Democratic Party Platform Endorses Marriage Equality

In a series of speeches peppered repeatedly with references of the right of same-sex couples to marry, including from First Lady Michelle Obama and high profile Latino Catholic politicians, the first night of the Democratic National Convention in the U.S. was very memorable.

A huge congratulations to my American Democrat friends, whose party has, as of today, officially adopted a platform that solidly supports marriage equality for all.  This is the first time a major U.S. political party has officially endorsed same-sex marriage, and it's a very, very big moment for equality in America.

Under the heading "Freedom to Marry," the 2012 Democratic National Platform states:

"We support the right of all families to have equal respect, responsibilities, and protections under the law. We support marriage equality and support the movement to secure equal treatment under law for same-sex couples. We also support the freedom of churches and religious entities to decide how to administer marriage as a religious sacrament without government interference.

We oppose discriminatory federal and state constitutional amendments and other attempts to deny equal protection of the laws to committed same-sex couples who seek the same respect and responsibilities as other married couples. We support the full repeal of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act and the passage of the Respect for Marriage Act."

The Platform also clearly vows to protect a woman's right to make decisions about her pregnancy, including access to safe and legal abortion.

" Abortion is an intensely personal decision between a woman, her family, her doctor, and her clergy; there is no place for politicians or government to get in the way."

Perfectly said!

This in stark contrast to the 2012 Republican National Platform, adopted at that party's convention last week, which calls for constitutional bans on both same-sex marriage and abortion.

The choice for progress, freedom, and fairness is crystal clear.  I hope America chooses to continue moving forward when it goes to the polls this November, and rejects the Republican Party's ideas of moving backward.

For those who are interested, the full Democratic Party Platform can be read in pdf format here.