Missouri Democrats Delete Platform's Pro-Life Welcome, Reversing July Vote

[TexasTowelie]

In July, the Missouri Democratic Party voted to add an amendment to its platform welcoming "a diversity of views on abortion." But it didn't leave the welcome mat out for long: On Saturday, the state committee reversed course, voting overwhelmingly to delete the controversial addition.

The July amendment, which was pushed by former state Representative Joan Barry (D-St. Louis County), had been a last-minute amendment to the work of the party's platform committee. It was emailed to members one day before a scheduled vote on a new platform — and the vote ended up taking place on a day that many party activists had already committed to being at immigration protests. After its narrow 31-25 approval, anger ran high.

And perhaps that's one reason the vote to strip the amendment's language just one month later wasn't even close. Even Barry voted abstained rather than voting no. (An unofficial tally live-tweeted by Planned Parenthood staffer Sarah Felts listed sixty-one in favor, two abstentions, and none opposed.)

Stephen Webber, chairman of the Missouri Democratic Party, said this in a statement:

Missouri Democrats are strongest when we fight together. We saw that on Tuesday when we worked together to resoundingly defeat Prop A and we saw that at our State Committee meeting today when our members stood united to pass a platform that clearly demonstrates our Party's unwavering commitment to defend the right of all Missourians to access reproductive health care without interference from the government.

Democrats will continue to fight [to] defend the full spectrum of women’s reproductive rights ensured in Roe v. Wade, including the right to safely end a pregnancy, to safely carry a pregnancy to term, and the right to raise your family in a safe and healthy environment.

Read more: https://www.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2018/08/13/missouri-democrats-remove-pro-life-welcome-from-platform-reversing-july-vote

[James48]

1. Big mistake.

Democrats win when multiple viewpoints have a voice.

I’m a pro life democrat. I believe the government has no business getting in this decision, and I respect the will of those who make their own choices, but- we should focus on what we can agree on, and make prolife Democrats know they can be heard as well.

The big tent must remain big enough to welcome those who believe we must do everything we can to support women - including supporting those who wish to carry their child to term.
http://www.democratsforlife.org

[Canoe52]

2. Personally, I've never met anyone who didn't support women who wish to carry their child to term.

Can you include some examples where this wasn’t the case?

[Kurt V.]

3. they can be heard. It's called pro- CHOICE.