Is there a place for pro-life people in the Democratic coalition?

It depends

 Members of 'The Cause USA' protest in 2005.
(Image credit: illustrated | Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Can you be a Democrat and also hold pro-life views?

That old debate has broken out once again, as Democrats mobilize to win special elections taking place around the country. It all started with the mayoral election in Omaha, where moderately pro-life Democrat Heath Mello was endorsed by Bernie Sanders. Pro-choice liberals attacked him for ideological apostasy — and despite his own strong pro-choice record, Sanders seemed to make matters worse with a rather weak excuse. DNC chair Tom Perez later issued a statement saying that pro-choice views were "not negotiable" for the party.

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Ryan Cooper

Ryan Cooper is a national correspondent at TheWeek.com. His work has appeared in the Washington Monthly, The New Republic, and the Washington Post.