Mamas at the DNC: Issues Related to Motherhood and Families Up for Discussion
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Photo courtesy of @pr3ttygirl41 on Instagram
With only one week until the Democratic National Convention begins right here in Philadelphia, we believe it’s important that Mamas are educated on the issues that will be discussed at the DNC, particularly those related to women, mothers and families! While the DNC takes place largely to confirm the Democratic candidate for this year’s election, the party will also adopt their official platform for the 2016 election next week. The platform will not be official until the convention’s close, but the Democratic Party has released a final draft of their platform, and there are some topics up for discussion that we think mamas should know about!
On “Equal Pay, Paid Leave, and Caregiving”
In their platform, the party pledges to pass the Equal Rights Amendments, marking the legal end of the gender wage gap. In addition, the elected Democratic candidate will pass a “family and medical leave act,” guaranteeing new parents “at least 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a new child or address a personal or family member’s serious health issue.” The party also pledges to“ease the burden on family caregivers” in part by increasing childcare worker wages, investing in childcare and supporting those who care for aging or disabled loved ones.
On “Early Childhood, Pre-K, and K-12 Education”
The new platform states that Democrats, if elected, will “invest in early childhood programs,” and make sure that all American families have access to “high-quality childcare and high-quality pre-K programs.” The platform states that “Democrats believe that a strong public eduation system is the anchor of our democracy, a propeller of the economy, and the vehicle through which we help all children achieve their dreams.” The party believes that all schools “should receive adequate resources and support,” and will “hold schools, districts, communities and states accountable for raising achievement levels for all students—particularly low-income students, students of color, English Language Learners, and students with disabilities.” The party will encourage mentoring programs, particularly “low-cost, high-yield” group mentoring, to close the “opportunity gap.” If elected, Democrats will also launch a campaign to “recruit and retain high-quality teachers.” Democrats will invest in STEM, computer science and arts education, and are committed to expanding “high-quality public school options” for low-income youth.
On “Productive health, rights, and justice”
The Democratic party believes “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.” Democrats pledge to continue opposing efforts to defund Planned Parenthood and will repeal the Hyde Amendment, which currently allows for impeded access to abortions. The party pledges to “address the barriers that inhibit meaningful access to reproductive healthcare services, including those based on gender, sexuality, race, income, and other factors.”
On “Violence Against Women and Sexual Assault”
Democrats are committed to ending violence against women by supporting the “Violence Against Women Act”, by supporting survivors and by increasing “prevention efforts in our communities and on our campuses.” The party pledgesto “provide comprehensive support to survivors, and ensure a fair process for all on-campus disciplinary proceedings and in the criminal justice system.” They will increase “sexual violence prevention education programs” in both colleges and high schools.
On “Women and Girls”
In their platform, Democrats pledge to “encourage [girls’] economic, political, and educational opportunities, and protect them from violence at home and abroad.” In addition to the previously mentioned statements on reproductive health in America, Democrats believe that safe abortions should be included in women’s health care, and should also be “part of America’s global health programming.” The Democratic party supports repealing the Helms Amendment so that the U.S. can “provide safe, legal abortion throughout the developing world."
Now that you know some of the major topics that will be talked about at DNC, how can you keep up with the conversations that take place once the convention starts? Twitter has teamed up with CBS to live-stream the DNC. You can also follow @DemConvention and @DWSTweets on twitter, and @demconvention on instagram to keep informed! For updates particularly relevant to women voters, follow @DNCwomen on twitter. Also follow the hashtags #DNC and #DemsinPhilly for live, crowdsourced updates on the convention!