Kerby Anderson

The recent vote on an abortion ban after 20 weeks and a recent column illustrate how extreme the Democratic position has become on the issue of abortion. The Senate voted down the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. One Democratic senator tweeted that, “If women made up 51% of Congress, do you think we would still be fighting to protect a woman’s right to choose?” Actually a Gallup poll shows that vast majority of Americans (including most women) believe abortion should be illegal after three months of pregnancy. Another poll found that 80 percent of the country opposes abortion in the final months of pregnancy. During the debate, one Republican leader tried to point out how extreme the Democratic position was on late-term abortions. He explained that only seven countries permit elective abortion after 20 weeks, including the US, China, and North Korea. The vote and the debate caught the attention of David Brooks, columnist for the New York Times. He wrote an “Abortion Memo” to the leaders of the Democratic Party. He understands that the Democratic donors “want to preserve a woman’s right to choose through all nine months of her pregnancy.” But he wonders if that extreme position is what is preventing Democrats from winning elections and enjoying congressional majorities. Well, the harsh reaction to his op-ed has been overwhelming. Feminists, abortion activists, and party leaders have called him all sorts of awful names (none of which I can repeat here) and many have taken to various outlets to tell him that he doesn’t understand about the issue and what’s at stake for women. As one commentator put it: “The message was simple: dissent over abortion won’t be tolerated.” Instead of thoughtfully considering his warning, it appears that Democratic leaders are doubling down and digging in. I think this next election will show that David Brooks was right and the Democratic leadership was wrong. I’m Kerby Anderson, and that’s my point of view.