Democrats For Life of America

Democrats For Life of America (DFLA) is a sub-group of the Democratic Party in U.S. politics, which describes itself as "the preeminent national organization for pro-life Democrats."

Beliefs
DFLA's core principle as stated on its about page is belief in "the fundamental worth, dignity, and equality of all people" and "that the protection of human life is the foundation of human rights, authentic freedom, and good government".

As a result of this, DFLA's stated beliefs include opposition to abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, embryonic stem cell research, poverty, genocide, and "all other injustices that directly and indirectly threaten human life." The organization also states opposition to tyranny, terrorism, genocide, the acquisition of weapons of mass destruction, slavery, and "all other unjust acts of violence and aggression."

Consistent Life Ethic
DFLA considers itself a member of the organization, Consistent Life, previously known as the Seamless Garment Network. Consistent Life considers 'pro-life' to indicate not only opposition to abortion and euthanasia but also to war, the death penalty, poverty, and racism. In 2007, the president of Consistent Life, Bill Samuel, was chosen to be the lead speaker for DFLA's annual conference. Carol Crossed, the 2003 Director of DFLA, was previously the Executive Director of the Consistent Life Network.

History
Founded in 1999, DFLA sought to coordinate the efforts of pro-life Democrats, describing itself as "the only viable national organization for pro-life members of the Democratic party". In 2002, it hired Kristen Day as its first Executive Director, and created a new national office in Washington D.C. In 2003, the organization joined the national March For Life.

2009-2010 Healthcare Influence

 * See Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

The Pro-Life Democrats played a major role in fighting the abortion agenda in the healthcare bill that Obama promised Planned Parenthood. Republicans did not have the votes to stop any bills from passing, but Pro-Life Democrats prevented bill passage for months on end, fighting their own party to allow passage of the Pro-Life Stupak Amendment guaranteeing federal money would not fund abortions.

Political Action Committee
A related PAC, Democrats For Life of America PAC, is hosted by ActBlue. OpenSecrets reports the group raised $13,869 in 2010 and $5,843 in 2008.