Mo. Democrats Welcomed Pro-Lifers, Then Changed Mind; Newspaper That Endorsed Hillary Slams Reversal
A major Missouri newspaper that in 2016 endorsed Hillary Clinton for president has denounced the state Democratic Party's recent reversal on its decision to welcome pro-lifers.
Last Saturday, Missouri Democrats opted to remove an amendment to their party platform welcoming opponents of legalized abortion into their ranks.
The Kansas City Star's editorial board denounced the recent decision of the state Democratic Party in a column published Monday, stating that "the welcome mat has been taken back inside."
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"It tossed out the offending paragraph welcoming abortion dissenters. And in the process, needlessly offended some of the many Democrats — 28 percent, according to the most recent national Gallup polling — who call themselves pro-life," said the editorial board.
"[This] strikes us as especially self-defeating with the November midterms dead ahead. When Democrats say the republic is at stake, and democracy itself, do they mean it? If they do, this is an odd time for purity tests."
The Star editors quoted one attendee for the Saturday vote, who explained that he felt "disenfranchised" and that he "wasn't welcome."
In June, Missouri Democrats added an amendment to their platform that, while affirming support for legal abortion, nevertheless welcomed pro-life candidates into their party.
"We respect the conscience of each Missourian and recognize that members of our party have deeply held and sometimes differing positions on issues of personal conscience, such as abortion," stated the amendment.
"We recognize the diversity of views as a source of strength, and welcome into our ranks all Missourians who may hold differing positions on this issue."
The amendment garnered outrage from pro-choice groups, including Alison Dreith, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Missouri.
"I'm so angry," stated Dreith, as quoted by the Riverfront Times in July. "I think it's a slap in the face to the base voters of the party. And it's sickening for the Missouri Democratic Party to put our lives on the line like this."
On Saturday, the Democratic leadership voted to replace the welcoming amendment with an amendment that expresses unequivocal support for abortion.
The Missouri Democratic Party supports, "A woman's right to choose and the right of every person to their own bodily autonomy and to be free from government intrusion in medical decisions, including a decision to carry a pregnancy to term, and oppose any efforts to limit access to reproductive health care," reads the new amendment, as quoted by The Kansas City Star.
Joan Barry, a former Missouri Democrat lawmaker who introduced the amendment welcoming pro-lifers, expressed her disappointment in the move.
"Diversity has been a matter of strength in this party. I just felt that we needed to be sure pro-life Democrats are recognized as members of the party. Some people in the electorate don't believe that you can be pro-life and be a Democrat. But that's not true. We are Democrats. And I'll do everything I can to help the party this fall," she told The Kansas City Star.
