All of us at JDFI want fewer abortions and for this termination of life to ultimately end. But looking for common ground on abortion with the pro-abortion Left is a worthless and useless exercise.
Just consider what happened in the Virginia legislative elections this month. After Democrats took total control of Virginia in 2019, they quickly repealed many commonsense pro-life laws.
This year, Governor Glenn Youngkin and Republican candidates ran on the idea of preventing abortions after 15 weeks, a time in the second trimester when doctors believe the baby can feel pain.
A 15-week limit is typical of most abortion restriction in liberal Europe. It's a widely popular proposal here too, according to many polls. But it was too much for Virginia's pro-abortion Democrats, who spent millions of dollars on deceptive ads attacking this attempt to reach common ground as "extreme."
The reality is that the Left's pro-abortion position is extreme. They want no restrictions on abortion whatsoever. And you don't have to take my word for it. In a recent MSNBC interview, House Democrat leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) declared, "Well, abortion care should be a choice between a woman and her doctor. Period. Full stop…That's what freedom in America is all about."
Notice that Jeffries isn't calling for "common ground. Notice that Jeffries doesn't name even one single abortion he would prohibit.
In the wake of recent election losses, pro-life Americans must revisit our messaging and our strategy. But we must never compromise our principles. To suggest that the sanctity of life is a losing issue is simply wrong.
We won the generational battle to overturn Roe v. Wade, thanks to three solid, hard-fought pro-life Supreme Court nominees. When the Dobbs decision was handed down, we celebrated. But we also warned that the battle for the sanctity of life was far from over.
We must not get complacent. We must not agonize. We must organize in our churches, in our communities and even in our own families. We must stand firm on our principles that all human life is precious, and that we are all endowed by our Creator with the unalienable right to life.
