I was a Democratic congressman. My views on abortion are no longer welcome in my party | Opinion
12:01 PM on Jan 21, 2023 CST
While abortion is one of the more high-profile political issues today, it is just one example of an issue on which the parties have become more polarized and more extreme. In the wake of the Roe vs. Wade decision in 1973, in which the Supreme Court found a constitutional right to abortion, there were a significant number of pro-choice Republicans and an even larger number of pro-life Democrats.
The passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010 marked an inflection point for Democrats on abortion. After pro-life Democrats lost a major intraparty battle over inclusion of abortion funding in the bill, a significant number of these members were not reelected and only about half a dozen pro-life Democrats were left in the House in 2013. At this point the party turned more extreme on abortion and more intolerant of pro-lifers.
What accounts for this discrepancy? Pro-choice activists have gained more power within the party and become more extreme. It’s a similar story on many issues. As more money has come into politics, groups that can raise money have more influence. Even before Roe was overturned, in May of this year, three pro-choice groups vowed to spend $150 million in the midterm elections.
Even after a decade and a half in Congress, I had more than $7 million spent against me over the 2018 and 2020 primary elections largely by pro-choice groups. I was also opposed by many party leaders, some of whom had supported me in the past, who feared that these organizations and activists would turn on them if they supported me. This included five presidential candidates who opposed me. By 2020, I was a political leper in my party and narrowly lost a primary, being outspent 2-to-1.
In 2020, the group Democrats for Life attempted to change the party platform on abortion. One point was to add inclusivity language that existed in 2000 back into the party platform to “respect the individual conscience” on abortion and welcome all Democrats in the party. Additionally, it was requested that the platform not include a repeal of the Hyde Amendment, which is supported by a supermajority of Americans.
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