May 23, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) – As the numerous Democrats vying for the party’s 2020 presidential nomination compete to stake out the most pro-abortion position possible, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey has pledged to create a White House office exclusively dedicated to protecting so-called abortion “rights.”

Booker laid out a comprehensive pro-abortion plan Wednesday in a Medium post pledging to hold a pro-Roe v. Wade litmus test for judicial nominees, support codifying a “right” to abortion in federal legislation, repeal the Hyde Amendment restricting taxpayer funding of abortion, and reverse numerous pro-life executive actions taken by President Donald Trump. But the most unique element of his plan was the creation of a “White House Office of Reproductive Freedom.”

“On Day One, I will create a White House Office of Reproductive Freedom, charged with coordinating and affirmatively advancing abortion rights and access to reproductive health care across my Administration ,” Booker wrote, “addressing all barriers to full reproductive autonomy, such as access to health care, including maternal and infant health, quality, affordable child care, and comprehensive paid family leave.”

Such an office would presumably function in a similar manner to the Trump administration’s White House Faith and Opportunity Initiative, in that it would not directly make policy but devote manpower exclusively to monitoring specific policy areas on a deeper level and proactively keeping the president appraised of opportunities for potential action.

Booker hopes the proposal will distinguish him from a Democrat field in which every contender is running as uncompromisingly pro-abortion, most of the candidates have already endorsed a federal law mandating legal abortion in all 50 states, and every candidate currently in the U.S. Senate has voted against giving basic medical treatment to infants who survive failed abortions.

Booker has previously signaled his fealty to the abortion lobby by declaring that “abortion is health care” and that he “believe[s] very strongly in Roe v. Wade as the law of the land.”

Expressing skepticism that the new plan will significantly help Booker with Democrat primary voters, The Daily Wire’s Emily Zanotti writes, “a recent series of polls put his unfavorability at an astounding negative 7 points. Booker hasn't cracked 5 points in any national poll and is mired at around 3% in polls across the board — and that's the best case scenario. At least one poll has him under 1%.”

Abortion is traditionally a significant issue in presidential races, due chiefly to the potential for judicial nominees to expand or contract the range of pro-life laws states can enact, but has taken on special urgency for both sides this election cycle. Trump has named two new justices to the U.S. Supreme Court and is widely expected to get at least one more vacancy should he win another term. Furthermore, numerous states have passed a wave of pro-life laws meant to provoke a direct challenge to Roe’s viability cutoff, meaning the next president’s judicial picks may have a tremendous impact on the abortion debate sooner rather than later.