San Francisco Chronicle Examines 'Intense Debate' in Democratic Party Over Abortion-Rights Issue

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 07 Feb 2005 - 16:00 PDT

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.The San Francisco Chronicle on Monday examined the "intens[e]" debate within the Democratic Party over the issue of abortion rights. While some Democrats since the November 2004 elections have suggested that the party try to "broaden its appeal" by reaching out to abortion-rights opponents, others within the party have said that it "should not step back from a strong and resolute position" supporting abortion rights, according to the Chronicle (Marinucci, San Francisco Chronicle, 2/7). The complete article is available online.

CQ Examines Party's Efforts To Reframe Abortion-Rights Debate
Congressional Quarterly on Monday examined efforts by leaders in the Democratic Party to reframe the party's position on abortion rights following its defeats in the November 2004 election. According to a January poll conducted by Democracy Corps, voters ranked the Democratic Party's support of abortion rights as third on a list of negative qualities associated with the party, according to Congressional Quarterly. In addition, many voters said they favored the Republican Party's views on "moral values," which some interpreted as a reference to issues including gay marriage and abortion rights. Some Democrats have suggested that the party's defeats show that it needs "new ways to communicate" its position on abortion rights, Congressional Quarterly reports. However, other Democrats believe the party "need not change a thing" with regard to its support for abortion rights, according to Congressional Quarterly. According to a Jan. 31 poll conducted by EMILY's List, a group that helps raise funds for Democratic female candidates who support abortion rights, the Democratic Party's support for abortion rights had no "significant negative impact on top races" in the last election, according to Congressional Quarterly (Carey, Congressional Quarterly, 2/7).

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