OTHERING: Buttigieg: No Room for Compromise With Pro-Life Democratic Voters.
Former South Bend mayor and presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg told a “proud pro-life Democrat” he did not think there was room for any compromise on the issue of abortion.
“The Democratic platform contains language that basically says that we don’t belong,” Democratic activist Kristen Day asked Buttigieg during a Fox News town hall Sunday night. “We have no part in the party because it says abortion should be legal up to nine months and the government should pay for it. And there’s nothing that says people having a diversity of views on this issues should be included in the party.
“Would you be open to language like that in the Democratic platform that really did say that our party is diverse and inclusive and we want everybody?” Day asked.
“I support the position of my party that this kind of medical care needs to be available to everyone,” Buttigieg said. “I support the Roev. Wade framework that holds that early in pregnancy there are very few restrictions and late in pregnancy there are very few exceptions. And again, the best I can offer is that we may disagree on that very important issue and hopefully we’ll be able to partner on other issues.”
Day, executive director of Democrats For Life of America, has previously championed language to welcome pro-life voters in state party platforms only to be shut out by abortion activists. She asked Buttigieg if he would support more moderate language in the national party platform. The candidate said he would not.
“I respect where you are coming from and I hope to earn your vote. But I’m not going to try to earn your vote by tricking you. I am pro-choice. I believe that a woman ought to be able to make that decision,” Buttigieg said.