Black, Hispanic Democrats cross party lines on abortion bills

In North Carolina, the six Democratic legislators who broke ranks last month to join the GOP in passing an infanticide bill all had something in common: None was white.

Five of them were black; one was Native American. They included state Sen. Don Davis, who became the hero of North Carolina’s pro-life movement last week when he crossed party lines again to thwart Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto, sending the override measure to the House.

“One’s party affiliation should not determine one’s conviction to be an advocate for life,” tweeted North Carolina Right to Life. “Be sure to thank Senator Don Davis for voting to override Governor Cooper’s veto to protect born-alive survivors of abortion!”

Mr. Davis was hardly alone. In a legislative session that saw abortion rise to the forefront, black and Hispanic legislators were notable in their willingness to cross party lines, exposing a racial schism on a key Democratic issue and frustrating efforts to unite the party behind the push to “codify Roe.”

More