A Democrat pastor running for Congress in Illinois is urging the party to have a more inclusive stance on abortion as the left condemns the Senate’s failed effort to codify Roe v. Wade. 

Pastor Chris Butler pushed the Democrat Party Thursday to “make room” for pro-life voters on “Fox & Friends.”

“I think we have to make room in this party for folks who understand that the fundamental right to make the decision of when and where you’re going to have a baby is a real freedom that we need to protect,” Butler told the co-hosts. “But offering an abortion is just not the way to protect that freedom.”

Demonstrators protest outside of the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday, May 4, 2022 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Butler is running to represent Illinois’ 1st congressional district in November, which covers Chicago’s South Side. He is advocating for public safety, voting reform and protecting the unborn. 

SENATE FAILS TO ADVANCE BILL TO GUARANTEE ABORTION ACCESS NATIONWIDE

“People like me have spent their literal blood, sweat and tears building up this party, and I don’t think we should just let ourselves be pushed out of the party,” Butler said. 

“We shouldn’t just ignore the legacy of Fannie Lou Hamer and Frederick Douglass and the work of the Church of God in Christ, the largest Black denomination in the United States today,” he continued. “We can’t just say to all these folks, there’s no room for you in the party.”

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The Senate failed to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act on Wednesday, which would have permitted nationwide abortion access. West Virginia Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin voted no alongside all Republicans to strike down the legislation. 

“There’s so many issues like this one that really shouldn’t be left [or] right,” Butler said. “They are right [or] wrong issues.”