The political platforms of the Republican and Democrat parties reveal a stark contrast on abortion with Republicans seeking a human life amendment to the constitution while the Democratic Party seeks unfettered access to abortion in the US and around the world, funded by US taxpayers.

Delegates to the Republican Convention approved an historic pro-life Platform that acknowledges the awesome responsibility of the next president to appoint justices to the Supreme Court and seeks justices that will respect the inalienable right to life. The Platform states,

          “Only a Republican president will appoint judges who respect the rule of law   expressed within the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, including the      inalienable right to life and the laws of nature and nature’s God, as did the late    Justice Antonin Scalia. We are facing a national crisis in our judiciary. We understand that only by electing a Republican president in 2016 will America have the opportunity for up to five new constitutionally-minded Supreme Court justices appointed to fill vacancies on the Court.”

The platform of the Republican Party expresses an uncompromising belief in and support for the protection of life in all stages and opposes abortion in no uncertain terms, mentioning it 35 times.

In the section, The Fifth Amendment: Protecting Human Life, the Republican Platform states:

          “The Constitution’s guarantee that no one can “be deprived of life, liberty or property” deliberately echoes the Declaration of Independence’s proclamation that “all” are “endowed by their Creator” with the inalienable right to life. Accordingly, we assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed. We support a human life amendment to the Constitution and legislation to make clear that the Fourteenth Amendment’s protections apply to children before birth.”

          “We oppose the use of public funds to perform or promote abortion or to fund organizations, like Planned Parenthood, so long as they provide or refer for elective abortions or sell fetal body parts rather than provide healthcare.

The Republican Platform details and supports legislation passed by the House of Representatives and by states to assist infants who survive abortion: 

          “We applaud the U.S. House of Representatives for leading the effort to add   enforcement to the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act by passing the Born-Alive      Abortion Survivors Protection Act, which imposes appropriate civil and criminal         penalties on healthcare providers who fail to provide treatment and care to an infant who survives an abortion, including early induction delivery whether the death of the infant is intended. We strongly oppose infanticide. Over a dozen states have passed Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Acts prohibiting abortion after twenty weeks, the point at which current medical research shows that unborn babies can feel excruciating pain during abortions, and we call on Congress to enact the federal version. Not only is it good legislation, but it enjoys the support of a majority of the American people. We support state and federal efforts against the cruelest forms of abortion, especially dismemberment abortion procedures, in which unborn babies are literally torn apart limb from limb.”

It expresses concern for women who are considering abortion, thanks those who come to their assistance, and expresses support for commonsense regulations on abortion clinics. 

                “We affirm our moral obligation to assist, rather than penalize, women who face an unplanned pregnancy. In order to encourage women who face an unplanned pregnancy to choose life, we support legislation that requires financial responsibility for the child be equally borne by both the mother and father upon conception until the child reaches adulthood.”

          “We celebrate the millions of Americans who open their hearts, homes, and churches to mothers in need and women fleeing abuse. We thank and encourage providers of counseling, medical services, and adoption assistance for empowering women experiencing an unintended pregnancy to choose life. We support funding for ultrasounds and adoption assistance. We salute the many states that now protect women and girls through laws requiring informed consent, parental consent, waiting periods, and clinic regulation. We condemn the Supreme Court’s activist decision in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt striking down commonsense Texas laws providing for basic health and safety standards in abortion clinics.”

Respect for the dignity of life through all stages of life is expressed:  “We oppose the non-consensual withholding or withdrawal of care or treatment, including food and water, from individuals with disabilities, newborns, the elderly, or the infirm, just as we oppose euthanasia and assisted suicide.” 

Republicans call on Congress “to ban sex-selection abortions and abortions based on disabilities—discrimination in its most lethal form”, states opposition to embryonic stem cell research and federal funding for it, calls for a ban on human cloning, and supports adult stem cell research.

In stark contrast, the Draft Democratic Platform which is likely to be accepted by the party’s delegates at next week’s convention, expresses an extreme pro-abortion view that supports abortion “as a reproductive health care service”: 

                “Democrats are committed to protecting and advancing reproductive health, rights, and justice. We believe unequivocally that every woman should have access to quality reproductive health care services, including safe and legal abortion—  regardless of where she lives, how much money she makes, or how she is insured.”

Unconditional support for Planned Parenthood is expressed,  “We will continue to stand up to Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood health centers, which provide critical health services to millions of people” as is support for repealing the ban on federal funding for abortion, the Hyde Amendment. 

          “…we believe that safe abortion must be part of comprehensive maternal and women’s health care and included as part of America’s global health programming. Therefore, we support the repeal of harmful restrictions that obstruct women’s access to health care information and services, including the “global gag rule” and the Helms Amendment that bars U.S. assistance to provide safe, legal abortion throughout the developing world.”

The Republican Platform best describes the position of the Democratic Party on abortion: 

          “The Democratic Party is extreme on abortion. Democrats’ almost limitless support for abortion, and their strident opposition to even the most basic restrictions on abortion, put them dramatically out of step with the American people. Because of their opposition to simple abortion clinic safety procedures, support for taxpayer- funded abortion, and rejection of pregnancy resource centers that provide abortion alternatives, the old Clinton mantra of “safe, legal, and rare” has been reduced to just “legal.” We are proud to be the party that protects human life and offers real solutions for women.”

The contrasting Platforms reflect the views of their candidates for president. Only one party seeks lasting protection for unborn children and their mothers from the violence of abortion— the choice is clear.