--- description: Former Rep. Bart Stupak says it would be a mistake for the Democratic Party to oppose a litmus test on abortion. title: The Case for Democrats Helping Anti-Abortion Candidates image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt84fecc65390b3fa1/6988d8e3bc6cfc5cd93e292c/bart-stupak-abortion-rights.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [motto](/tag/motto/) ## motto Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # The Case for Democrats Helping Anti-Abortion Candidates by [Bart Stupak](/author/bart-stupak/) ## Bart Stupak Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 8, 2017 9:59 PM CUT  Representative Bart Stupak Representative Bart StupakBloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty Images by [Bart Stupak](/author/bart-stupak/) ## Bart Stupak Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 8, 2017 9:59 PM CUT In April, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez [publicly said](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/democrats-tom-perez-abortion-rights%5Fus%5F58fa5fade4b018a9ce5b351d "undefined") that the [Democratic Party](http://time.com/4737967/new-generation-democratic-candidates/ "undefined") should only provide funding and support for [pro-abortion rights](http://motto.time.com/4636915/abortion-rates-lowest-roe-v-wade/ "undefined") candidates. “Every Democrat, like every American, should support a woman’s right to make her own choices about her body and her health,” he [said.](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/democrats-tom-perez-abortion-rights%5Fus%5F58fa5fade4b018a9ce5b351d "undefined") “That is not negotiable and should not change city by city or state by state.” But much like Perez’s [highly touted announcement](http://www.thedailybeast.com/frontrunner-for-attorney-general-was-thrown-off-ballot-for-ag-of-maryland "undefined") in 2006 that he would run for Attorney General of Maryland before it was [even clear he was eligible to run](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/25/AR2006082500874.html "undefined"), he “jumped the gun” by not gathering the facts _before_ making his public pronouncement. Perez made his [comments ](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/05/democrats-abortion-pro-life-pro-choice-tom-perez-dnc/526551/ "undefined")before even meeting with [Democrats for Life](https://www.democratsforlife.org/ "undefined"), the primary organization that supports anti-abortion members of the party. And then he further compounded his mistake by not clarifying his stance as others in the party condemned it. In May, DNC spokesperson Xochitl Hinojosa [told _The Atlantic_](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/06/democrats-pro-life-pro-choice-dnc-chair-tom-perez/531981/ "undefined") that the “party does not believe in a litmus test.” And scores of other party leaders, including [Nancy Pelosi](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/pelosi-democratic-candidates-should-not-be-forced-to-toe-party-line-on-abortion/2017/05/02/9cbc9bc6-2f68-11e7-9534-00e4656c22aa%5Fstory.html "undefined"), [Bernie Sanders](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/democrats-arent-in-lockstep-over-abortion-thats-why-theyre-fighting/ "undefined") and [Elizabeth Warren](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/elizabeth-warren-democrats-abortion-debate%5Fus%5F58ff722ee4b0c46f07828780 "undefined"), have also denounced the idea. Just last week, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Ben Ray Luján said that he’s willing to [fund anti-abortion candidates](http://time.com/4888785/democrat-chairman-fund-anti-abortion-candidates/ "undefined"). Those are the Democratic politicians on the right side of history. Despite what Perez would have you believe, not all Democratic voters have strong, uncompromising views on [abortion](http://motto.time.com/4636915/abortion-rates-lowest-roe-v-wade/ "undefined"). According [to a 2015 CNN/ORC poll](http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/14/politics/abortion-poll-cnn-orc/ "undefined"), only 48% — not even a majority — of Democrats believe abortion should be legal under any circumstance. The rest of the picture is more nuanced: 42% believe the procedure should be legal only in certain circumstances, while 9% say that it should be illegal in all circumstances. That’s a sizable chunk of the party that we can’t afford to lose. Democrats haven’t always taken such a hard line on this issue. Prior to the Supreme Court’s landmark decision legalizing abortion in _Roe v. Wade_, many Democrats actually [opposed abortion](http://time.com/4154084/anti-abortion-pre-roe/ "undefined"). Some liberal icons, including [Ted Kennedy](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/kennedys-catholicism-loyal-conflicted/ "undefined") and [Jesse Jackson](https://books.google.com/books?id=dS4eA77qau0C&pg=PA287&lpg=PA287&dq=black+maverick+jesse+jackson&source=bl&ots=bQfOqKrB45&sig=zNL-V1womeMAb2BJWmICnwhAR0I&hl=en&sa=X&ei=sbNyUIqdDcqoywH5mIHoDQ&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=black%20maverick%20jesse%20jackson&f=false "undefined"), endorsed anti-abortion stances at times during their careers. And [“Right to Life” Democrats](http://motto.time.com/4782994/democrats-anti-abortion-men-congress/ "undefined") in Congress have consistently played key roles in enhancing the party’s platform on [healthcare](http://motto.time.com/4837782/senate-health-care-black-women/ "undefined"), [equal pay](http://motto.time.com/4723718/equal-pay-day-women-should-know-worth/ "undefined"), [climate change](http://motto.time.com/4799747/climate-change-women-paris-climate-deal/ "undefined") and the [economy.](http://time.com/tag/economy/ "undefined") So why now are anti-abortion Democrats [neither acknowledged nor encouraged](http://time.com/4424971/democrats-extreme-abortion/ "undefined") within the party? We need to embrace these individuals who thankfully don’t vote on a single issue, but rather support our party’s whole program. I offer my own legislative career as an example. As a Right to Life Democrat, I was honored to serve [18 years](http://www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/04/09/stupak.retiring/index.html "undefined") in the U.S. Congress, representing [Michigan’s 1st Congressional District](http://www.mlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/11/us%5Fhouse%5Fdistrict%5F1%5Felection%5Fr.html "undefined"). Since my [retirement in 2010](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/10/us/politics/10stupak.html?pagewanted=all "undefined"), no Democratic Congressional candidate has [won this seat](https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/MI/1 "undefined"). And the district has [voted Republican in every presidential election since 2008](http://cookpolitical.com/file/Arranged%5Fby%5FState%5FDistrict.pdf "undefined"), helping President Donald Trump [win Michigan](https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/28/us/donald-trump-officially-wins-michigan.html "undefined") — and effectively, the election — in 2016. In order for me to be elected nine times in my expansive, rural district, I needed the support of Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike. I know that my anti-abortion views [sometimes frustrated](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/03/bart-stupak-a-year-after-health-care-getting-bitched-out-in-airports-how-the-deal-went-down-and-more/72938/ "undefined") my Democratic supporters, but they ultimately knew that I was fighting for them on most of the issues they cared about, including the economy, protecting our environment and providing healthcare for all. Anti-abortion Democrats in Congress have proved invaluable to pushing through key party agenda items. I know some readers will bristle, but the U.S. House never would have been able to pass Obamacare without the [Stupak Amendment](http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/01/26/381472527/abortion-vote-shows-how-much-democrats-world-has-changed "undefined"), which protected the sanctity of life and prohibited public funding for abortion. The amendment convinced myself and my anti-abortion Democratic colleagues in the House to [vote for the bill in the first place, ](http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/29/health/policy/29abortion.html "undefined")which enabled the bill to [cross the finish line](http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/11/07/health.care/ "undefined"). (The amendment later became an [executive order](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/26/AR2010032602921.html "undefined") that assured that [federal funds would not be used to pay ](http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-obama-idUSTRE62N61Y20100324 "undefined")for abortion in most cases, which President Obama [signed](http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/03/obama-to-sign-executive-order.html "undefined") in March 2010). What happened to the all-inclusive Democratic Party that I used to know? The one that welcomed diversity and differences of opinion, aided and encouraged the weakest in society and protected those who could not protect themselves — including the unborn. For anti-abortion Democrats, Perez’s comments exposed just how far we’d come. We’re no longer the [“Big Tent Party.”](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/perez-democrats-big-tent-party-build-presence-zip/story?id=46922658 "undefined") I fear we’re now the “pro-abortion rights” party. If we establish a litmus test on this single issue, we’ll surely turn away voters in key states and districts in 2018 and become a minority voice without an effective voice on economic and social policies. Democrats haven’t controlled both chambers of Congress [since 2011](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-democrats-lost-the-house-to-republicans/ "undefined"). Our numbers have gotten worse at the [state level.](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/barack-obama-won-the-white-house-but-democrats-lost-the-country/ "undefined") In fact, by March 2016, our party [held the fewest elected offices](http://www.npr.org/2016/03/04/469052020/the-democratic-party-got-crushed-during-the-obama-presidency-heres-why "undefined") across the country since the 1920s. This has posed real problems for us. We lost the battle to confirm President Obama’s final nominee to the [Supreme Court](http://time.com/4266396/supreme-court-merrick-garland-nomination-history/ "undefined") and Republicans were only three votes away from [gutting](http://time.com/4877796/health-care-senate-john-mccain-susan-collins-lisa-murkowski/?iid=sr-link3 "undefined") Obamacare — and President Obama’s legacy. In order to regain that power, we can’t draw a line in the sand on abortion. We need to embrace ALL Democrats across the political spectrum. That, Mr. Perez, should be non-negotiable. _Former Rep. Bart Stupak is a Democrat from Michigan who served 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993 until his retirement in 2011\. He is the author of_ [For All Americans: The Dramatic Story Behind the Stupak Amendment and the Historic Passage of Obamacare.](https://www.amazon.com/Americans-Dramatic-Amendment-Historic-Obamacare/dp/1640030905?mottocom-20 "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4891608/bart-stupak-abortion-litmus-test/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4891608/bart-stupak-abortion-litmus-test/"},"headline":"The Case for Democrats Helping Anti-Abortion Candidates","datePublished":"2017-08-08T21:59:36.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T09:05:50.576Z","description":"'We can't draw a line in the sand'","url":"https://time.com/4891608/bart-stupak-abortion-litmus-test/","keywords":["motto","abortion","democrats","reproductive rights","politics"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt84fecc65390b3fa1/6988d8e3bc6cfc5cd93e292c/bart-stupak-abortion-rights.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Bart Stupak","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/bart-stupak/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt84fecc65390b3fa1/6988d8e3bc6cfc5cd93e292c/bart-stupak-abortion-rights.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"BP CEO Tony Hayward Testifies Before House Hearing On Oil Spill","caption":"BP CEO Tony Hayward Testifies Before House Hearing On Oil Spill","creditText":"Bloomberg—Bloomberg via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/motto/","name":"motto"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4891608/bart-stupak-abortion-litmus-test/","name":"The Case for Democrats Helping Anti-Abortion Candidates"}}]}] ```