Louisiana state Rep. Francis Thompson has joined a growing exodus of pro-life individuals from the Democratic Party as its leaders push an increasingly radical pro-abortion agenda.
On Friday, Thompson switched to the Republican Party after saying he felt prompted by his values and his Christian faith, according to the Daily Wire.
“The push the past several years by Democratic leadership on both the national and state level to support certain issues does not align with those values and principles that are a part of my Christian life,” he said in a statement.
Thompson, who has served in the state legislature for decades, said “nothing” about his values have changed, rather the Democratic Party is the one that has shifted left.
Responding to the news, Louisiana Republican Chairman Louis Gurvich said Thompson’s decision is “further evidence of Louisiana’s yearning for conservative values and a rejection of Washington liberal politics,” the AP reports.
As a result of the change, the state legislature now has a Republican super-majority. In regard to pro-life legislation, voters also elected several strong pro-life Democrats, including Gov. John Bel Edwards and state Rep. Katrina Jackson who support the state abortion ban that is saving lives daily.
In recent years, many pro-life Democrats have left the party, including New Jersey Congressman Jeff Van Drew, West Virginia House Del. Mick Bates, Texas state Rep. Ryan Guillen, Tennessee state Rep. John DeBerry, North Las Vegas, Nevada Mayor John Lee, Quincy, Massachusetts Mayor Thomas P. Koch, Buena Vista Township, New Jersey Committeeman John Williams, Louisiana state Rep. Elbert Guillary, a Philadelphia political activist and a pro-life leader. Many voters also have been leaving and publicly voicing their frustration with the party.
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The Democratic Party has become extreme and out of touch with Americans on abortion. Its platform supports abortions without restriction and demands that taxpayers be forced to pay for them.
Very few Americans share that view. Polls consistently show a strong majority of Americans support legal protections for unborn babies, especially after the first trimester or once their heartbeat is detectable, as well as bans on taxpayer funding for elective abortions, parental consent for minors and informed consent legislation.
Recently, more than 100 pro-life Democrat leaders urged the Democratic Party to stop being so extreme on abortion. The open letter, led by Democrats for Life of America, called on the party “to recognize the inviolable human dignity of the child, before and after birth.”
“We urge you to reject a litmus test on pro-life people of faith seeking office in the Democratic Party,” they said.
However, prominent Democrats recently have begun saying openly that pro-lifers are not welcome in the party anymore. A few years ago, the Missouri Democratic Party even voted to remove platform language encouraging a “diversity of views on abortion.”
