Not too many days ago, I said this:
Tell me why the Democrats abandoned us, even as the Republicans were making clear their full-on assault against women.
Somewhere esle I complained that having these creatures called "pro life" Democrats is part of the problem (Stupak amendment, anyone?).
These were just my opinions based on observation and personal experience, so I thought I'd have a look at the official stand of the Democratic Party on abortion since Roe v. Wade was decided.
What did I find? Steadfast equivocation.
A quick caveat before continuing: This diary is not "purity trolling," a concept that I find to be rather silly and pointless.** Rather, this diary is about the "and better" part of the slogan "more and better Democrats." On the issue of abortion, there's one hell of a lot of room for improvement.
The 1976 platform:
We fully recognize the religious and ethical nature of the concerns which many Americans have on the subject of abortion. We feel, however, that it is undesirable to attempt to amend the U.S. Constitution to overturn the Supreme Court decision in this area.
Okay, at the time I was interested in kickball, "
Fox on the Run," and similar stuff rather than politics, so I have no context for this. But it's better than what the Democrats came up with four years later.
The 1980 platform:
Reproductive Rights—We fully recognize the religious and ethical concerns which many Americans have about abortion. We also recognize the belief of many Americans that a woman has a right to choose whether and when to have a child.
Why did they even bother mentioning it? And why did they pretend that reproductive freedom is a "belief" that a lot of people share rather than the law of the land as dictated by
Roe? This thing reads like they were afraid of the issue.
The 1984 platform:
Today, the fundamental right of a woman to reproductive freedom rests on the votes of six members of the Supreme Court—five of whom are over 75. That could easily disappear under a second Reagan term.
Finally, "the fundamental right to reproductive freedom." Language that makes you think the party's with us. Too bad they framed it as "vote for us because the other guys will
really screw you over."
The 1988 platform:
We further believe that we must work for the adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution; that the fundamental right of reproductive choice should be guaranteed regardless of ability to pay...
Brace yourself. This was where the party peaked.
The 1992 platform:
Democrats stand behind the right of every woman to choose, consistent with Roe v. Wade, regardless of ability to pay, and support a national law to protect that right.
It is a fundamental constitutional liberty that individual Americans—not government—can best take responsibility for making the most difficult and intensely personal decisions regarding reproduction. The goal of our nation must be to make abortion less necessary, not more difficult or more dangerous. We pledge to support contraceptive research, family planning, comprehensive family life education, and policies that support healthy childbearing and enable parents to care most effectively for their children.
We are woman, hear us roar, in numbers too big to igno----Wait, what? That fundamental liberty sounds a lot like a duty. I've got this right that the Democratic party fully supports so long as I'm extra careful to never, ever exercise it? Does my fundamental right to marry make me responsible for the nation's divorce rates, too?
The 1996 platform:
The Democratic Party stands behind the right of every woman to choose, consistent with Roe v. Wade, and regardless of ability to pay. President Clinton took executive action to make sure that the right to make such decisions is protected for all Americans. Over the last four years, we have taken action to end the gag rule and ensure safety at family planning and women's health clinics. We believe it is a fundamental constitutional liberty that individual Americans -- not government -- can best take responsibility for making the most difficult and intensely personal decisions regarding reproduction.
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.
Our goal is to make abortion less necessary and more rare, not more difficult and more dangerous. We support contraceptive research, family planning, comprehensive family life education, and policies that support healthy childbearing. For four years in a row, we have increased support for family planning. The abortion rate is dropping. Now we must continue to support efforts to reduce unintended pregnancies, and we call on all Americans to take personal responsibility to meet this important goal.
Okay, we get it; we're responsible. That's our liberty. But abortion is not a "difficult issue" for anyone but the woman who is pregnant, and maybe not even her. And why did the party feel compelled to tip its hat to the folks carrying around
jars with fetuses in them? One other question: Are you sure the abortion rate is declining because we're all being so responsible, or might it be the result of successful efforts by republicans to make abortion more difficult to obtain?
The 2000 platform:
The Democratic Party stands behind the right of every woman to choose, consistent with Roe v. Wade, and regardless of ability to pay. We believe it is a fundamental constitutional liberty that individual Americans - not government - can best take responsibility for making the most difficult and intensely personal decisions regarding reproduction. This year's Supreme Court rulings show to us all that eliminating a woman's right to choose is only one justice away. That's why the stakes in this election are as high as ever.
Our goal is to make abortion less necessary and more rare, not more difficult and more dangerous. We support contraceptive research, family planning, comprehensive family life education, and policies that support healthy childbearing. The abortion rate is dropping. Now we must continue to support efforts to reduce unintended pregnancies, and we call on all Americans to take personal responsibility to meet this important goal.
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. This is why we are proud to put into our platform the very words which Republicans refused to let Bob Dole put into their 1996 platform and which they refused to even consider putting in their platform in 2000: "While the party remains steadfast in its commitment to advancing its historic principles and ideals, we also recognize that members of our party have deeply held and sometimes differing views on issues of personal conscience like abortion and capital punishment. We view this diversity of views as a source of strength, not as a sign of weakness, and we welcome into our ranks all Americans who may hold differing positions on these and other issues. Recognizing that tolerance is a virtue, we are committed to resolving our differences in a spirit of civility, hope and mutual respect."
Again, Stupak anyone? More seriously, by the time the 2000 platform was issued, the anti-abortion groups had already escalated from protest to violence. Between 1997 and 1999,
three doctors had been murdered and numerous clinics were set on fire or bombed.
The 2004 platform:
We will defend the dignity of all Americans against those who would undermine it. 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. We stand firmly against Republican efforts to undermine that right. At the same time, we strongly support family planning and adoption incentives. Abortion should be safe, legal, and rare.
It's been said that "but" (used here in the "at the same time" phrasing) in a sentence can erase everything you just said, as in "I think you're great, but I don't see a future with you." And
lynne1 says all that needs to be said about "
safe, legal, and rare."
The 2008 platform:
This one has two noteworthy passages. The first is in the general discussion of health care reform:
Reproductive 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.
Quite some space down, is this:
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 comprehensive affordable family planning services and age-appropriate sex education which empower 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.
The 2008 platform does interrupt the trend by using more forecful language and weakening the apology for abortions ever being performed. But it's still a long way from the "fundamental right of a woman to reproductive freedom."
Like I said at the outset, this is a history of steadfast equivocation. Time will tell how the 2012 platform will read, but it doesn't bode well that the "What We Stand For" link over at Democrats.org doesn't even have a category for women.
**For the record, I believe that anyone who holds a position of power should be subject to critical review, whether I voted for that person or not. I'm also in the John Stuart Mill camp on subjecting your own opinions to the objections of others because there are only two possible outcomes: 1) the correctness of your own opinion is reinforced, or 2) you realize you were wrong.