—Howard Dean News flash: Howard Dean is clueless. In a recent “red, white, and blue” tour de farce of the socially conservative states, the newly minted chair of the Democratic National Convention has not only contradicted himself on abortion, but he has once again decisively proven why the Democrats will simply never win the votes of conservative Christians. Dean is an avowed abortion “rights” advocate. In...

WASHINGTON, March 4 - In a race closely watched as a bellwether for changing attitudes toward abortion politics in the Democratic Party, Robert P. Casey Jr., Pennsylvania's Democratic state treasurer and a strong opponent of abortion, announced on Friday that he would mount a challenge next year to Rick Santorum, the No. 3 Republican in the United States Senate. Gov. Edward G. Rendell immediately endorsed Mr. Casey, pushing from the race former State Treasurer Barbara Hafer, an abortion rights supporter who as recently as Thursday had said she planned to run in the Democratic primary. "The governor has asked me...

Get this: The Democrats are thinking of running a couple of pro-life candidates for the U. S. Senate, one in Pennsylvania and the other in Rhode Island. What a switch: There was a time when someone who was pro-life — someone like Pennsylvania's late governor, the sainted Bob Casey — wasn't even allowed to speak at the Democratic National Convention. Heaven forbid, he might have changed some minds. Can't have that. Free speech has its limits. As you can well imagine, the pro-abortion faction of the Democratic Party, which used to be the Democratic Party for all political intents and...

The revenge of Bob Casey Abortion is a losing issue for the Democratic Party By FRANCIS X. MAIER My wife is a Democrat. Her family home in Chicago is lined with photos of the Kennedys. She remembers Saul Alinsky organizing neighborhood groups in the living room of her childhood home at the invitation of her mother and father. She volunteered on the Eugene McCarthy campaign. She worked as a floor runner at the 1968 Democratic Convention. Adlai Stevenson was a household icon. My wife is a Democrat. Always was, always will be -- at least in her heart. But she...

At the very moment Democrats are claiming to distance themselves from abortion, they run back towards it by making Howard Dean -- a former doctor for Planned Parenthood -- their public face. Though the press almost never mentions it, Dean did an OB/GYN rotation for Planned Parenthood in the 1970s and later served as an executive board member of Planned Parenthood New England, meaning that he directly oversaw the largest abortion provider in the region. Were the Democrats sincerely moving to the middle on abortion, selecting a former overseer of abortion would have been the last thing to do. Now...

Kristen Day, who describes herself as "pro-life," said she and other Democrats opposed to abortion have endured a long, cold winter in a party that proudly proclaims its pro-choice credentials. But lately, Day has perceived a thaw -- and said some unlikely allies may get the credit: Sens. Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, who was the party's 2004 presidential candidate, and even Howard Dean, the former Vermont governor who has been all but anointed as the next chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

With more than a whiff of self-congratulations, Democrats love to call themselves the tolerant party. However, that tolerance has never been extended to the millions of Democrats who hold the pro-life position on abortion. At the 2004 Republican national convention in New York, featured prime time speaking spots were given to California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Both men are unapologetically pro-choice on abortion. No pro-life Democrat at the party's Boston convention was seen or heard when the cameras were on. But just maybe, Democratic leaders, after having righteously and tiresomely lectured the GOP to...

Tim Roemer was ABC News’ This Week with George Stephanopoulos this weekend. An interesting exchange: GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Finally the issue of abortion. You’ve said you’re pro-life and a lot of choice activists say that your record is against their interests and it’s been a record anti-choice and one final blogger, Kevin Drum of washingtonmonthly.com says, “You either believe in a right to choose or you don’t. I don't see how you can tap dance around a core principle like that.” Your response? TIM ROEMER: My response is when I was in Atlanta the past couple days and would talk about...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Former Rep. Tim Roemer said Sunday that he's joining the race to lead the Democratic National Committee -- a move certain to spark a heated debate about the abortion issue

Journalists in Washington have been buzzing for days over reports that House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi is backing former Indiana Rep. Tim Roemer for Democratic National Committee chairman. Why? Because Roemer is pro-life. Could the staunchly pro-choice San Francisco Democrat really be putting her support behind this guy? Yes. While Pelosi hasn't officially endorsed Roemer, she did urge him to run. "Brendan Daly, spokesman for Pelosi, said the congresswoman ... would not oppose an antiabortion leader (for) the party," reported to the Boston Globe. That's only the latest is a series of signals suggesting that the Democratic Party is starting...

In the most recent issue of First Things, there is an article about the Democratic Party's support for abortion and why this is hurting the party.

GRAND RAPIDS -- Mark DeHaan remembers a letter from a voter saying she could never support him because his party was pro-choice. That frustrated DeHaan, who was running for Kent County treasurer as a anti-abortion Democrat. Now, he supports a group being formed within the Kent County Democratic Party with a goal of expanding the party's reach to non-traditional Democratic voters. "This type of organization could get more of a message out that there are more pro-life Democrats, get different ideas out there, project a different image," said DeHaan, who is on the party's executive committee. "This club could be...

My wife is a Democrat. Her family home in Chicago is lined with photos of the Kennedys. As a child, she remembers Saul Alinsky organizing neighborhood groups in her living room at the invitation of her mother and father. She volunteered on the Eugene McCarthy campaign. She worked as a floor runner at the 1968 Democratic Convention. Adlai Stevenson was a household icon. My wife is a Democrat. Always was, always will be - at least in her heart. But she hasn't voted for a major Democratic candidate in more than 25 years. And therein lies a lesson for any...

My wife is a Democrat. Her family home in Chicago is lined with photos of the Kennedys. As a child, she remembers Saul Alinsky organizing neighborhood groups in her living room at the invitation of her mother and father. She volunteered on the Eugene McCarthy campaign. She worked as a floor runner at the 1968 Democratic Convention. Adlai Stevenson was a household icon. My wife is a Democrat. Always was, always will be - at least in her heart. But she hasn't voted for a major Democratic candidate in more than 25 years. And therein lies a lesson for any...

St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly, a DFLer for his entire 30-year political career, will tour Minnesota with state Republicans today to stump for the re-election of President Bush. He will do so as a Democrat, he said during a news conference at his home Sunday. Kelly related sighting an "I Hate Bush" bumper sticker on a car driving down West Seventh Street about six months ago and called it a turning point. "I do think the politics of hate in this country for the last decade or more has poisoned the discourse, and I think that some folks have to...

<p>BOSTON--Amid the star-studded parties being held here during the Democratic Convention was one that's about as far off the A-list as it's possible to get: a dinner hosted Monday by a fledgling nonprofit advocacy group called Democrats for Life. Need one say it was an intimate affair? Even Republicans were better represented in Boston last week than Democrats who oppose abortion.</p>

In the turbulent 1770s, journalist Samuel Adams and other fiery orators rallied patriots at Boston’s Fanueil Hall, ultimately sparking the American Revolution. Last week, pro-life Democrats rallied on Fanueil’s historic cobblestone plaza and called for a revolution in their own party. “I’d like to be a pioneer!” Georgia Democratic congressional candidate Silvia Delamar told a crowd of about 200 on July 20. “If one woman in Congress would stand up and admit she’s pro-life, other women would admit it, too. Right now, they’re afraid of being excluded or kicked out of the party if they speak up!” Despite Ms. Delamar’s...

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Beginning in 1996, the Democratic Party's platform specifically said people who disagree with its support for legal abortion were welcome. But in the experience of Rep. Bart Stupak, being a pro-life Democrat is a guarantee of ongoing struggles for respect from your own party and even from pro-life allies. And don't bother to expect financial support from those who traditionally fund either Democrats or pro-life candidates. Through 12 years in Congress representing Michigan's 1st District, Stupak has been one of a few dozen members who keep alive the belief that the words "pro-life" and "Democrat" aren't mutually...

Following is an interview conducted by Catholic Men's Quarterly of Former Boston Mayor and Ambassador to the Vatican Ray Flynn. CMQ: You were often called the Lech Walesa of Boston politics. Why?Flynn:  Lech Walesa is a devout Catholic, a union electrician who led the anti-Communist movement in Poland, who later became president of Poland. I supported him in his cause, including raising money for the striking workers in Gdansk Ship Yard. I was a union dockworker who, like Walesa, knew and admired Pope John Paul II. Walesa and I became good friends through the years. CMQ: Who are some of...

Flynn: Democrats Exclude CatholicsDave Eberhart, NewsMax.comWednesday, July 28, 2004 President of Your Catholic Voice, former mayor of Boston, former president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican during the Clinton Administration, and author of “The Accidental Pope” and “John Paul II” - Ray Flynn is a man on a mission. In appearances around the country, in articles on Your Catholic Voice (YCV) Website and in interviews on Meet the Press, Nightline, Face the Nation, This Week, CNN, MSNBC and Fox News, this man who describes himself as a “loyal Catholic American first,” wants to re-enfranchise the...

(CNSNews.com) - Ray Flynn, former three-term Democratic mayor of Boston and the Clinton administration's ambassador to the Vatican, said the "core values" shared by Catholics and most Americans are being ignored at the Democratic National Convention and are absent from the Democratic Party platform. Flynn said the Democratic National Convention being held in Boston is not reflective of how average working people in America feel on a number of important issues. "The Democratic Party delegates, hierarchy, [and] leadership are out of touch with American mainstream values," Flynn stated. Flynn and other pro-life Democrats are unhappy with the Democratic Party and...

Former Democratic Congressman and Senate nominee Ron Klink (lost to Rick Santorum, 2000) will tomorrow endorse Republican Arlen Specter at a Democrats for Specter Committee announcement, attended by current and former Democrat officeholders, and union and business leaders. Klink, as a congressman, usually voted with pro-lifers and Second Amendment activists. He's a Bob Casey/Reagan Democrat. He was replaced by Congresswoman Melissa Hart, who, in 2000, became the first Republican to represent Pennsylvania's fourth House district in 18 years.

Two pro-life Democrats in the House of Representatives have met with Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe to demonstrate the party’s majority in Congress evaporated as it became more entrenched in the abortion-rights camp. Reps. James Oberstar of Minnesota and Bart Stupak of Michigan provided the following statistics to McAuliffe in a March 4 meeting, syndicated columnist Nat Hentoff reported: In the 1977-78 Congress, Democrats possessed a majority of 292 seats, which included 125 pro-lifers. Now, Democrats hold only 204 of 435 seats, with only 28 pro-lifers. Oberstar and Stupak told McAuliffe pro-life Democrats could win Republican-leaning races in some...

<p>Quiet as it's kept, the diminishing Democratic majority in Congress for the past quarter of a century equals the rate at which pro-life Democrats have been abandoning the party. This was the message given to Terry McAuliffe, head of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), when he was visited on March 8 by members of Congress on the National Advisory Board of Democrats for Life of America. Among them were Reps. Bart Stupak of Michigan and James Oberstar of Minnesota.</p>

U.S. Reps. James Oberstar (Minnesota) and Bart Stupak (Michigan) - members of the Democrats for Life of America's National Advisory Board - met with Democratic National Committee head Terry McAuliffe, on March 4, to point out that the Democrats' majority in Congress diminished at almost the same rate pro-life voters left the party. These are the illuminating statistics - ignored by the media - that were presented to McAuliffe: In the 95th Congress (1977-78), Democrats had a 292-seat majority in the House, which included 125 pro-life Democrats. Now, as a minority, Democrats are down to 204 seats, with 28 pro-life...

<p>In an attempt to compete with President Bush's unabashed discussion of religion while in office, Democratic presidential candidates are making similar stabs at God-talk.</p> <p>So far, there's little debate as to who is winning on the faith front. While Mr. Bush discusses his faith this morning at the National Prayer Breakfast, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean is still recovering from his Jan. 2 misidentification of Job as a book in the New Testament.</p>

WASHINGTON, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Pro-life Democrats always seem to be fighting an uphill battle. That all of the Democratic presidential candidates are pro-abortion -- including one, Dennis Kucinich, who flip-flopped on abortion shortly before declaring his candidacy -- only makes matters worse. But that hasn't stopped Democrats for Life of America from being a pro-life voice in the wilderness and rallying pro-life party faithful to keep up the good fight. Representatives of the pro-life group took to the streets last week to participate in the March for Life and then they held their own rally to encourage each other. "Our...