In 1980, the DFL Party was deeply divided over issues ranging from abortion to gay rights to gun control. The party rules encouraged division by requiring delegates to be elected from "sub-caucuses" organized around specific issues or interest groups. In 1981, Hatch printed political buttons, posters and letterhead under the name "The Centrists," promoting the notion that the party had to stand for more than just a conglomeration of interest groups. Feminists, pro-lifers, gun control organizations, and gay rights supporters opposed the "Centrists," who tried to end the sub-caucus system but were defeated by a united coalition of pro-life and pro-choice activists. 