Planned Parenthood reason for Democrat's defeat, says pro-life activist

The U.S. election results took many Americans and spectators by surprise, but for one prominent pro-life activist, the Democrat's electoral downfall may be attributed to its adoption of an extreme position on abortion and close association with Planned Parenthood.

In a column published by The Federalist last week, Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, stated that the Democratic Party lost a lot of votes when it embraced a hardline stance on abortion.

Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, is shown in this photo. | Reuters/Jason Reed

Hawkins pointed out that Planned Parenthood campaigned hard for Clinton, with its president Cecile Richards very vocal in throwing her and the organization's support behind the presidential nominee.

Planned Parenthood spent US$30 million in campaign support, with Clinton and the Democratic Party included in the list of top recipients reported by Open Secrets .

"The Democratic Party then passed its most extreme platform in history on abortion, calling for the end of the Hyde Amendment, which prevents taxpayer funding from paying directly for abortions, more funding for Planned Parenthood, and for abortion to remain legal throughout all nine months for any reason whatsoever," Hawkins stated.

She added that the party was too focused on abortion that it failed to consider aiding women with unplanned pregnancies or "fixing our broken national and international adoption system."

The activist wrote that the Democratic Party's extreme pro-choice platform was a turn off for many Millenials.

The Millenials was an important segment during this year's campaign period as they make up the single largest generation of eligible voters, and they are now greater in number than the baby boomers.

In the final weeks of the campaign season, Clinton poured in a lot of time and effort to seek the support of young voters. Hawkins pointed out, however, that Clinton and her party's staunch pro-choice stance was a major deal-breaker for many Millennials. She cited a survey conducted by the Institute for Pro-Life Advancement which indicates that only 17% of those Millennials agree that indiscriminate abortion should be made legal, while more than half deem that it should not be allowed in any or most situations.