| Article Index |
|---|
| Life and My Party |
| Page 2 |
| All Pages |
Page 2 of 2
It's argued by some that respect for the pre-born is strictly a religious position. It isn't. Theists can point to the sovereignty of God over human life. Non-theists can point to the wondrous reality of human life. Either way suffices. It's in the very nature of parenthood to provide nurture, not closure, whether or not one believes in God.
The party's platform states quite clearly that "the Democratic party is a party of inclusion. We respect the individual conscience of each American on this difficult issue [abortion], and we welcome all our members to participate at every level of our party."
Yet, when the liberal Democratic governor of Pennsylvania, Robert P. Casey, sought to speak at the party's national convention in 1992, he was rebuffed, solely because he was pro-life. Just this year the Democratic National Committee refused to post the name of a committed Democratic group, Democrats for Life of America, on the "links" page of the DNC Web site. The militant abortion-endorsing organizations are there, of course, in full force.
Perhaps the Democratic Party is not ready, for whatever reasons, to extend its life-affirming compassion for the vulnerable in society to young lives in the womb. Might I then suggest that the least it could do is acknowledge that among those dismayed by the current abortion culture are many loyal Democrats who do not belong to what the abortion-endorsers like to label the "far-right fringe." And might I urge that the party, in accordance with its platform promise to try to make abortion "rare," drop its automatic opposition to every legislative act aimed at reducing the abortion toll. It could also stop using the euphemism "choice" when, in every other context, what counts is not the choice but what is chosen.
The writer, a former journalist, came to Washington in 1961 as an appointee of the Kennedy administration in the General Services Administration. He retired from government as director of the Office of the Federal Register.
