Democrats wed themselves to abortion at their electoral peril

Remarkably, the head-scratching continues. Democrats are still trying to comprehend just how Hillary Clinton lost places like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin, blaming it largely on the lack of an economic message to working class voters; yet, most are blind to the cultural piece of the puzzle.

A new book by Michael Wear, President Obama’s faith-outreach director, offers keen insight regarding one piece of the cultural disconnect: faith, and issues like abortion that drive such voters. Ware says that reaching out to Evangelicals and Catholics:

“Means you have to not be so in love with how pro-choice you are, and so opposed to how pro-life we are … The Democratic Party used to welcome people who didn’t support abortion into the party. We are now so far from that, it’s insane.”

Look for a repeat of the same mistakes in the upcoming abortion debates on Capitol Hill. Already there are cries from Democrats that the sky is falling over Planned Parenthood. As its president, Cecile Richards, said, “The abortion part of Planned Parenthood is an important part of what we do.”

{mosads}Indeed. Planned Parenthood runs the nation’s largest chain of abortion clinics and performs roughly one-third of all abortions in the United States. That’s an astonishing 320,000 abortions at Planned Parenthood clinics annually.

It’s a billion-dollar industry that has ample sources of private funding (including recent promises of donations announced at the Golden Globes), but yet Planned Parenthood feeds off taxpayer subsidies of half-a-billion dollars annually.

President-elect Trump promised to wean Planned Parenthood off the public trough, as long as they are in the abortion business. Republican leaders in the House and Senate are following through on that pledge, and redirecting every single penny to community health clinics that, unlike Planned Parenthood, actually offer authentic and comprehensive medical care. Defunding Planned Parenthood literally means more money for mammograms.

A majority of voters did not connect with Hillary Clinton’s advocacy on behalf of the abortion industry (Cecile Richards campaigned for her in 20 states), and neither do voters in the many states Trump won that have vulnerable Democrat senators up for reelection in 2018, according to recent state-by-state polling.

Fact: Nearly 13,000 abortions are committed every year in the U.S. on viable, fully developed children. https://t.co/Sg6DbChUxm

— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) October 24, 2016

People of faith are motivated to vote when they contemplate the stunning number of human hearts, 320,000, that stop beating in Planned Parenthood clinics every year (the fetal heartbeat starts 3-4 weeks after conception, frequently before a woman even knows she is pregnant).

Most Republicans find tax subsidies for abortion clinics morally offensive, but they also see the folly in giving half-a-billion taxpayer dollars to a partisan political operation that just spent $30 million attacking Donald Trump and other Republican candidates.

Planned Parenthood was also on the ground in swing states, advertising on Craig’s List for protesters, and they spend millions on lobbying. Not to mention the criminal referrals related to its participation in the ghoulish and illegal market of fetal brains, hearts, livers, etc. It’s both ethical and politically smart to drain the swamp when it comes to the abortion lobby.

President-elect Trump also promised pro-life Supreme Court justices, and exit polling showed the future of the Supreme Court was a key factor to his victory. This seems not to have registered with the Democrats leadership, who are already pledging Armageddon in opposing the as-yet unnamed nominee.

A comparable drama will play out as Congress and the administration take action on other pro-life initiatives, like the ban on late-term abortion (the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act).

Abortion lobby lost big this election — life is a winning issue https://t.co/eZqGrdY1RR @jeannemfl @thehill #prolife

— March for Life (@March_for_Life) November 14, 2016

People of faith were shocked during the third presidential debate when Hillary Clinton so emphatically defended late-term abortion and candidate Trump so directly described the inhumane and horrifying procedure. Characteristically, Trump did not mince words and the contrast between the two tickets was clear.

Polling reveals what is obvious to anyone who has spent time with average people in the heartland of “fly-over” country, that late-term abortion is not a political winner. A majority of Democratic voters want restrictions on late-term abortion, yet this bill will receive very few votes from Democrats on Capitol Hill.

Similarly, on conscience issues, when the Trump administration takes action to protect the Little Sisters of the Poor and others bullied for their sincere religious views, people will be reminded of the disdain the Obama administration showed the faith community when they threatened nuns with crippling government fines.

And, as President Obama’s own faith advisor cautions regarding this disconnect and overreach, “It doesn’t help you win elections if you’re openly disdainful towards the driving force in many American’s lives.”

Maureen Malloy Ferguson is the Senior Policy Advisor for The Catholic Association and is on the Candidate Selection Committee for the Susan B. Anthony List.  Previously, Maureen was the Congressional Liaison and spokeswoman for the National Right to Life Committee. Her writings have been published in Roll Call, The Hill, RealClearReligion, FoxNews.com, National Review Online and many other publications.

The views of Contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.