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From the 2004 Democratic 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."
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From the 2004 Republican platform: "We must keep our pledge to the first guarantee of the Declaration of Independence. That is why we say the unborn child has a fundamental individual right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution, and we endorse legislation to make it clear that the 14th Amendment's protections apply to unborn children. ... We oppose using public revenues for abortion and will not fund organizations which advocate it. We support the appointment of judges who respect traditional family values and the sanctity of innocent human life."
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Interestingly, the general American public is nowhere near as polarized as the two parties on the abortion issue: a recent Gallup poll showed that 60% of Democrats support outlawing abortion in some cases, and 70% of Republicans support allowing it in some cases.
It seems that the country's ambivalence has started to show itself in behavior of the Democratic party. Last week the group
Democrats for Life (an anti-abortion group) unveiled it's "95-10" legislation designed to reduce abortions by 95% in 10 years. Where did they stage the news conference? At the DNC headquarters.
A couple years ago it would have been unthinkable that an anti-abortion group could be supported by the DNC; now it seems the Democrats have been paying attention to the polls and are making an effort to "reach out" on moral values issues.
Hillary Clinton, for instance, recently told a group of abortion rights supporters that we should find "common ground ... with people on the other side," and said she respected "those who believe with all their hearts and conscience that there are no circumstances under which any abortion should ever be available."
And she's following up on this with action too: she's working on family planning legislation with Rhode Island Rep. Jim Langevin, an anti-abortion Democrat.
What do y'all think about this? Are the Dems wrong to be doing this? Do you find it repellent, or is there room for compromise on this issue?
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washing...on-cover_x.htm