There aren’t adequate words to fully convey the feelings I have after watching last week’s Democratic National Convention — sorrow, disbelief, and troubled confusion don’t even begin to scratch the surface.
As Democrats from across the country stood inside Chicago’s United Center talking about ‘freedom’, Planned Parenthood had a bus was parked outside offering free abortions. Over the course of the week, eight innocent lives were taken from this earth as part of a political show. Eight lives that will never have a first birthday or experience a high school graduation were viciously aborted in the name of ‘freedom.’
Upon this backdrop and particular emphasis of the word “freedom,” I can’t help but think about a recent study of women who had an abortion. The majority of these women (60%) said that would have preferred to choose life if they had the requisite financial and emotional support. Freedom for these women included tangible support so that they could choose life; life was their chosen preference.
Ironically, the people at the convention who claimed to champion ‘reproductive freedom,’ have actively worked against this very support in aggressively attacking and silencing Pregnancy resource centers (PRCs), which provide life-affirming resources for women facing unexpected pregnancies and for babies. Instead, speakers seized every opportunity to push an extreme abortion agenda, including outlandish fear mongering, at the Democratic National Convention.
There are too many to count, but well-known speakers included Hillary Clinton, who exclaimed that Kamala Harris as President would restore abortion access nationwide, and sadly, the audience cheered with excitement. Joe Biden highlighted Harris’ dedication to expanding abortion access.
Kamala Harris’ Vice-Presidential pick, Tim Walz, reaffirmed the Democratic Party’s dedication to pushing a radical abortion agenda and even bragged that Minnesotans follow a golden rule to “mind your own d--- business” on abortion.
Unfortunately, in public office he has done much more than neutrally “minded his own business,” but instead has pushed a radical abortion agenda on women and families in his state, despite that his agenda is completely out of touch with mainstream America and does nothing to help women.
As Governor of Minnesota, Walz signed legislation that enshrined abortion on demand through all nine months of pregnancy without any limits, making abortion a “fundamental right” in Minnesota. He sadly repealed a long-standing state grant program called “Positive Alternatives” that provided critical funding to community-based pregnancy resource centers across the state who help vulnerable expecting mothers, babies, and families. In doing so, he robbed women true freedom in removing support so that they could choose life.
Women like Lorien are told that they either have an abortion or become homeless, while others are told that they will not have financial support or help if they choose life. Every day, women are threatened and harmed if they don’t have an abortion.
The harsh reality is that pro-abortion politicians like Walz have actively removed support for programs that help women and their babies, despite this being the very thing women most want. In doing so, they are removing that which will allow women real freedom to be able to choose life.
Despite this, the good news is that thousands of pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) exist across the country to help those experiencing financial struggles, homelessness, abuse and so much more. In 2022 alone, over 2,750 pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) in the U.S. served families with material goods and services valued at $367 million.
By attacking these centers and eliminating the support and resources available to women, radical pro-abortion politicians abolish women’s true freedom of choice. Selling abortion as the one size fits all solution to the battles women face every day causes further harm and suffering, but this was the narrative interwoven throughout the Democratic National Convention.
Thankfully, most Americans recognize this extreme abortion agenda. Even groups like Democrats for Life took to ‘X’ stating that ‘providing free abortions at the DNC is a concerning display of disrespect towards human life and motherhood, as it overlooks the need to provide support and options for a pregnant woman.’
My heart breaks for the eight innocent lives taken last week. But it also breaks for the eight women who were tragically used to further the convention’s extreme abortion game.
I wish that someone had told these women that they were loved, and that their life and their child’s life held immense value. I wish someone told them about the many opportunities for support! Instead, they were told the lie that their ‘freedom’ can only be found through the termination of innocent life and that abortion is the only ‘solution’ to facing an unexpected pregnancy. Tragically, they were told these lies as part of a celebration. But creating a culture of death and eliminating protections and support for women and the unborn is not something to celebrate. Neither is removing protections for women facing abuse and coercion or leaving a baby to suffer and die.
Women deserve love, success, and happiness, not free abortions out of a bus. They deserve to be protected, and so does their child. Our political leaders should celebrate the beauty of life, not abortion, and work to protect our most vulnerable citizens.
We should all be able to agree that creating a culture of death and eliminating protections for women and the unborn is not something to celebrate.