As much of the country awaits a US Supreme Court decision that could overturn Roe v. Wade, national democrats are calling for a focus on abortion rights during midterm election campaigns. But some in the party call that the wrong move.
Currently there are just two democrats in Congress who oppose abortion. Some say that’s because pro-life democrats are being forced out of the party due to abortion rights being seen as a litmus test to run for office.
“Pro-life democrats are really struggling with where the party has gone, so extreme and that’s really alienating,” Kristen Day, Executive Director of Democrats for Life told CBN News.
Day believes that extremism such as legislation supporting late-term abortion has possibly led to a rebirth within the party.
“We call them unapologetic pro-life Democrats. It is an amazing group of people,” explained Day. “We have {state representative} Angie Hatton in Kentucky. We have {state senator} Katrina Jackson in Louisiana. Just this new evolution and really strong pro-life people that’s not stepping away from this commitment to this whole life view.”
Pastor Chris Butler of Chicago Embassy Church Network is a democrat running for US Congress in Illinois’ First District. He is alarmed at the rate of abortions in the black community.
“I started to see abortion rights and how people of color are overrepresented in abortion numbers in the same way that we are overrepresented in incarceration rates, in drop-out rates, in poverty rates,” Butler said in an interview with CBN News. “This abortion thing is not a mechanism for justice. It’s probably more of a mechanism of injustice.”
Butler added, “My vision is to have this not as a place where people come to have abortions but have this be a place people come to actually raise families and flourish as families.”
While abortion rights advocates often cite poverty as one reason women terminate their pregnancy, Butler argues against that theory.
“Abortion actually doesn’t solve poverty,” he said. “Abortion doesn’t close income gaps. Abortion doesn’t create quality, affordable housing, doesn’t create quality, affordable healthcare and those are the things that people I’m talking to in the district really want to have because 75% of abortions we have in this country are performed on low income women.”
27-year old Trenee McGee, D-West Haven, is one of the youngest members of the Connecticut General Assembly and agrees with Butler’s pro-life stance.
“I think this discussion of abortion, racism in the abortion industry, has really piqued an interest in young people. I’ve been receiving calls,” McGee told CBN News.
McGee won her state seat in a special election in late 2020.
“My district is primarily black and brown and so it was not a concern,” she said. “They are black. They know they’re black, love to be black and are pro-life.”
As a devout Christian McGee hopes to help others see the importance of valuing life.
“It’s a concern that there isn’t legislation protecting babies who survive abortions, infanticide, fetal trafficking. These things are happening,” said McGee.
When asked whether pro-choice is the authentic position in the Black community, McGee responded, “There has been a stirring in a lot of Black people who are afraid to say they’re pro-life. One in four democrats are pro-life and even if they’re not pro-life people believe there should be restrictions around abortion.”
After voting against members of her party on a state abortion measure the millennial lawmaker admits that being democrat and pro-life is not always easy.
“I have accepted this challenge as a woman of faith, as a black woman,” said McGee. “You have to be kingdom over culture and culture is obviously very important. There are times when people don’t see the image of God they see the color of your skin and so I have accepted the call.”
It is a call that Butler says should be heard in both political parties.
“This issue of abortion really cannot afford to be left as a left or right issue,” said Butler. “It really is a right, wrong issue. And it’s one of those things that needs vocal support on both sides of the conversation.”
Meanwhile, Butler is offering a warning to the Democrat party if it continues what many see as immoral views about the unborn and other issues.
“We can show to the national party that we are going to as a party continue to get smaller and smaller if we keep pushing pro-life voices out of the party, folks who observe more of a biblical, historical and traditional family ethic and sexual ethic,” said Butler.
It is a message that Day hopes is heeded before it’s too late for her party.
“There are 21 million pro-life democrats out there who are very frustrated. I think these mid-term elections are going to be very telling about how little abortion extremism helps,” said Day.
The remainder of this article is available in its entirety at CBN