In his nomination acceptance speech, Al Gore stressed his commitment to honor the rights of all Americans, and his obligation to issues vital to the civil rights of women and minorities. To overwhelming applause, Gore spoke of his stance on reproductive rights of women, and assertively stated, “And let there be no doubt: I will protect and defend a woman’s right to choose. The last thing this country needs is a Supreme Court that overturns Roe v. Wade.” Gore’s record of supporting pro-choice legislature is strong with his co-sponsorship of the Freedom of Choice Act and his opposition to requiring parental consent for minors seeking abortions.
Gore also spoke to equal rights in the workplace, fighting for gay and lesbian rights and The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) which would explicitly prohibit job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Gore spoke of striving for pay equity and his commitment to raising minimum wage by $1 over the next two years, a change that would affect 10 million workers earning minimum wage-60 percent of whom are women. Gore also reaffirmed his commitment to affirmative action, an issue he has historically championed, opposing state and local efforts to end affirmative action.
