Change the 51% Can Believe In

President Obama has been championing women’s rights issues since he walked into the Oval Office.  The first piece of legislation Obama signed was the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. This law allows women to bring wage discrimination charges against their employers starting from the time that the woman learns of the discrimination. Previously, employees had to make wage discrimination charges within 180 days of the discrimination happening. This was difficult since most women don’t readily know what their male counterparts earn! The new law ensures that women have a fair chance to fight for equal pay for equal work. As Lily Ledbetter stated at the Democratic National Convention, “Maybe 23 cents doesn't sound like a lot to someone with a Swiss bank account, Cayman Island Investments and an IRA worth tens of millions of dollars. But Governor Romney, when we lose 23 cents every hour, every day, every paycheck, every job, over our entire lives, what we lose can't just be measured in dollars."

 

Next President Obama appointed two women to the Supreme Court; Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor. This was a huge step forward in having female representation on the highest court in the country. Since Sandra Day O’Connor retired in 2006, there has only been one woman, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, on the Supreme Court. Now, thanks to Barack Obama’s appointments, women make up 25% of the 12 person court.

President Obama also has a strong record on women’s healthcare issues.  

 

 

Regardless of your personal views on the Affordable Care Act, I think we can agree that the law benefits women overall.  Obamacare will eliminate discrimination against women by health insurance providers.  The National Women’s Law Center reported that before the Affordable Care Act was passed women paid the same health insurance premiums as men in only 11 states. In Arkansas and Wyoming women can pay 75%-100% more on insurance then men, and in 19 states, including Texas, Pennsylvania and Illinois, women pay 26%-50% more than men.  Now with the Affordable Health Care Act, by 2014, healthcare costs will be the same for women and men in all states.

 

The healthcare law also provides free contraceptives for women. Though many people are opposed to paying for women’s birth control, statistics show that providing contraception will save women and their families approximately $18,000 throughout their lifetime. A study by the Guttmacher Institute found that 99% of sexually active women use birth control. Providing women with birth control allows women to save money on preventive care that benefits both partners in a relationship. It therefore, levels the economic playing field between women and men.

 

Barack Obama has also been firm on his position supporting a woman’s right to choose.  Obama has stated, “We shouldn't have a bunch of politicians, the majority of whom are men, making health care decisions on behalf of women."  Obama’s respect for women has also been illustrated through his responses to offensive comments that have been made about women.  When Georgetown Law student, Sandra Fluke, was called “a slut” and “a prostitute” by Rush Limbaugh for defending a woman’s right to have access to birth control, Obama immediately called Limbaugh’s comments offensive and he personally reached out to Ms. Fluke.  Similarly, when Congressman Todd Akin made his infamous “legitimate rape” comment, Obama denounced Akin’s statement and reinforced his own view that “rape is rape."

 

We live in an extremely divisive political time when women’s rights issues are being used time and again to further divide our country. Battles that our great grandmothers, grandmothers and mothers fought and, thought they had won, are being challenged.  I don’t know about you, but it makes me feel safe to know that we have a President who will stand up and fight for issues that are important to the 51%.