Democrats are using their party platform to affirm abortion rights more than ever before.
For the first time, the Democratic Party platform vows to repeal the federal Hyde Amendment, which limits how federal dollars can be used for abortions, and explicitly expresses support for Planned Parenthood, which Republicans have tried to defund over the last year.
The platform also says Democrats will seek to overturn state and federal laws that “impede a woman’s access to an abortion.”
“Democrats are committed to protecting and advancing reproductive health, rights, and justice,” the platform says. “We believe unequivocally that every woman should have access to quality reproductive healthcare services, including safe and legal abortion — regardless of where she lives, how much money she makes, or how she is insured.”
Their presumptive presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, has gathered broad support from abortion rights group, including an endorsement from Planned Parenthood, for opposing new regulations on abortion providers and a ban on abortions midway through pregnancy.
Planned Parenthood cheered the platform for specifically mentioning it. The women’s health and abortion provider has faced heavy fire from Republicans over the last year for supplying aborted fetal tissue for medical research purposes.
“For the first time ever, the Democratic party has recognized that comprehensive reproductive healthcare — including safe, legal abortion — is central to its platform,” Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards said in a statement.
“We also applaud the platform for affirming Planned Parenthood’s critical role in communities in the face of unprecedented attacks on reproductive health at the state and congressional levels, and the recognition that reproductive healthcare is core healthcare for women, men and young people.”
It’s also the first time Democrats have called for repealing the Hyde Amendment, even though lawmakers have attached it to bipartisan spending bills for years. The amendment says no government funds may be used for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or if the woman’s life is at stake.
