On this day in 1920, U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby ratified the 19th Amendment, finally giving American women the right to vote. After years of organizing, women achieved the right to cast their ballots in full participation in our democracy. On this momentous anniversary, it’s important to recognize the power of women voters, and to make clear the stakes in this year’s Presidential election. If John McCain is elected, he will restrict and roll back women’s rights, and work to prevent our achieving full equality in society.
John McCain Is No Choice for Women.
John McCain’s attitude towards women’s rights demonstrates that if elected, he will actively promote an anti-women agenda from the White House. Luckily, women have a great advocate in Barack Obama, whose history of support for women’s issues should reassure female voters that the Democratic Party will protect and expand women’s rights.
Please read the following information about John McCain and share it with other women you know. It’s imperative that we use our right to vote in order to protect our rights this election year.
Important! When you’re done reading this, you need to do one of three things to help other women learn the truth about John McCain.
- Download this diary as a two-page PDF flyer. Print out 10 copies, and place individual flyers inside magazines at doctors’ and dentists’ offices or beauty salons. Tack them up on coffee-shop cork boards, bring them to local womens’ groups. Leave them under windshields at grocery stores and playgrounds. Bring them to your local Democratic HQ. Spread the word! We have to let other women know about McCain’s anti-woman policies. Download the flyer here.
- Send this out as a viral email to every woman you know. Don’t just copy-and-paste, it might not work with your email client. Here’s a text version with clear links. Download a text version here.
- Copy the HTML on your own blogs or websites, copy it onto your Facebook and MySpace pages, and help bring more awareness to John McCain’s terrible record on women’s issues. Download the HTML version here.
John McCain has an alarming history of disrespecting women and their contributions to society. He’s violently opposed to womens’ reproductive freedom, has voted against women's access to health care, and has repeatedly opposed women receiving equal pay for equal work. None of us can afford to vote for a person like John McCain, who shows such utter disrespect for women.
John McCain Opposes A Woman’s Right to Choose
John McCain clearly opposes a woman’s right to choose. John McCain would appoint Supreme Court Justices who would overturn Roe vs. Wade, and support radical religious extremists’ efforts to ban birth control. Meanwhile, Barack Obama strongly supports a woman’s right to choose, a position shared by a majority of Americans.
John McCain's Record on Denying A Woman’s Right To Choose:
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John McCain has received a 0% rating from Naral Pro-Choice America over his past eight years in the Senate. In his career in the House and Senate, John McCain has cast 130 votes on womens’ choice, 125 of which oppose women’s choice. Source: NARAL
- His website states, "John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who understand that courts should not be in the business of legislating from the bench." Source: JohnMcCain.com
- John McCain's views are out-of-touch with the majority of Americans, 62% of which support Roe v Wade and a woman's right to choose. Source: Planned Parenthood
- John McCain has weakened his support for abortion rights for women who are the victims of rape or incest, or in the case of risk to the mother’s life. Source: ABC News
- John McCain has voted against family planning, against access to women’s clinics, and even against funding for teen-pregnancy prevention. He supports abstinence-only education, even though studies show that it only increases pregnancy and puts teens at greater risk for disease. Source: NPR, February 2, 2008, available at NPR.org
- According to Planned Parenthood, John McCain is even more conservative than George W. Bush on women’s reproductive rights. Source: Express Milwaukee, April 28, 2008, available at ExpressMilwaukee.com
- John McCain voted against a bill that strengthened laws against violence at women’s clinics and against gynecologists. This bill was an act against domestic terrorism designed to help prosecute attacks on women’s clinics. Source: Jed Report
Barack Obama’s Record on Supporting A Woman’s Right To Choose:
- Barack Obama has received a 100% rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America for each year he served in the Senate, indicating his absolute support for women to make their own reproductive decisions. NARAL endorsed Obama for President because of his strong support for womens’ reproductive rights. Source: NARAL
- Obama's website states, "he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women’s rights under Roe v. Wade a priority as President. He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in that case." Source: BarackObama.com
John McCain Opposes Access to Contraception and Women’s Health Care
John McCain not only opposes a woman’s right to choose, he has also consistently voted against funding family planning clinics and sex education, which actually reduce unwanted pregnancy. His record in the Senate suggests that he is extremely hostile to women’s health issues.
John McCain's Record on Opposing Women's Health Care:
- John McCain's health care plan will leave 47 million Americans uninsured. His plan would largely force families to buy their own insurance through a private insurer, and decrease insurance offerings through employment. Source: CBS News
- John McCain voted to shut down the Title X family-planning program, which provide millions of women with breast cancer screenings and birth control. Source: Huffington Post
- John McCain supported George W. Bush's veto of children's health insurance. McCain opposes expanding the plan that will provide health care for millions of uninsured children. Source: CNN
- John McCain voted against a bill that funded sex education, provided access to emergency contraception to prevent pregnancy, increased funding to family planning services, and expanded teen-pregnancy-prevention programs. Source: OnTheIssues.org
- John McCain voted against requiring health insurance companies to cover the cost of prescription birth control. When asked if health insurance plans that covered Viagra should also cover prescription birth control, McCain had no answer. Source: Katha Pollitt, Alternet, available at Alternet.com, also from CNN
- John McCain strongly supports abstinence-only education in schools, despite extensive research demonstrating that it increases teen pregnancy and sexually-transmitted disease rates. Source: San Francisco Gate, February 16, 2007, available at sfgate.com
- John McCain doesn’t know if condoms work to prevent the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. When asked at a rally in 2007 if condoms helped stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, McCain said he didn’t know. Source: The New York Times, March 16, 2007. Available at NYTimes.com. Importantly, research by amFAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, released a report demonstrating that when used correctly, condoms are 80-95% effective in reducing the risk of HIV infection. Source: amFAR Issue Brief, January 2005, available at amFAR.org
Barack Obama's's Record on Supporting Women's Health Care:
- Barack Obama’s health insurance plan will provide access to health care for all Americans, women and men alike. Right now, than 19 million women are uninsured in this country. Women are more likely than men to deny themselves medical care because of high costs. Source: BarackObama.com
- Barack Obama is a strong supporter of research into women’s health issues. His own mother died of ovarian cancer at age 53. Barack has consistently fought for women’s health issues as an Illinois State Senator and in the Senate. Source: Chicago Tribune
- Obama supports pre-natal care and maternity leave. With Obama as President, women will be able to receive coverage of prenatal care under the new public health plan. Private insurers will be required to provide the same coverage. Obama has also proposed a $1.5 billion fund to encourage paid leave programs, which would provide women with paid maternity leave. Source: Obama Campaign via RH Reality Check
John McCain Opposes Fair Pay for Women
John McCain’s history of votes in the Senate demonstrates that he thinks sex discrimination in the workplace is just fine. He has repeatedly stated that there is no need to make sure that women are paid the same as their male colleagues for equal work. Barack Obama, on the other hand, was raised by a single, working mother, and a grandmother who worked on the World War II assembly lines, and later rose from the position of secretary to vice president of a bank. Barack Obama respects and wants to equally reward the efforts of hard-working women.
John McCain’s Record on Opposing Fair Pay for Women:
Barack Obama’s Record on Supporting Pay Equality for Women:
- Barack Obama voted in favor of the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and wants women to earn an equal wage for equal work. He also supports requiring employers to provide seven days of paid sick-leave per year. 40% of women currently have no paid sick days per year. Source: obama.senate.gov
- Barack Obama has a history of supporting fair pay for women. In the Illinois State Senate, he passed a law that helped 330,000 women prevent paycheck discrimination. Source: Real Clear Politics
- Obama’s website states that he "believes the government needs to take steps to better enforce the Equal Pay Act, fight job discrimination, and improve child care options and family medical leave to give women equal footing in the workplace." Source: BarackObama.com
- Barack Obama wants to invest in women-owned businesses. He supports investing in women-owned businesses and reducing discrimination in business lending against female business owners. Source: BarackObama.com
John McCain Makes Offensive and Derogatory Comments About Women
John McCain has a history of making offensive comments about women. He even thinks jokes about rape are funny, and spends time with other men who think the same way. On the other hand, Barack Obama praises the women in his life and credits them with enabling and empowering him to achieve what he is capable of.
John McCain’s History of Derogatory Comments About Women:
- John McCain told the following "joke" on the campaign trail in 1986: "Did you hear the one about the woman who is attacked on the street by a gorilla, beaten senseless, raped repeatedly and left to die? When she finally regains consciousness and tries to speak, her doctor leans over to hear her sigh contently and to feebly ask, ‘Where is that marvelous ape?’" Source: Tucson Citizen, via JedReport
- At a Republican Senate fundraiser in 1998, McCain told following "joke": "Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly? Because her father is Janet Reno." Source: Salon.com
- One of McCain’s fundraisers, Clayton Williams, once told the following "joke" comparing rape to the weather: "As long as it's inevitable, you might as well lie back and enjoy it." Source: The Independent
- After returning from Vietnam, John McCain cheated on his wife, Carol, who had been horribly disfigured in an accident. He eventually divorced her and one month later married his second wife, Cindy, the heir to an Arizona brewing fortune. Source: The Daily Mail
- In 1992, when Cindy McCain teased her husband about his thinning hair, he replied, "At least I don’t pile on the makeup like a trollop, you cunt." Source: Cliff Schechter, The Real McCain, PoliPoint Press 2008, via Raw Story
Barack Obama’s History of Immense Respect For Women:
John McCain Is No Choice for Women.
John McCain has a history of fighting against women’s rights, whether it is their right to receive equal pay for equal work, access to health care, or the ability to make their own reproductive decisions. He will continue this anti-woman agenda in the White House. Women cannot afford another President like George W. Bush, who actively tries to hurt
Barack Obama has a history of strong support for women’s issues, from our right to choose to our right to reliable medical care. As President he will work to protect these rights and expand women’s equality, not only for his own daughters but for all women in America.
On this anniversary of women gaining the right to vote, we need to remember: women have a choice. This November, our choice is clear: women should vote for the candidate that supports their rights, their issues, and their freedoms. This candidate is Barack Obama.
For more information about Barack Obama on women’s issues, please check out the following information:
Links:
Barack Obama’s Speech to the National Women’s Law Center
Barack Obama’s Women’s Issues Page
Barack Obama’s Plans to Help American Families
Women for Obama
BarackTV: Women for Obama Videos
Downloads:
Barack Obama’s Economic Plan and Impact on Working Women
Obama vs. McCain: Their Record on Women’s Issues
Obama’s Blueprint for Women and Families
Now, Pass It On! We need to spread the word about John McCain's history of undermining women, and share Barack Obama's history of strong support for women's issues. Please do the following:
- Download this diary as a two-page PDF flyer. Print out 10 copies, and place individual flyers inside magazines at doctors’ and dentists’ offices or beauty salons. Tack them up on coffee-shop cork boards, bring them to local womens’ groups. Leave them under windshields at grocery stores and playgrounds. Bring them to your local Democratic HQ. Spread the word! We have to let other women know about McCain’s anti-woman policies. Download the flyer here.
- Send this out as a viral email to every woman you know. Don’t just copy-and-paste, it might not work with your email client. Download a a text version with clear links here.
- Copy the HTML on your own blogs or websites, copy it onto your Facebook and MySpace pages, and help bring more awareness to John McCain’s terrible record on women’s issues. Download the HTML version here
HTML download updated with cleaner version. Thanks to Pris from LA!
Update: Digg It Up! laderrick added a link on Digg. Digg it up! Thanks!