The Democratic Party fights for the issues that mean the most to American
women, including ensuring equal pay, combating discrimination against women and
protecting freedom of choice.
Choice:
The Democratic Party is pledged to upholding a woman's right to choose,
consistent with Roe v. Wade. Democrats believe it is a fundamental
constitutional liberty that individual Americans - not government - can best
take responsibility for making the most difficult and intensely personal
decisions regarding reproduction. In 1998, Congressional Democrats and President
Clinton enacted legislation guaranteeing access to contraceptive care for
federal employees and their family members. This year Congressional Democrats
fought to retain this access after President Bush proposed eliminating it.
President Bush is strongly anti-choice and has indicated that his administration
may challenge Roe v. Wade. Since he took office, Bush has taken every
opportunity to chip away women's reproductive rights by reinstating the Mexico
City Policy, a Reagan-era funding ban on family planning services worldwide;
trying to eliminate guaranteed access to contraceptive coverage; and undermining
the legal logic of Roe v. Wade.
Equal Pay:
The Democratic Party believes in the fundamental right of working women to
receive equal pay. Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) have
introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act to reduce paycheck discrimination based on
sex.
President Bush has undermined efforts to ensure equal pay by appointing advisers
who deny the existence of the gender gap and by failing to provide adequate
funding to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which enforces
federal laws against discrimination and upholds equal pay.
Outreach:
The Democratic Party was proud when President Clinton established the Office for
Women's Initiatives and Outreach that advocated for policies to assist women. In
2001 the Democratic National Committee launched the Women's Vote Center to help
elect more Democrats to office by educating, engaging, and mobilizing women
voters throughout the nation. Consistent with his effort to make his
Administration look like America, President Clinton appointed women to 46
percent of Senate-confirmed administration jobs in his first year.
The Bush Administration showed that issues affecting women are not its priority
when it closed the White House Office for Women's Initiatives and Outreach and
proposed to abolish regional outreach offices operated by the Women's Bureau at
the Department of Labor, the sole Federal government entity concerned with
promoting the interests of working women. In his first year in office, Bush
appointed women to only 26 percent of Senate-confirmed administration jobs.