Harris and Walz are extremists on abortion. Republicans should speak up about it.

It’s no secret that in the post-Roe v. Wade era , Republicans have struggled to find their footing on how to regulate abortion .

While some red states have passed significant restrictions on abortion , in many other states, advocates for life have lost referenda on the issue ‒ including in places that typically vote Republican such as Kansas, Kentucky and Ohio .

Although GOP governors such as Brian Kemp of Georgia, Mike DeWine of Ohio, Greg Abbott of Texas, Bill Lee of Tennessee and Ron DeSantis of Florida have signed significant abortion restrictions while still winning their elections by huge margins, some blame the issue for Republicans' diminished midterm election results in 2022.

For this reason, former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance of Ohio have sought to downplay the issue in their run for the White House, and the Republican Party softened language about abortion that had been in its platform for four decades. Instead, the party is focusing on issues like immigration, inflation and crime.

Activists like myself are disappointed that Republicans have gone wobbly on the sanctity of unborn life, but we recognize that politics is the art of the possible, and there is much work to do to educate the American people on the moral imperative of our cause.

Even so, Republicans should not abandon speaking on the sanctity of life in this election, especially given the extreme policies of Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Harris and Walz take extreme positions on abortion

It's not an exaggeration to say that this duo is perhaps the most extremely pro-abortion ticket in U.S. history, a long way off from the “ safe, legal and rare ” sheepishness of Bill Clinton’s Democratic Party.

As California attorney general, Harris was the co-sponsor of a state law that required pregnancy resource centers to refer clients to abortion providers, a law the Supreme Court struck down because of free speech concerns.

As vice president, she praised the efforts of state attorneys general to shut down these centers. To be clear, the resource centers offer women alternatives to abortion, something Democrats used to claim to favor.

As a senator, Harris was a co-sponsor of a bill that would have obliterated any restriction on abortion in the states, up to the moment of birth, and even voted against a bill that would require a doctor to try to save a baby who survived an abortion.

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Walz is similarly extreme, despite the news media’s attempt to frame him as a cuddly moderate grandfather. As governor, the Minnesota governor signed legislation that makes it legal to coerce women into abortion, that uses taxpayer money to fund abortion, that removes any informed consent on the abortion procedure and reverses legislation that would require doctors to save the life of a baby who survived an abortion.

It's not an exaggeration to say both Harris and Walz have governed in a way that advocates for abortion up until the moment of birth and seeks to shut down those who try to help provide women with alternative choices.

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Unfortunately, America is not where most advocates for life are on the issue of abortion. Yet, most Americans are not where Harris and Walz are, either.

According to a recent Gallup poll, significant majorities of Americans oppose abortion in the second and third trimesters. Only 35% of Americans favor Harris and Walz's extreme position of abortion on demand at any stage.

Republicans need to highlight Harris' record on abortion

Republicans should not shy away from pointing that out to voters.

The mainstream media, largely sympathetic to the pro-abortion rights position, will not highlight this extremism. It’s up to Republicans to remind people of the morality of the cause to protect innocent lives.

When asked about abortion, rather than staring at their shoes or quickly changing the subject, they might respond with something like this: “We believe in the sanctity of unborn human life. We all know there is a person there, who deserves the sacred rights and privileges promised in our founding documents. We understand that not all Americans agree with us, but a majority reject the extremism of our opponents who enthusiastically favor abortion until the moment of birth. We think this is morally reprehensible.”

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The movement to protect unborn babies has much work to do to convince hearts and minds on this issue. We care about it, not because we desire to control women’s bodies, but because we know, from science, that there is another human body in the conversation.

It took half a century to overturn Roe v. Wade and allow the states to restrict this practice, and it may take just as long to see every unborn baby enjoy the protection they deserve.

Until then, we must remind Americans who the real extremists are − those who want to use the power of the federal government to block any legal restrictions on abortions.

Daniel Darling, director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, is the author of several books, including the forthcoming "In Defense of Christian Patriotism. "

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Harris and Walz are extremists on abortion. Republicans should speak up about it.