The Democratic Party leadership is arguing that we need to be “realistic” about the districts candidates are running in. But, first of all, what is the point of any organization if not to align people around a certain set of core values? What is the Democratic Party if there are no lines drawn in the sand? For many in the Democratic base, reproductive rights are a core value, and furthermore, it’s a value that cannot be divorced from the economy. In fact, the latest data from the Guttmacher Institute shows that roughly 75% of abortion patients are either poor or low-income, and many cite financial reasons as the primary reason for seeking an abortion. A woman’s right to decide when or if she wants to start a family and the size of that family is as much an economic decision as it is a social one. So if Democrats really care about improving the economic stability of working people, they can’t drop reproductive rights from that equation.