Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have been campaigning across the country in a final attempt to capture crucial votes in the 2012 presidential election. Among these votes-women’s.
This year, our generation,the millennials, make up for one-fourth of the voting-age public, and half of that is made up of women.
This year, for many of us college-age women, is our first chance to vote in a presidential election. And this year, women’s issues are at the forefront of the campaigns; with both candidates promising positive results should they get elected.
There’s an unquestionable gender gap when it comes to American politics. Nate Silver, a statistician and blogger for the New York Times, describes this year’s as reaching “historic heights”.
Yet whomever we cast our vote for come voting day, it’s important to be informed.
To clarify in terms of women’s issues, I’ve compiled a list with the stance each candidate takes:
1.Equal Pay for Women:
Obama: Signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in 2009 so women could better fight sex discrimination in the workplace. Obama also signed the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would close loopholes of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, but the bill was vetoed in Congress.
Romney: Says he won’t repeal the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
2.Abortion:
Obama: Pro-choice, believing abortion is a decision between a woman and her doctor.
Romney: Pro-life, believing that abortion should only occur in the instance of rape, incest, or a threat to the mother’s life. He believes Roe v. Wade should be overturned, meaning states will be able to make their own laws regarding abortion.
3.Birth Control
Obama: Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, preventative services for women (such as cancer screenings and mammograms) are covered by insurance. All FDA approved birth control and emergency contraception is available without a co pay.
Romney: Opposes requirement that that healthcare plans cover contraception. Believes states should pass their own laws deciding whether or not insurance companies should cover contraception.