Wonderful article by Father Shenan J. Boquet at Human life International - please, please see www.hli.org.

Skip to content Human Life International: empowering you to build a pro-life world Mission Resources Free Ebooks News Search DONATE Free Ebook: Which Cosmetics Use Fetal Cells? The Democratic Abortion Convention Written by Fr. Shenan J. Boquet ｜ Updated on August 28, 2024 Over the past week, the Democratic Party held its national convention in Chicago. Almost all you need to know about the event is encapsulated in the fact that Planned Parenthood decided that it would be a good idea to celebrate the occasion by offering free abortions and vasectomies nearby. As the New York Post reported: Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, which serves most of Missouri and part of southern Illinois, is sending a mobile health center to the Windy City’s West Loop to offer reproductive services on Monday and Tuesday. [Chemical] abortions are reportedly available on both days, with vasectomies being exclusively offered Monday … Vasectomies are reportedly in high demand and there’s already a waiting list. “Free abortions and vasectomies” sum up the tone of the whole DNC Convention when it came to the life and family issues. So prominent was the party’s enthusiastic support for the killing of preborn children at the convention, that some commentators even dubbed the event “abortion-palooza.” It began on the opening night, when three women took to the stage to share horrific stories of unwanted pregnancies, and how they allegedly were unable to get the abortions that they desired. One of the women was a victim of incest. Another woman told of attempting to abort her baby who had been given a fatal diagnosis. It was a typically cynical propaganda effort by pro-abortion activists, choosing to highlight only the tiny minority of the most extreme and emotionally fraught cases while ignoring the fact that the overwhelming majority of abortions in the U.S. have nothing to do with rape, incest, or severe health complications. While even rape and incest can never justify the taking of the life of an innocent human being, it is instructive that abortion activists must continually resort to speaking only about these fringe cases. Related: Reasons Women Get Abortions Abortion activists were thrilled by what they saw at the convention. “It is incredible to see our reproductive rights and abortion access being so prominently featured at the DNC. It’s time. It’s necessary,” said Lauren Blauvelt, executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio. kamala harris Democratic nominee Kamala Harris Most Americans Disagree with the Democratic Stance However, the fact that the Democratic Party chose to prominently feature these three women on the opening night of the convention speaks volumes about a sea change in American politics. It is one that has me very worried. As the New York Times rightly reported: Such a scene was unimaginable at the Democratic National Convention just four years ago, when the word “abortion” was never mentioned on the main stage. Then, it was Republicans who embraced the issue at their party convention, awarding key speaking slots to anti-abortion activists and boasting of their “pro-life” bona fides. For a long time, the Democratic Party strategy on abortion was unquestionably extreme, but conspicuously reserved. It was extreme in the sense that the party’s official platform endorsed abortion under any and all circumstances and advocated for government funding for abortion providers like Planned Parenthood. It was reserved in that the party and its representatives tended not to focus much of their attention or energy on the issue of abortion during the convention or other public remarks. Often, Democrats would resort to the Hilary Clinton line to the effect that abortion should be “safe, legal and rare.” In other words, while giving the pro-abortion activists everything they wanted in their official platform, the party would also attempt to position itself as “balanced” or “moderate.” The reason for this is no secret. For decades, polling has shown that many Americans are deeply uncomfortable with abortion and do not think it something to “celebrate” the way so many pro-abortion activists want the party to. Certainly, very few Americans support the Democratic Party policy of legal abortion all the way up until birth. The Pendulum May Swing Against Life Clearly, things have changed. In a way, this isn’t surprising. The most obvious reason for the change is the overturning of Roe in the 2023 Dobbs decision. Isaac Newton’s third law states that “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” This principle is an ironclad law of physics, but there is an analogous principle in politics. Often, when the pendulum swings one way, there is a strong public reaction in favor of pushing the pendulum in the opposite direction. Overturning Roe was the greatest pro-life victory in a generation. So, it’s not surprising that abortion activists have reacted to this victory by doubling down on their own views. After all, for five decades, the threat of losing Roe was just a threat. As Republican president after Republican president promised to appoint Supreme Court justices that would overturn Roe and then failed to do so, the threat must have seemed more and more remote. And then, suddenly, Roe was gone. In their shock, many pro-abortion activists discovered renewed energy and commitment to their cause. It may also have motivated some Americans who were not normally politically driven but who were incensed that the “right” to abortion suffered a blow. Biden and Harris are Extreme On the other hand, some of the changes in our political landscape aren’t simply a consequence of a collective, and perhaps temporary, political backlash. Some go much deeper than that and are far more concerning. The Democratic Party, after all, has chosen to replace Joe Biden with Kamala Harris. In doing so, it has consciously chosen to lean into and solidify its commitment to the absolute worst aspects of its recent identity and policies. Joe Biden, as I’m sure you know, is no friend of life or family. He has come to support the full gamut of progressive, woke issues, of which the Democratic Party has made itself the standard-bearer. However, it is worth reminding ourselves that Biden was not always the extremist that he is now. Decades ago, he opposed Roe. And for a long time, he continued to express skepticism about such things as government funding for abortion. As the Party became more extreme, he followed suit; but his initial instincts seemed far less extreme. Harris, on the other hand, is all-in not just on abortion, but on absolutely every aspect of the woke progressive agenda. Marching for Life After Roe In her concluding speech at the Democratic Convention, Harris dug in on the abortion issue. She claimed that Trump “and his allies would limit access to birth control, ban medication abortion and enact a nationwide abortion ban, with or without Congress.” Republicans are, she said, “out of their minds.” She concluded by promising that, as president, she would “proudly” sign any bill passed by Congress to “restore reproductive freedom” (i.e. a bill that would establish a “right” to abortion into federal law). One of many signs of just how extreme a Harris presidency would be was Harris’ decision to choose Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate. This is the same governor who recently legalized infanticide. As Catholic bioethicist Charles Camosy recently explained, a 2023 bill signed into law by Gov. Walz “intentionally and explicitly legalized the denial of life-saving medical care to infants born alive after botched abortions.” Harris has been known to introduce herself at public events by mentioning her pronouns: an absurd practice driven by the most extreme version of gender ideology. Unsurprisingly, her campaign offers job applicants the option of nine different pronouns. None of this is new, of course. Biden also got on board the most extreme version of gender ideology. This included such things as issuing executive orders forcing schools to allow students to use changerooms and bathrooms based upon “gender identity.” However, there seems little question that Harris’ commitment to such things is deep, sincere, and even more extreme. The GOP is Failing On the flip side, we have also seen the deeply troubling decision by former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party to distance themselves from the Party’s traditional pro-life stance. I’ve written about this paradox before. Trump was responsible both for appointing the justices who overturned Roe, and (more recently) for moving the GOP Party strongly away from its decades-old, strongly pro-life platform and identity. As The Washington Post reported a few days ago: The approach to abortion at the Democratic Convention has been in stark contrast to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last month, where abortion was barely mentioned. “Republicans are clearly running scared. They’re seeing the same polls we are, they’re talking to the same voters we are… they are seeing the same stories and they know how unpopular their position is,” said Ally Boguhn, spokeswoman for Reproductive Freedom for All. Most Republican lawmakers and candidates have fallen in line behind Trump, who has defaulted to saying he believes that issues concerning reproductive rights should be left to the states. Republicans quietly adopted a party platform at their convention that echoed Trump’s position and removed language that explicitly called for a national ban. The troubling result is that over the past month, we have seen the Republican Party be almost completely silent about the pro-life issue at the precise moment that we need strong, coherent leadership on the issue. But we have seen the Democratic Party strongly, overtly, loudly embrace its extremist pro-abortion commitments, energizing its followers to make abortion one of the top issues when they go to the polls in November. This does not bode well for the immediate future. It may be the case that the GOP chose to distance itself from its pro-life commitments out of a pragmatic political calculus to ensure that it wins the 2024 election, and that ultimately, GOP politicians will continue to stand up for the pro-life cause. I have my doubts on this score. Over the decades, it has been clear that in certain cases, GOP politicians would have preferred to leave the pro-life issue aside. But the party’s strong pro-life base meant that at a minimum, they had to give lip service to their pro-life commitments. While not enough to change things, this lip service was important. It kept the pro-life issue alive and telegraphed the reality that the GOP was, at its root, a pro-life party. Now that the Party has abandoned its pro-life commitments, many pro-life-in-name-only politicians will breathe a sigh of relief and happily abandon even the pretense of being committed to the pro-life issue. donald trump Republican nominee Donald Trump Outmatch Zeal with Zeal The “abortion-palooza” Democratic Convention should be deeply clarifying for all pro-life Americans. It is not enough to rest on our laurels and assume that with Roe gone, all will be easy, and that the pro-life cause will naturally progress. Our opponents are committed, zealous, and extreme. The only way to protect and advance the pro-life gains we have made in recent years is to be even more committed and zealous. Let us pray for our pro-life politicians, that they will find their voice. Let us pray that they excel in explaining to their fellow Americans why abortion is the pre-eminent civil rights issue of our time and why defending innocent preborn children is not a thing to be ashamed of, but is to be shouted from the rooftops. This is the only way that we will convert hearts and minds and begin to turn the culture around. Share this post 8 Comments nancy gulia on August 27, 2024 at 9:03 AM those countries in Eorope that have. given their vote to political “angels of death” have a downward demographic curve and now they are flooded with foreign immgrants, causing a “Tower of Babel” problems.Nature hates avoid, and this is the result.Europe is doomed. Reply Dolyce Br on August 27, 2024 at 12:40 AM I totally agree with your article. The depravity and evil of the Democrats is almost unbelievable. They used to be a good party of good people but that is long over. Reply Shawn Hughes-Camp on August 26, 2024 at 8:51 PM There is an alternative to both parties…the American Solidarity Party. Truly Pro-life, pro labor, pro environment. pro woman. pro family. pro peace. Everyone who is pro-life should search for this party, read their platform and meet their candidates. Then, you can vote your conscience! Reply Louise Troup on August 26, 2024 at 7:32 PM Abortion palazzo. Huh!! These folks should be thankful that their moms chose life for them. The Democratic Party, the party of baby killers all for votes and power all because they can’t live without that power. Such a sad, very sad commentary on the Dems. If they need that power and are pushing for it so strongly, they must have something else missing in their lives. There’s some hole in their lives that they are trying to fill. They need their collective heads examined!!!! Reply Anne Skip on August 26, 2024 at 5:21 PM Thank you for this clarifying article. I cannot vote for either party in good faith, if neither is pro-life. But the DNC was abominable to God first and foremost. We, as Americans, cannot escape judgment, if we continue to support abortion or remain silent on the issue. Reply Maureen L. King on August 26, 2024 at 4:28 PM Thank you for the clarification of this important issue. Yes, the Republicans do need to vehemently oppose abortion as the ultimate human rights issue, based on our constitution, the right to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Thou shall not kill, is one of the ten commandments. Our county is at risk of additional moral decline with the plans proposed by the Democrats. Abortion is not a gift to women, rather it is a curse that harms women and kills babies. The Republicans need to stand firm and focus on the evils of abortion, the death of preborn babies. And focus on efforts to help mothers in need and change hearts with care and prayer. They need to focus on the fact that they are, Pro-Women, Pro-Family, and Pro-Life, and proclaim that proudly. The Pro-Life forces can win this battle with the right strategy and save our babies, mothers, and our nation against the evils of abortion which is the ultimate human life offense. It is the killing of precious, vulnerable, preborn babies,. Our country should break down in tears rather that celebrate abortion. Women already have reproductive rights…Abortion is not a reproductive right it is murder. May God help us , have mercy on us, and bless our nation. Reply Mary Catherine Scanlon on August 29, 2024 at 7:12 PM I was over forty and suddenly, surprisingly, found I was pregnant, five years after the birth of our tenth child. The older children were starting to look at colleges. I had told my husband I would go back to work to help pay the college costs. I was a Registered Nurse. I now told him that I was going to stay home and raise this child David as I had the other ten. David grew up with ten brothers and sisters doting over him. My twins were born prematurely with cerebral palsy and my daughter was not able to walk. She attended a special school for children with handicaps. My husband required a certain amount of money every September from the college students and then he paid the rest of their room, board, and tuition. The other ten all graduated from college. Reply Jane on August 26, 2024 at 3:11 PM There is no way that a real, true, faithful Catholic Christian can vote Democrat. Absolutely no way! They are the party of death, illegal criminals, and indoctrination of our school students. Reply Leave a Comment Comment Name (required) Email (will not be published) (required) Free ebook: Which Cosmetics Use Fetal Cells? Our Programs: Leadership Training Legal Activism Pregnancy Centers Chastity Education human-life-international-white-logo Human Life International is a Catholic, pro-life non-profit. Through us, pro-lifers like you sponsor life-saving missions in over 100 countries. We also work hard to make sure you have the truth about life and family issues at your fingertips. Facebook YouTube Spotify Apple Podcasts Instagram Quick Links Leadership Offices Patroness Store St. Michael Campaign Ways to Give Annual Report Mission Reports Media Privacy Policy Whistleblower Policy Ebooks Planned Parenthood Under the Surface: What You Know is Just the Tip of the Iceberg Which Cosmetics Use Fetal Cells? How Contraception Built the Abortion Culture Contact Contact Form hli@hli.org 1-800-549-5433 4 Family Life Lane, Front Royal, VA 22630 © 2024 Human Life International