The Façade of Unity is Crumbling

Two articles published recently in the New York Times showcased developments that the Democrat Party would prefer to remain unnoticed – widespread discord on the Left, and the extreme abortion agenda of the Party.

What these articles reveal should encourage the rank and file of the grassroots pro-life movement.

Reporters Elizabeth Dias and Lisa Lerer blame a divided Left for significant losses to the pro-life movement, noting that during a six-month period this year, states passed 58 laws to protect the unborn, with no letup in sight.

The authors interviewed over 50 pro-abortion leaders, abortion facility directors and political operatives, and uncovered conflicts that have simmered underneath the surface, but are now coming to light.

Independent abortion facilities have long felt disdain for Planned Parenthood (PP). Even though the independents account for 60% of all abortions done compared to PP’s 35% (and growing), the latter is attracting far more funding and is calling the shots when it comes to a political agenda. PP is laser-focused on electing pro-abortion candidates who will enshrine Roe and beyond into federal law. Independent facilities want to prioritize practical issues like addressing the high cost of chemical abortion pills and the shrinking stable of abortionists.

PP rubs salt into their wounds when it fundraises off of a newsworthy challenge faced by a local abortion facility without sharing the wealth to help them overcome that hurdle. The conundrum independent facilities face is that they benefit from PP’s political influence and power and have, until now, been reluctant to criticize them publicly.

To help alleviate the financial stress on independent abortion facilities the Yellowhammer Fund was created to assist low-income women with travel and related expenses of abortion. It quickly raised four million dollars but only a half-million was allocated for this purpose. In response to criticism, The Fund’s director, Amanda Reyes, defended a multi-prong strategy while being astonishingly transparent. “If all we do as an organization is pay for abortions for low-income people, we are eugenicists.”

Outright animosity was in full view recently when Forrest Smith, an abortionist, testified on behalf of the Center for Medical Progress and its pro-life investigators David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt. Smith testified that there was “no question” PP was allowing aborted babies to be born alive so they could sell their organs for profit.

There is also discord on how public messaging should be handled. Pro-abortion organizations like Reproaction and the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health say PP’s façade of moderation is a losing strategy and should be abandoned. Others adamantly fear a strident approach will alienate more moderate voters.

Contributing to the political unrest on the Left is the Democrat Party’s extreme abortion agenda. Maggie Astor’s New York Times article observes Democrats have moved beyond Bill Clinton’s mantra of making abortion “safe, legal and rare” to a take-no-prisoners style battleplan extending beyond Roe v Wade.

A New York Times survey of Democrat presidential candidates revealed that all viable candidates for the Party’s nomination would move to:

• • • Codify Roe v Wade
      Repeal the Hyde Amendment
      Remove funding restrictions on groups like Planned Parenthood
      Fund abortion activities overseas
      Nominate only pro-abortion judges
      Allow unrestricted abortion throughout pregnancy
      Ban existing state pro-life laws
      Require “federal clearance” (approval by the Justice Department) for future state abortion laws
      Force private insurers to cover abortion
      Make the chemical abortion pill available without prescription

These aggressively pro-abortion positions mark a fundamental strategic change in the Democrat Party regarding the issue of abortion. Even Astor was shocked by how stridently extreme the politicians have become. She wrote, “The most striking change, beyond individual policies, is how unapologetic candidates’ tone on abortion rights has become.” She further noted that polls show only 20-30 percent of Americans support unrestricted abortion, this includes Democrat voters.

Will a position of abortion on demand without apology be compatible with American voters?

It’s easy to see why there is division in the ranks of the Left.

Sincerely for LIFE,