The adopted platforms of the Republican and Democratic parties differ clearly
on three major social issues – abortion, embryonic stem cell research and
a constitutional marriage amendment.
The adopted platforms of the Republican and Democratic parties differ clearly
on three major social issues – abortion, embryonic stem cell research and
a constitutional marriage amendment.
The difference on abortion is not new. As in past platforms, the Republican
platform opposes abortion while the Democratic statement embraces the historic
Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion.
However, in stem cell research and a marriage amendment, this years political
party platforms address two new headline issues as well.
The Republican platform supports President George Bushs restrictions
on public funding for embryonic stem cell research, while the Democratic platform
backs a reversal of the Bush policy.
The Republican platform also supports the presidents call for a constitutional
amendment defining marriage as only between a man and a woman, while the Democratic
platform opposes it.
Although non-binding, party platforms provide an overview of the parties
positions on a host of issues.
On one key issue, the Democratic platform supports abortion on demand, including
taxpayer-funded abortions.
“Because we believe in the privacy and equality of women, we stand proudly
for a womans right to choose, consistent with Roe v. Wade, and regardless
of her ability to pay,” the Democratic platform states.
In turn, the Republican Party platform says that every child “deserves
the chance to be born and grow up in a loving family. …
“As a country, we must keep our pledge to the first guarantee of the Declaration
of Independence,” it states. “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 Fourteenth Amendments protections apply to unborn children.”
In part, the Fourteenth Amendment outlines protections for American citizens,
including the right to due process of law. The amendment states that no state
shall “deprive any person of life, liberty or property, without due process
of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection
of the laws.”
Meanwhile, although the Democratic platform mentioned “stem cell research”
in its 2000 platform, this year is the first time that either partys platform
specifically has addressed embryonic stem cell research.
The Democratic platform accuses the Bush administration of placing ideology
over science by banning the use of federal funds for embryonic stem cell research.
“We will reverse his wrongheaded policy,” it states. “Stem cell
therapy offers hope to more than 100 million Americans who have serious illnesses
– from Alzheimers to heart disease to juvenile diabetes to Parkinsons.”
Embryonic stem cell research requires the destruction of days-old embryos –
something pro-lifers oppose. Bushs policy prevents federal funding of
such research, although it does not ban private funds for such experimentation.
Instead, Bush and the Republican platform support research on adult stem cells
and core blood stem cells – neither of which requires the destruction of
embryos.
“We strongly support the presidents policy that prevents taxpayer
dollars from being used to encourage the future destruction of human embryos,”
the Republican platform states. “In addition, we applaud the presidents
call for a comprehensive ban on human cloning and on the creation of human embryos
solely for experimentation.”
On a final key issue, the Republican platform opposes same-sex marriages and
civil unions between homosexuals. The platform defends the traditional definition
of marriage as only between a man and a woman, stating that a mother and a father
provide “the best environment of stability, discipline, responsibility,
and character.” …
“We strongly support President Bushs call for a constitutional amendment
that fully protects marriage, and we believe that neither federal nor state
judges nor bureaucrats should force states to recognize other living arrangements
as equivalent to marriage,” the Republican platform states. “We believe,
and social science confirms, that the well-being of children is best accomplished
in the environment of the home, nurtured by their mother and father anchored
by the bonds of marriage.”
The platform then states its opposition to civil unions, insisting that the
legal recognition and the accompanying benefits of marriage “should be
preserved for that unique and special union of one man and one woman, which
has historically been called marriage.”
Anything short of a constitutional amendment defining marriage as only between
a man and a woman is vulnerable to being overturned by activist judges, the
Republican platform maintains.
Meanwhile, the Democratic platform “repudiate(s) President Bushs
divisive effort to politicize the Constitution by pursuing a Federal Marriage
Amendment.”
“We support full inclusion of gay and lesbian families in the life of
our nation and seek equal responsibilities, benefits, and protections for these
families,” the Democratic platform states.
“In our country, marriage has been defined at the state level for 200
years, and we believe it should continue to be defined there.”
(The Republican Party platform can be read online at www.gopconvention.com/platform/2004platform.pdf.
The Democratic Party platform can be read online at www.democrats.org/pdfs/2004platform.pdf.)