Democrats Refuse to Set Limits on Abortion

Despite a strong majority of Americans supporting some form of limit on abortion, Democrats have repeatedly refused to draw a line in recent years.

On Sunday, Vice President Kamala Harris once again put this strategy on display during an interview on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” In response to repeated questions about what week of pregnancy abortion should be limited to, Harris refused to answer the question, instead saying that the abortion protections in Roe v. Wade must be “restored.” Legal scholars have pointed out that the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 did not include any restrictions on abortion.

Harris went on to claim that the notion that Democrats want abortion up until birth is “ridiculous” and “a mischaracterization of the point,” without elaborating. Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki echoed Harris on August 23, posting, “No one supports abortion up until birth.”

Other Democrats have been more frank in admitting that they are okay with zero limits on abortion. In 2019, Virginia State Delegate Kathy Tran (D) was asked if a pregnant mother, who showed signs she was about to give birth, should still be able to receive an abortion. Tran responded, “My bill would allow that, yes.” Similarly, the Women’s Health Protection Act (WHPA) that congressional Democrats are aiming to pass would remove all nationwide restrictions on abortion. Completely unrestricted abortion is in line with the 2020 Democratic Party Platform, which states, “Democrats oppose restrictions on medication abortion care.”

In recent years, at least 15 Democrats have stated that there should be no restrictions on abortion.

In his podcast “The Briefing,” Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, responded to Psaki’s post and said, “The reality is, … the posture of the Democratic Party on the issue of abortion has shifted from fighting restrictions on abortion … [to] no restrictions on abortion.” He added, “If there are no restrictions on abortion, that means that abortion, indeed, should … or could take place right up until birth.”

National Review’s John McCormack also responded to Psaki, writing, “Psaki tries to minimize the horror of late-term abortions by calling them ‘incredibly rare.’” He further noted how Psaki emphasized that only 1% of abortions take place after 21 weeks, but as McCormack highlighted, that equates to about 12,000 late-term abortions per year. He added, “The worst year of school shootings in American history claimed the lives of 34 children.”

Colorado abortionist Dr. Warren Hern, who now only carries out late-term abortions, said 25 to 50% of his patients have medical emergencies that lead to their abortions. McCormack and Mohler point out that would mean 50 to 75% of the abortions Hern conducts are done on physically healthy babies. The Atlantic profiled Hern and reported that he “believes the viability of a fetus is determined not by gestational age but by a woman’s willingness to carry it.”

Mohler said, “Just as a truth telling and rhetorical device, when someone tells you, ‘Nobody supports abortion right up until the moment of birth,’ just ask them [if abortion should have restrictions.]” He emphasized that if they refuse to answer the question, than they “betray their position” of supporting abortion up until birth.

Joseph Backholm, senior fellow for Biblical Worldview and Strategic Engagement at Family Research Council, contended that abortion is a form of hopelessness that must be submitted to God. “People think abortion is necessary because they reject God’s plan for joy and believe sex will make them happy,” he commented to The Washington Stand. He explained that, often, people hope that abortion will cover up the initial sexual sin that took place. Yet, he argued that this belief often leads to a darker place. “It’s a vicious cycle that only submission to God’s will can rescue us from,” he said.

Backholm concluded, “The solution to the abortion problem, like the solution to our other sin problems, is submitting to God’s plan for humanity. He made us, He knows what’s best for us, and the more faithfully we live out His plan for our lives, the greater our joy will be.”