Missouri Democratic Party nixes amendment welcoming pro-life candidates

Missouri Democrats have reversed course on welcoming pro-life candidates to the party, removing a newly added amendment in the party’s platform that respected differing opinions on the issue.

The Missouri Democratic Party’s central committee voted unanimously on Saturday to remove an amendment added in June that said the party respected “the conscience of each Missourian” and welcomed into its ranks “all Missourians who may hold differing positions” on abortion, The Kansas City Star reported.

The amendment was replaced with one that affirmed the party’s commitment to 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,” The Star reported.

Joan Barry, a former Democratic state lawmaker who introduced the pro-life amendment in June, said she was disappointed by the change.

“Diversity has been a matter of strength in this party,” Ms. Barry, who abstained from Saturday’s vote, told The Star. “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.”

The Missouri Republican Party said voters should remember the Democrats’ rejection of pro-lifers when they head to the polls this November.

“The Missouri Democratic Party has proven that they are not in fact the inclusive party they claim to be, and this complete shunning of a huge chunk of Missouri voters is yet another example,” Missouri GOP spokesman Chris Nuelle told the Washington Free Beacon. “If Missourians didn’t already have enough reasons not to vote for Claire McCaskill, her own party’s decision to shut out pro-life Missourians should weigh heavy on the minds of voters when they decide which party best represents their values come November.”

Sen. Claire McCaskill, a pro-choice Democrat who is up for reelection this year, has previously said the party shouldn’t shut its doors to pro-life candidates.