At the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, party leaders approved the 2024 platform Monday evening, promising to protect and strengthen women’s rights. The 91-page document is a stark contrast to the Republican platform, which promises to continue the dismantling of women’s rights started during Donald Trump’s first term in office.
“This is a tipping point for our democracy,” said Georgetown Law professor Michele Goodwin. “What we’ve seen with the suffering of women and girls, near-death experiences, people being helicoptered out of Idaho in order to save their lives during pregnancy, their blood is on the tip of the arrow of our democracy.”
The platform describes the achievements of the Biden-Harris administration and sets out the policy agenda of the Harris-Walz administration, while contrasting these policies to the Trump/Project 2025 policy agenda.
Here are some of the parts of the Democratic Party platform focused on women’s rights:
Equal Rights Amendment
“No one should be discriminated against based on their sex; and we, as a nation, must affirm and protect women’s full equality. Democrats will fight to make the Equal Rights Amendment the law of the land.”
Abortion, Contraception and IVF
“With a Democratic Congress, we will pass national legislation to make Roe the law of the land again. We will strengthen access to contraception so every woman who needs it is able to get and afford it. We will protect a woman’s right to access IVF. We will repeal the Hyde Amendment.”
On abortion pills, the platform promises to “continue to support access to FDA-approved medication abortion, appoint leaders at the FDA who respect science and appoint judges who uphold fundamental freedoms.”
While the Democratic platform promises to protect access to abortion pills, the Republican platform invites a nationwide ban on abortion through the 14th Amendment, and Project 2025 calls for revoking FDA approval of abortion pills and criminal prosecution of clinicians, pharmacists or anyone else mailing abortion pills.
Maternal Health
“Democrats will continue working to address the maternal health crisis and ensure every American has access to high-quality, culturally competent care before, during and after pregnancy. And we will continue to invest in women’s health research to galvanize new research and breakthroughs on a wide range of topics.”
Health Insurance
“We will keep pushing to provide Medicaid-like coverage to people in states that have not expanded Medicaid, and to make it easier for parents to keep children enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP. We’ll… expand Medicaid to cover women for a full year postpartum and invest in a diverse workforce to support pregnant and postpartum women. And, we will address the disproportionate impact of infectious diseases, including HIV and Hepatitis C, and expand access to PrEP to end the HIV epidemic.”
Pay Equity
“Democrats will work to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act and end pay inequity not just in the federal workforce, but throughout the economy with penalties for companies that discriminate against women.”
Support for Caregivers
“We will guarantee affordable, high-quality child care from birth until kindergarten, with most families paying just $10 a day—and make it free for low-income families. We will protect the health and dignity of older adults and people with disabilities by improving long-term care and supporting family caregivers, and we will invest in care infrastructure by raising wages and the quality of care worker jobs.”
Paid Leave
“We will establish a national, comprehensive paid family and medical leave program to ensure that all workers, including women, can take the time they need to bond with a new child, care for a loved one or recover from an illness.”
Men’s Violence Against Women
“Democrats will work to end sexual assault, domestic violence, online abuse and all violence against women. We continue to strengthen VAWA; keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers; and expand housing and legal services for survivors. To keep students safe on campus, we will work with schools to implement and enforce Title IX and end sexual harassment and assault in our nation’s schools. We will eliminate the rape kit backlog. And, we will strengthen legal protections for and support survivors of deepfake image-based sexual abuse building on the federal civil cause of action established under the president’s reauthorization of VAWA in 2022.”
LGBTQ+ Rights
“Democrats will pass the Equality Act to codify protections for LGBTQI+ Americans and their families. We will prohibit employment discrimination in the federal government, including contractors, and make federally-funded seniors programs LGBTQI+ inclusive. And we will continue to make great strides in protecting LGBTQI+ children and prospective parents in the adoption and foster care systems.”
“Democrats will continue to fight for LGBTQI+ youth by building on President Biden’s historic actions to ban so-called “conversion therapy”; protecting LGBTQI+ children from bullying and discrimination; guaranteeing that transgender students are treated fairly and with respect at school; and ending the homeless crisis among LGBTQI+ youth.”
“Democrats will end violence against transgender Americans, especially Black and brown transgender women, and prioritize the investigation of hate crimes against trans and non-binary people.”
Indigenous Women
“Democrats will keep working to make federal resources for Tribal Nations more accessible and protect health, education, safety and welfare in Indian Country, particularly for Native women, children and families. We will make IHS funding mandatory. We will invest in housing in Tribal communities, and support Tribal conservation through co-stewardship of public lands and waters. We will continue to usher in the next era of Tribal self-determination. And Democrats will invest in public safety and justice, including by increasing the number of officers and investigators on the ground; address the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous persons; and supporting VAWA programs, including a new grant program to address the missing and murdered Indigenous persons crisis.”
Women Veterans
“We’re taking steps to boost access to affordable and stable housing for all veterans, who often face a high risk of homelessness, with a focus on women veterans.”
“Democrats are also determined to expand women veterans’ health care and access to benefits, and to continue implementing key Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault recommendations.”
“Democrats will strengthen their support for military families by making child care more affordable and accessible, expanding job opportunities for spouses, and investing in a stipend for caregivers. We will also continue implementing the military spouse Executive Order and ensure the federal government is an employer of choice for military families.”
Up next:
U.S. democracy is at a dangerous inflection point—from the demise of abortion rights, to a lack of pay equity and parental leave, to skyrocketing maternal mortality, and attacks on trans health. Left unchecked, these crises will lead to wider gaps in political participation and representation. For 50 years, Ms. has been forging feminist journalism—reporting, rebelling and truth-telling from the front-lines, championing the Equal Rights Amendment, and centering the stories of those most impacted. With all that’s at stake for equality, we are redoubling our commitment for the next 50 years. In turn, we need your help, Support Ms. today with a donation—any amount that is meaningful to you. For as little as $5 each month, you’ll receive the print magazine along with our e-newsletters, action alerts, and invitations to Ms. Studios events and podcasts. We are grateful for your loyalty and ferocity.
