The Democratic Party official platform believes in a woman’s right to have access to a safe and legal abortion. The Party also defends the Supreme Court’s decision for a woman’s right to have an abortion in Roe v. Wade. Nevertheless, their platform also holds that educating both women and men will help decrease the number of abortions performed.
In the end, the reasoning is simple: the right to have an abortion is a fundamental right of women. Democrats recognize in the platform that the choice is a difficult and trying choice “between a woman, her family, her doctor and her clergy” but it is a choice that each individual woman has the right to make. No woman enters an unwanted or unhealthy pregnancy purposefully, but if she is unable to care for the child mentally, financially, or medically, she can decide which choice is best for her and the unborn child. Let it be known that there is no section on “abortions” in the party platform; the section is titled “Protecting a Woman’s Right to Choose” and also emphasizes “we strongly and unequivocally support a woman’s decision to have a child by providing affordable health care and ensuring the availability of and access to programs that help women during pregnancy and after the birth of a child, including caring adoption programs”. Additionally, this section is only four sentences of the democratic campaign to protect all rights and freedoms.
Often what is lost in this discussion is a woman’s right to express herself sexually, just as a man has the right to do. It is medically impossible for the man to become pregnant, whereas it is quite possible for the woman to become pregnant, no matter what precautions are taken. Therefore, her ability to live her life both sexually and in relationships is more restricted than a man’s if the right to have an abortion is not available. This means that a much larger issue is at stake: equality. If this right is taken away, her options are limiting. A woman must make a conscious decision whether or not she is going to have sex for fear of pregnancy. Whether she is married or single, she will not be able to make the proper decisions for her sexual preferences unless the right to an abortion is available, especially if she does not wish to become a parent.
While the man in the relationship may be just as concerned about her pregnancy, he does not need to consciously make that decision because his risk assessment is different. It will never be his body or his immediate health that is at risk. It will only ever be the woman’s.
Women deserve to live as equals in society. While many agree that the right to have an abortion should be allowed in cases of incest, rape, or to save the life of the mother, she also has the right to choose based on all factors she deems as appropriate. As a result, her right to an abortion will endure as Roe v. Wade states it should. This ensures both her safety and equality for all.
