In order to create an efficient and compassionate society, we need to make social reforms that guarantees the people equal rights. In order to become a nation that strives to be the bastion of civil rights and protect others from persecution and discrimination, we believe that respecting and upholding our Constitution is our best defense against abuses of power and we need to use it to promote world peace and protecting our environment. We are committed to creating relationships that honor diversity and that ethically confronts the barriers created by discrimination, sexism, homophobia, class oppression, and every other cultural construct that seeks to divide us instead of unifying us. We fully support affirmative action and seek to expand our Bill of Rights that includes the constitutional protection of our environment and giving people the individual right what they decide to do with their own bodies as long as no harm is done toward another individual.
Women’s Rights
Since the beginning of civilization, men’s dominance over women has been firmly established an dour present-day history has been filled with events of oppression and brutality toward women. The Environmental Party doesn’t support this oppressive system of male dominance that we call patriarchy in any form ranging from oppression, inequality, and discrimination to all forms of violence against women and girls such as rape, trafficking, forced sex, slavery, prostitution, and domestic violence toward women in marriage and relationships. We will work toward ensuring that the voices of all women are heard and democracy cannot work effectively without gender equality between men and women that provides true equal participation and representation. We will work toward finally ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment nationwide because we believe equality is a natural right and we are committed to increasing women participation in politics, government, leadership, and allow women to take up combat arms jobs in the military. Although we fully support increased participation of women in all facets of society, we realize that true equality comes with a sacrifice and that all men and women should be prepared to defend and serve our country equally when the time comes, but promoting better diplomacy, repairing broken relationships with other countries, directing out country toward the path of world peace is our top priority. By allowing women to have equal opportunities as men, we can create a stronger bonds that has helped out Iceland from recovering from bankruptcy that will create stronger families and a stronger nation.
Reproductive Rights
Constitutional rights must be expanded to guarantee each woman as a full participant in society free from sexual harassment, job discrimination or interference in the intensely personal choice about whether to have a child. We can also learn from Tunisia in how they implement policies that support women’s rights. In Tunisia, women have enjoyed free government-funded abortion since 1973 that has allowed women in the region be on a more even playing field with men because of the expansion of services that was created by the law. Clinics must be accessible and must offer advice on contraception and the means for contraception; consultation about abortion and the performance of abortions, and; abortion regardless of age or marital status. Along with being a huge advocate of expanding women’s rights we encourage education for men and women to prevent unwanted pregnancies. It is the absolute right and duty of every woman to learn about her body and to be aware of the phases of her menstrual cycle, and it is the duty for every man to be aware of the functions and health of his and his partner’s bodies. This information is necessary for self-determination, to make informed decisions, and to prevent unintended consequences. Unplanned conception takes control away from individuals and makes them subject to external controls. The “morning-after” pill and option of a safe and legal abortion need to remain available.
Economic Equality
We support real reforms and return dignity and opportunity to all; not just men. We also call for implementing innovative programs that work with the special needs of motherhood. Currently the US and Papua New Guinea are the only two countries in the world that doesn’t provide paid maternity leave. It is of utmost importance that we continue to support and expand rights for women to effectively help nurture our future generations.
Racial Discrimination
The history of the United States has been marked by conflict over race. Our nation was formed only after we conquered Native American lands and in slavery’s aftermath, people of color unluckily had to experience violence and discrimination. Racism continues to be a serious social problem. Therefore, we are committed to providing complete reparations to the African American community of this nation for the past 400 plus years of genocide, slavery, land-loss, destruction of original identity and the disparities which haunt the present that ca be witnessed in unemployment statistics, substandard and inadequate education, higher levels of mortality including infant and maternal mortality and the practice of mass incarceration. We recognize that reparations are a debt that is owed by our nation and by the corporate institutions chartered under our laws to a collective of people. We believe that the leadership on the question of what our nation owes to this process of right ought to come from the African American community, whose right to self-determination and autonomy to chart the path to healing we fully recognize. In Germany, to deal with historical oppression caused by the Holocaust that led to the torture and killing of millions of Jews during World War II, they don’t try to hide the fact they have committed past wrongdoing like we do here when it comes to the oppression of other cultures, but instead kids learn to foster personal responsibility for what happened during the Holocaust in hopes of never repeating that event again. We can learn from Germany in this regard in hopes of reducing racial discrimination here in the US.
Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity
We support full legal and political equality for all persons, regardless of sex, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity, characteristics, and expression. All have the right to freely choose intimate partners, regardless of their sex, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation and equal opportunity such as healthcare, housing, and marriage. We will ensure the proper language is included in our anti-discrimination laws so the rights of all people are respected regardless of gender and sexual orientation. In addition, we will include legislation to expand our Bill of Rights to include language that states that all forms of hate crimes toward anyone part of the LGBT community intolerable where offenders must uphold personal responsibility and pay compensation to LGBT people who have suffered from violence and injustice. To further make it clear that we don’t tolerate such injustices and prove that we are a country that protects an individual’s freedom of sexual orientation, we will end all federal military and civilian aid to countries whose laws don’t respect and, at worst, not offer freedoms to people in the LGBT community and adopt a policy that the US recognize all international marriages and legal equivalents.
Religious Freedom And Secular Equality
The Bill of Rights already guarantees freedom of religion. We affirm the right of each individual to practice whatever religion they believe in, while constitutionally maintaining the separation of government and religion. We believe that federal, state, and local governments must remain neutral regarding religion.
Working With Tribal Nations
Native Americans are the first Americans, yet they have for too long been treated as third class citizens. It is astounding; even up to today; that Native Americans still do not always have the right to decide on important issues that affect their communities. The United States must not just honor Native American treaty rights, it must also move away from a relationship of paternalism and control and toward one of deference and support. The US has a duty to ensure equal opportunities and justice for all of its citizens, including the 2.5 million Native Americans that share this land. One in four Native Americans are living in poverty and the high school graduation rate is 67% and suicide is the second leading cause of death for Native Americans between the ages of 15-24. Because the federal courts have chipped away at tribal sovereignty, tribal nations are often unable to prosecute criminal offenders for violent crimes that occur within tribal borders. Tribal governments need to be recognize Native American sovereignty and allow them to have autonomy and authority to protect their own peoples.
To help strengthen our relationship with tribal nations, we need to implement the following with compassion:
- Support tribal sovereignty and jurisdiction.
- We need to honor the treaties and federal statutes that are the foundation of the trust relationship. There must be a White House Policy Adviser for Native American Affairs to ensure that tribal issues are consistently addressed and coordinated throughout the federal government.
- Improve tribal housing programs.
- Strengthen education
- Adopt a universal healthcare system that includes Native Americans.
- Restore and advance economic development in tribal lands.
- Protect sacred places and Native American cultures.
- Expand the annual White House Tribal Nations Conference that brings tribal leaders, cabinet members and the White House together to find solutions to common problems that includes combating climate change.
- Defend voting rights for Native Americans.