In America, women should be able to go as far as
their talents will take them.
But today, women are witnessing an unprecedented erosion of their basic
rights. Over the last three years, they've seen attempts to block access
to contraceptives, gag doctors from even mentioning abortion to their
patients, freeze funding for family planning across the world, take away
their constitutional right to choose, and ban medical procedures even
when a woman's health is at stake.
They've seen 500,000 children shut out of afterschool programs.
They've witnessed the end of the Equal Pay initiative, funding cuts for
programs designed to promote gender equality, cuts to emergency shelters
that protect women from violence, and administration-backed efforts to
weaken Title IX.
Now more than ever, we need a president who will put the American
government and legal system back on the side of women. Throughout his
decades-long career in public service, John Kerry has been a champion of
women's issues. He and John Edwards will commit to helping women balance
work and family, expand college opportunities, protect their health and
their constitutional right to choose, increase funding for cancer
research, fight violent crime and close the pay gap.
John Kerry and John Edwards will:
Help Balance Work And Family
John Kerry and John Edwards will greatly expand after-school programs to
serve 3.5 million children and fund a historic increase in the Child
Care Tax Credit to meet the needs of overstretched parents.
Close The Pay Gap
On average, women still earn only 77 cents for every dollar earned by
men. John Kerry and John Edwards believe that we must make equal pay for
equal work a reality, not a slogan. They will ensure greater
transparency and fairness by improving enforcement and disclosure about
companies' payment practices.
Protect Women's Health And Right To Choose
John Kerry was an original co-sponsor of the Women's Health Equity Act,
which ensures women's access to the highest quality and most advanced
health care available. As president, John Kerry will increase funding
for breast and cervical cancer research and treatment, require insurance
plans to cover contraception and fight for a meaningful Patients' Bill
of Rights to guarantee women direct access to their OB/GYNs. And John
Kerry will only nominate individuals to the federal bench whose records
demonstrate a respect for the full range of constitutional rights,
including the right to privacy and the right to choose.
Open College Opportunities
For more than 30 years, Title IX has helped extend opportunity in
education and athletics to millions of girls and women. John Kerry and
John Edwards will defend Title IX and work to expand college
opportunities for women.
