(Washington, DC) – NARAL Pro-Choice America, the nation’s leading advocate for personal privacy and a woman’s right to choose, praised the 2004 Democratic Party platform as a declaration of pro-choice, pro-woman, pro-family values. In contrast to the Republican Party platform, which historically aims to undermine women’s rights and calls for a constitutional amendment to render abortion illegal in almost all cases, the Democratic platform soundly supports a woman’s constitutional right to choose. The Democrat’s understanding of choice is broad, encompassing the right to choose from the full range of reproductive options, including healthy childbearing, contraception, adoption, and abortion, in line with NARAL Pro-Choice America’s vision.

The platform correctly links the right to choose both to privacy and to equality, and we applaud its declaration that every woman should have quality prenatal care, and that the children’s health insurance program should ensure that no child goes without health care. NARAL Pro-Choice America salutes the platform committee for insisting that health care disparities be addressed through increasing research and training in the medical profession, encouraging more minorities to enter the sciences and breaking down language barriers - - proposals that NARAL Pro-Choice America endorsed in our 2000 Breaking Barriers publication and emphasizes in our ongoing legal and organizing work.

The platform rebukes President Bush for holding science hostage to anti-choice ideology - - another long-held tenet of NARAL Pro-Choice America. And, yet again like NARAL Pro-Choice America, the platform repudiates President Bush’s politicization of the Constitution through the “Federal Marriage Amendment.”

NARAL Pro-Choice America Interim President Elizabeth Cavendish said, “It is a promising week for America’s women. With the selection of John Edwards as Senator Kerry’s Vice Presidential running mate, and promulgation of a document that promises to uphold freedom of choice in no uncertain terms, the Democratic Party moved on two fronts to protect our nation from losing the very rights that define it – privacy and freedom from governmental interference in personal decisions.”