GOP Adopts Platform That Opposes Abortions In All Cases

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 03 Sep 2008 - 6:00 PDT

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The Republican Party on Monday at its national convention in St. Paul, Minn., adopted a platform that unconditionally opposes abortion rights, the AP/Google.com reports. The nonbinding document does not include exceptions for abortions in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of pregnant women, all of which are favored by Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (Ariz.). McCain in a May interview reiterated his support for the exceptions and said that he would encourage the Republican Party to include them in its platform. However, in a July interview he said he had "not gotten into platform discussions" (Johnson, AP/Google.com, 9/1). McCain's vice presidential running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R), when asked on a recent Eagle Forum questionnaire about her position on abortion rights, said, "I am pro-life. With the exception of a doctor's determination that the mother's life would end if the pregnancy continued. I believe that no matter what mistakes we make as a society, we cannot condone ending an innocent's life" (Paul, "Stumper," Newsweek, 9/1). According to the AP/Google.com, some delegates voiced opposition to adopting the platform on abortion, but Republican National Chair Robert Duncan used a "quick gavel" to adopt the platform unconditionally (AP/Google.com, 9/1).

The Democratic Party on Aug. 25 at the Democratic National Convention in Denver adopted a new platform that reaffirms the party's support for abortion rights. The platform states that 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 party in the platform also pledges to ensure access to adoption services, prenatal and postnatal care and income support for pregnant women. The platform eliminates a phrase in previous platforms that abortion should be "safe, legal and rare" (Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 8/26). In his acceptance speech at the DNC, Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) said, "We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing unwanted pregnancies in this country" (AP/Google.com, 9/1).

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