The Democratic Party Drops “Safe, Legal and Rare”
By Kay Steiger - Aug 12th, 2008 at 9:15 amIt looks like the Democratic Party dropped the “safe, legal and rare” part of its platform on choice. The new platform (PDF), which was just released, puts less of an emphasis on the controversial abortion reduction framework. The section on choice reads as follows:
The Democratic Party strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and a woman’s right to choose a safe and legal abortion, regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all efforts to weaken or undermine that right.
The Democratic Party also strongly supports access to affordable family planning services and comprehensive age-appropriate sex education which empowers people to make informed choices and live healthy lives. We also recognize that such health care and education help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and thereby also reduce the need for abortions.
The Democratic Party also strongly supports a woman’s decision to have a child by ensuring access to and availability of programs for pre- and post-natal health care, parenting skills, income support, and caring adoption programs.
For the most part, this doesn’t change much in the way of choice politics on the national level, but it does start to include some elements of the reproductive justice approach to choice, which views women’s health and rights from a more holistic perspective.
It’s unfortunate that the platform committee seems to take a slight amount of nudging from social activists to back off seeming more socially moderate but an increase pressure from all over the party to stand up for single payer healthcare or a fair trade policy can’t do anything due to the presence of so many corporate suits all across party infrastructure.
August 12th, 2008 at 6:42 pmThere’s also a reproductive health section in their plank about universal health care:
We oppose the current Administration’s consistent attempts to undermine a woman’s ability to make her own life choices and obtain reproductive health care, including birth control. We will end health insurance discrimination against contraception and provide compassionate care to rape victims. We will never put ideology above women’s health.
…this seems to go even farther in supporting the holistic view of women’s reporductive rights!
August 12th, 2008 at 10:08 pm[...] Pushback: The Democratic party released it’s new platform on choice today. Dropping the “safe, [...]
August 12th, 2008 at 11:35 pmI have a good addition to the platform
“We will reject the 3,000 bicycles Aenta has provided for the Convention”
^- Not making that up. They’re not standing up to insurance companies when they’re leting them sponsor the freaking convention.
August 13th, 2008 at 1:05 am