Democratic Party Platform Would Continue to Back Unlimited Abortion
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
July 21, 2004
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — At the Democratic Party’s upcoming national convention, delegates will consider a revised party platform. If they approve the proposed version, the Democratic Party will continue its support for unlimited abortion.
"Because we believe in the privacy and equality of women, we stand proudly for a woman’s right to choose, consistent with Roe v. Wade, and regardless of her ability to pay," the proposed platform reads.
"We stand firmly against Republican efforts to undermine that right," the platform also says.
The paragraph-long comment about abortion would be a marked change from the wordy three-paragraph statement found in the 2000 version.
One key difference would be the removal of language acknowledging that a significant group of pro-life Democrats dissents from the party’s pro-abortion view.
"The Democratic Party is a party of inclusion. We respect the individual conscience of each American on this difficult issue, and we welcome all our members to participate at every level of our party," the 2000 platform read.
That statement and a long paragraph respecting the right of Democrats to disagree on abortion is stricken from the 2004 platform proposal.
That explains why members of Democrats for Life of America plan a rally outside the Boston convention.
"We are dedicated Democrats who are tired of standing outside the big tent," DFLA executive director Kristen Day said.
"The current Democratic platform supporting abortion on demand, an unrestricted ‘right to chose,’ is going to be our party’s ‘right to lose,’" Day said. "If we loyal Democrats don’t want four more years of Bush, we’ve got to care enough to stay in our party and change its extreme and fatal abortion position so we can win again."
Members of the pro-life Democratic group will sport buttons with the phrase "43 percent of Democrats can’t be wrong."
That’s a reference to a January 2004 Zogby poll that found 43 percent of respondents who call themselves Democrats take a pro-life position opposing most or all abortions.
Instead of specific language discussing a disagreement on abortion, the platform contains a generic section regarding policy differences on political issues.
"Members of our party have deeply held and differing views on some matters of conscience and faith," the 2004 party platform proposal reads. "We view diversity of views as a source of strength, and we welcome into our ranks all Americans who seek to build a stronger America."
However, the Democratic National Committee web site still contains no link to the Democrats for Life organization, despite repeated requests and a meeting with party leaders.
Meanwhile, the 2000 GOP platform calls for a human life amendment protecting the lives of unborn children and says, "[t]he unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed."
The Platform also calls for extension of Fourteenth Amendment protection to unborn children, supports the appointment of judges who respect the sanctity of human life, and opposes the use of taxpayer funds for abortions or for organizations that advocate it.
Surprisingly, the proposed Democratic Party platform also removes language from the 2000 version applauding the slight reduction in abortions in the U.S. over the last few years.
"The abortion rate is dropping," the old platform read. "Our goal is to make abortion less necessary and more rare."
That goal has apparently changed.
Related web sites:
Democrats for Life of America – https://www.democratsforlife.org
The Democratic Party on Abortion, Then and Now: Comparing the Platforms –
https://www.LifeNews.com/nat660b.html
