It is the current policy of Democrats for Life of America never to formally endorse or provide institutional backing to any candidate who is not both a Democrat and pro-life.
To do so would be to blunt our prophetic voice within the Democratic big tent and remove our reason for being.
At the same time, we pro-life Democrats recognize that abortion is not the only issue with pro-life implications, and that politicians who are wrong on abortion may nonetheless support policies that make it easier for women to choose life and ensure that the lives of all Americans are protected from non-abortion threats to life from conception to natural death. In the rough and tumble of politics, there are few people with white hats or black hats, and lots of people with hats that are dark grey, light grey and various shades in between. Since politics is the art of the possible, and the perfect is all too often the enemy of the good, we recognize that most meaningful change comes in incremental steps.
Thus, two statements need to be made: First, due to President Obama's statements of support for the pro-choice cause, we are unable to give him our endorsement. Second, however, we remain committed to the proposition that, on balance, Democratic candidates do a better job of ensuring consistently whole-life outcomes than their vocally pro-life competitors in the GOP - and thus our lack of formal endorsement should not be read as an endorsement for the destructive economic and social agenda set forth by Republican elected officials and candidates.
Again, we endorse only candidates who are both pro-life and a Democrat.
