How can one claim to be progressive while being pro-life?

[Tom Rinaldo]

105. I was pointed here by a respose to an OP of mine by the author of this one.

I think this is a fair and constructive debate to have. Without vouching for every post made in reply to this OP, I do not group this in with some other threads that I suspect exist mostly for the sake of being negative toward Sanders. No one needs me saying so to validate the truth, but I fully think the concerns raised here are legitimate.

Here is what I had written in the dialog I was having with BainBane:

"I admit to being bedeviled, to an extent, by all litmus test issues. I believe in them but then sometimes it is hard to thread through the mine field of eliminators they present to end up with a viable candidate to oppose a Republican who violates a slew of litmus test issues him or herself. Both Clinton and Sanders had exceptionally good records on "woman's issues" in Congress. Both offered leadership in that regard, but I agree that Hillary offered by far the most leadership of the two. Still Hillary has supported Pro-Life candidates in the past. Bob Casey, the Democratic Senator from PA, is one of them. In 2016Casey worked as a surrogate for Hillary:

"Soft-spoken Bob Casey grows into role as surrogate"

...But the Scranton native known for his mild manner has taken on a sharper tone as he stumps for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, who also has ties to northeastern Pennsylvania. Casey is a top Democrat in a battleground state, making his advocacy even more crucial to her campaign...

Casey already has backed Clinton during her appearances here, with introductions at events in the primary and by promoting her remarks on terrorism following her event in Pittsburgh last month..."
http://www.mcall.com/news/local/elections/mc-democratic-convention-bob-casey-clinton-20160726-story.html

Ed Reendell, former DNC Chair, Pennsylvania Governor and long time close associate of Hillary praised Casey's Democratic credentials in light of his "pro-life" position just a few weeks ago in this interview (embedded video of MSNBC interview at this ink):

"Ed Rendell Exposes Casey’s Recent Leftward Shift"
https://www.americarisingpac.org/ed-rendell-exposes-caseys-recent-leftward-shift/

Whether to support Omaha Mayor candidate Heath Mello may not be the easiest call, as a case in point for litmus tests. Bernie isn't alone in doing so however, the DC under Tom Perez does too. Here is Mello's recent comment:
The Democratic candidate for mayor of Omaha, Nebraska, told The Huffington Post on Thursday that if elected, he “would never do anything to restrict access to reproductive health care.”.

The HuffPo story offers a good overview of the controversy:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/omaha-mayoral-candidate-under-fire-says-he-would-never-do-anything-to-restrict-access-to-reproductive-health-care_us_58f8e868e4b018a9ce590a84 "

In the case of Mello, Sanders responded to a request from the Nebraska Democratic Party to campaign on his behalf. Unlike the Atlanta suburbs, Nebraska is the exact type of area where support from Sanders can help swing an election. The National Democratic Party, through the DNC, has also swung it's support behind Mello in this race. So here we have the highest bodies representing both the State and National Democratic Parties on record in support of Mello. The Teachers Union in Omaha is behind Mello also. I suspect that most folks at the local level think that Mello will govern from closer to a progressive position than would his Republican opponent. He now feels the heat of pro choice Democrats and it seems from his most recent statements that he is scurrying to find his way closer to the stance taken by other personally "pro-life" Democrats who fully support a woman's right to choose.

I honestly welcome having this larger debate about where and when we as Democrats should draw a bright red line, particularly in bright red regions of our nation. If it becomes only about being critical of Bernie Sanders for taking the same stance that the official Democratic Party does, I think we are missing a chance to have an open honest exchange on this.