Democrats for Life: Pro-Life Politics and the Silenced Majority

by Kristen Day

Day demonstrates how the Democratic Party has been hijacked by the extremely liberal members of the party and special interest groups such as NARAL. She illustrates that only 25% of people in America support the party’s agenda of “abortion on demand,” and that this superliberal approach to abortion has driven away voters because of this issue. This book is also important for Republicans to read, giving a powerful new perspective and potential ally in Congress. Many pro-life measures in Congress could not have been passed if it hadn’t been for pro-life Democrats, simply because the Republicans did not have enough votes. The Democratic Party’s suppression of its pro-life members is a serious issue for all pro-life people, Democrat or Republican.

Genres: Nonfiction

191 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2006

Reviews

[Daniel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting, but not in a good way. This book is much more a history of pro-life Democrats than it is an argument for why Democrats should be pro-life (although it does contain an appeal for the Democratic Party to allow pro-life Democrats). With that in mind, the history that the book presents is tragic and intriguing at the same time. At parts, it reads like a who's who of major Democratic politicians who used to be fairly pro-life, some of them even supporting a Constitutional amendment outlawing abortion. I'm talking about people like President Joe Biden, Senator Ted Kennedy, Senator Harry Reid, President Bill Clinton (before he was president, he apparently called himself pro-life and was against funding abortions as governor), Vice President Al Gore, President Jimmy Carter, and Senator Dick Durbin. All of them have subsequently flipped their positions and are now as pro-abortion as the rest of the Democratic Party. As recently as 1977, over 40% of Democrats in Congress were pro-life. There used to be major bipartisan support on things as morally obvious as not using taxpayer funding for abortion and banning late-term abortions. In the 1980s, there was, astoundingly, a serious bipartisan attempt to pass a constitutional amendment to overturn Roe vs. Wade. Reading this book, legitimately left me in shock again and again. These are absolutely unimaginable with the current rabidly pro-abortion at all stages of pregnancy Democratic Party.

I think the strongest argument against this book is how poorly it aged. Rather than reverse the trend of the increasingly pro-abortion Democratic Party that it bemoans, the book ends up just cataloging a step along the way. In 2006 (when this book was written) there were still about 30 pro-life Democrats elected to Congress, now there is only one left in the House and one in the Senate, and even that senator is retiring. The book tries to argue that there is a large plurality (or maybe a majority) of Democratic voters who are pro-life in some sense and that it is only the radical fringe and special interest groups that forced the pro-life democrats to switch positions or pushed them out of office. I think history has shown this to be false again and again, as sadly many people in our country really do support the legal killing of the unborn. Due to all the interesting information, I would have given this book 3 stars, but parts of the book are repetitive, with certain sections being repeated almost word for word multiple times, and it is hard to follow the flow of the writing from paragraph to paragraph at some points. But hey, this book only cost me a nickel (no joke, it was 5 cents on the website where I got it), so I really should not complain too much.

[Jackson T. · Rating 2 out of 5]

A dated text with amateur writing. Kristen Day is reiterating the grievances of the pro-life Dems after a decade of ideological marginalization in the party with the Bob Casey Sr. 1992 DNC incident serving as a historical leitmotif. There is little by way of coherent programmatic suggestions, either on a policy or philosophical level. The reader is not given the reason why Day opposes abortion or how she deals with the common pro-choice arguments in public discourse.

Indeed, if one looks at the current electorally successful Pro-Life Dems-- an assortment of moribund Southern state reps and the occasional Catholic congressperson-- the activism and arguments (or lack therof) of Democrats for Life, Day's organization, appears to be unsubstantial. Yet, after reading this short work-- which is still advertised by Day and DFL on social media-- that is not a surprise.

[Bruce Fogerty · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very quick read surveying how pro-life democrats, once a majority in the democratic party, such as myself were relegated to the back of the bus within the Party.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative, this is a thorough summary of the history behind the Democratic party's platform on abortion, how it evolved, what influence many pro-life candidates had, what legislation it supported and where it might be going for the future. Very informative. Not the easiest or lightest reading, but very informative for those who care about politics.

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Offers an important look at a segment of the Democratic Party that is often ignored--to the Democrats' peril and the Republican establishment's profit.