Abortion could destroy the Democratic party

Following the 2004 presidential election, Democrat leaders finally appear to be getting the message that the party's uncompromising support for abortion on demand is doing real damage to them at the polls. Some high-profile pols (notably the likely 2008 candidate Hillary Clinton) are publicly calling for the party to do what it can to soften its image on the issue.

Unfortunately for the Dems, abortion advocates are the bedrock of their activist base, and they are none too pleased with the trial balloons seen floating around Washington. The New York Times has an article on the reactions of various abortion-rights organizations to this new initiative:

Emily's List and other groups have also sounded alarms about the direction the party leadership is taking over all. During the search for a national Democratic chairman, Ms. White posted a rallying cry on the group's Web site: "We fought like mad to beat back the Republicans. Little did we know that we would have just as much to fear from some within the Democratic Party who seem to be using choice as a scapegoat for our top-of-the-ticket losses."

Perhaps most striking is this warning from Planned Parenthood:

But abortion rights advocates warn of a bigger revolt within the party if its members start compromising on new abortion restrictions like parental notification laws or the fetal-pain bill. Karen Pearl, interim president of Planned Parenthood, said some of her allies were saying that "to the degree that the Democrats move away from choice, that could be the real birth of a third-party movement."