Where The 2016 Presidential Candidates Stand on Women’s Issues

Election season is progressing and it seems every hour a new poll comes out attempting to name the projected winner. As college students, every presidential candidate is vying to gain our support. Unfortunately, voter turnout among young people tends to be very low- only 45% of 18-29 year olds voted in the 2012 elections, down 6% since the 2008 elections. Since we are the generation that is affected the most by decisions made by today’s leaders, it is in our best interest to elect politicians into power that will work to improve our livelihoods. Young women, especially, should be educated on the candidates’ positions on the issues that directly affect us uniquely. Here are the 2016 presidential candidates’ stances on a variety of women’s issues:

The Democrats:

• Hillary Clinton– Clinton has been a staunch representative of women in politics throughout her career. She has been officially endorsed by Planned Parenthood for demonstrating a “strong, provocative commitment to women.” She has introduced 8 pieces of legislation to improve reproductive health care, fought for women’s access to birth control and contraceptives, and is an advocate for keeping abortions “safe, legal, and rare.” “You cannot have maternal health without reproductive health,” she has said in the past. In addition, Clinton supports up to 12 weeks of paid family leave to care for newborns and cosponsored and introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would help women to negotiate for equal pay as their male co-workers. She is a constant advocate for maintaining the Afforadable Care Act despite evidence showing that a single-payer universal health care system would save American citizens more money annually. The former Secretary of State has faced criticism for her support of welfare reform programs passed by her husband, former POTUS Bill Clinton, during the 1990s. Since there are more women living in poverty than men, these programs disproportionately negatively affected women, particularly single mothers.
• Bernie Sanders– Like Clinton, Senator Sanders of Vermont has received a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood for his efforts to support women through legislation. He has a lifetime pro-choice record and co-sponsored the Freedom of Choice Act in 1993, which sought to hinder the efforts of state legislatures to interfere with a woman’s choice to terminate her pregnancy. “We are not returning to the days of back-room abortions, when countless women died or were maimed,” says Sanders. “The decision about abortion must remain a decision for the woman, her family and physician to make, not the government.” His campaign focuses heavily on reducing poverty and, as a result, teen pregnancy and abortion rates. He supports single-payer universal healthcare, access to contraceptives, equal pay for equal work, and 12 weeks of paid family leave for mothers and fathers, all of which would greatly aid women. Sanders also voted for the Violence Against Women Act in 1994, which designated $1.6 billion towards investigating and convicting those who commit violent acts against women. 

The Republicans:

• Marco Rubio– The Florida Senator is adamantly pro-life and on-record saying that “human life begins at conception.” He was an original co-sponsor of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which sought to ban abortions after the 20 week mark. While he has suggested that he opposes abortion even in cases of incest and rape, he has supported legislation that allowed for those exceptions. He denies that he is against the use of contraceptives but sponsered a bill that would allow employers to deny birth control coverage in their health care plans due to religious beliefs. During his time in the Senate, Rubio voted against a bill that would have closed the gender pay gap for women and in favor of repealing the Affordable Care Act, instead replacing it with a “21st century, market-driven alternative.” He does openly support 4-12 weeks of paid family leave and has spoken about improving welfare programs so ​they help people get out of poverty rather than keeping them in it
• Ted Cruz– An extremely outspoken critic of abortion, Senator Cruz of Texas has voted 3 times to defund Planned Parenthood, calling Roe v. Wade“a shadow in our nation’s history.” He is against abortion even in cases of rape and incest and supported a bill that led to the closings of dozens of abortion providers in Texas. forcing women who seek abortions to travel possibly hundreds of miles. This can lead to many women attempting to self-abort. He is also in favor of a “personhood” amendment that could, in theory, ban certain forms of birth control, such as the IUD. Cruz voted against the Paycheck Fairness Act in 2014 and has stated that he does not believe “the federal government should be in the business of mandating” paid family leave. In 2013, he filibustered for more than 21 hours to (unsuccessfully) defund the Affordable Care Act; if elected, he plans to repeal the healthcare law and replace it with nationwide marketplace to create competition among companies. 
• Donald Trump– The businessman’s policies on women’s issues have changed since he began his run for office, making his opponents and constituency somewhat incredulous. During a 1999 television appearance and again in his 2000 book The America We Deserve, Trump identified himself as “very pro-choice” despite being “uncomfortable” with abortion procedures. Fast-forward to 2011, he proudly told the audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference that he is, in fact, pro-life.  Trump has called Planned Parenthood an “abortion factory,” but admits that the organization helps women with the other services they provide, including contraceptives, which the government should fund. Despite facing criticism for making sexist and misogynistic comments about women- including labeling Fox News host Megyn Kelly a “bimbo” for asking him tough questions and calling an attorney “disgusting” for requesting a break to pump breast milk– Trump insists he is a champion for women. “I will be the best thing that ever happened to women,” he says. He appears to support equal pay for women if they “do as good a job” as men. He wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with his own seven-point plan. Trump has not been specific about his stance on paid family leave. 
• John Kasich– As current governor of Ohio, Kasich signed a 2013 law that severely restricted who can conduct abortions and where they can take place, leading to multiple state abortion-providing clinics shutting down. This law also narrowed the abortion procedures insurance companies can cover to only pregnancies that endanger the mother’s life or were caused by rape or incest. He supported a budget that limited the information rape victims can receive about abortion and could potentially outlaw the IUD. Kasich does not support ensuring paid family leave and, instead, suggests women should telecommute to work, despite the majority of women not working via a computer. When asked about the gender pay gap- with women in Ohio making 78 cents for every dollar a man makes according to the U.S. Census Bureau- he said skills and experience are the causes, even though studies show women who work the same exact jobs as men still make less money. While admitting that the Affordable Care Act has made “real improvements in people’s lives”, he still wishes to repeal and replace it if elected to office.

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