Philadelphia



When talking about abortion, Democratic politicians and activists usually prefer to speak euphemistically: The dismemberment or lethal poisoning of a baby who hasn't been born yet is almost always referred to as "reproductive health care" or "a woman's choice." The group NARAL, once known as the National Abortion Rights Action League, went so far as to change its name to NARAL Pro-Choice America so its supporters and allies could avoid saying the a-word.

But there's been a growing push on the left to not only defend abortion as a necessary evil that should be "safe, legal, and rare" but to celebrate it as a positive good. (See the #ShoutYourAbortion Twitter campaign of 2015.) And so on Wednesday evening, Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, took the stage at the Democratic National Convention and told the story of the time she aborted her first child because it was an inconvenient time to become a parent.

"To succeed in life, all we need are the tools, the trust, and the chance to chart our own path," Hogue said during her DNC speech. "I was fortunate enough to have these things when I found out I was pregnant years ago. I wanted a family, but it was the wrong time. I made the decision that was best for me—to have an abortion and get compassionate care at a clinic in my own community." At this point, applause and cheers could be heard in the crowd. "Now years later, my husband and I are parents to two incredible children," Hogue continued.

Prior to Hogue's speech, the 2016 Democratic convention was already shaping up to be the most pro-abortion political convention ever. The Democratic platform was changed this year to call for the repeal of the Hyde amendment in order to provide unlimited taxpayer-funding of elective abortions for Medicaid recipients. Cecile Richards of Planned Parenthood made the case for that policy in her speech Tuesday night.

And Hillary Clinton's running mate Tim Kaine flip-flopped on the issue of taxpayer-funded abortion at some point in just the last few weeks as he joined the Democratic ticket. That's something Joe Biden, a supporter of the Hyde amendment, never had to do to become Obama's running mate in 2008.