On Tuesday night, Cecile Richards, the CEO of Planned Parenthood, was the first speaker at the Democratic National Convention to use the word “abortion.”
Many pro-abortion activists hailed Richards’ utterance as “de-stigmatizing” and a leap forward to “abortion normalization.” What is interesting about Richards’ speech is not, however, what she said, but what the other speakers in Philadelphia have not said.
For the most part, Democrats refuse to say the word “abortion.” They believe the word is political poison.
Polling suggests 81 percent of American voters support restrictions on abortion that the Democratic platform is open hostile towards. Similar polling also points to fact that the youth and minority groups — the crown jewels of the Obama coalition — believe abortion is morally wrong.
The Democrats fear that if their party truthfully communicated their pro-abortion platform, Americans would turn against the left in droves. The fact that Cecile Richards, perhaps the most radically pro-abortion woman in the country, is the only one with the strength of conviction to even so much as use the word “abortion” is a testament to the pro-life movement’s growing strength.
However, that doesn’t mean that the DNC is dodging the abortion issue entirely. Indeed, as one Washington Examiner writer described it, the Democratic convention is a celebration of abortion.
Leaders of pro-abortion groups, from Richards to the heads of NARAL and EMILY’s List, have given hyped-up addresses to the delegates. The Democrats’ platform supports essentially deregulating abortion clinics to encourage “easy access.” The Democratic nominee has abandoned her husband’s mantra that abortion ought to be “safe, legal, and rare” in favor of a new motto “legal and available with federal funding.”
Democrats know that if they speak openly and honestly about their positions, they will lose the people’s support. Continue Reading
