Future of Women's Rights

A recent editorial in the New York Times, illustrates the problem that Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney may face on Election Day--winning the female vote.  His position on equal pay for women and other women's rights issues has been inconsistent and rife with blunders. The article recounts these mistakes and discusses the detrimental statements made during the last presidential debate at Hofstra University.  When asked where Romney stands on equal pay for women, Romney tried to claim he believed in equality, but basically said that he plans on cutting funding from Planned Parenthood, cutting other free contraception programs, and claimed to have binders full of women candidates put together for his cabinet.  He further stated that he believes it should be the responsibility for each woman and their families to pay for contraceptives.  While I do understand that Romney is trying to find ways to decrease our trillion dollar deficit, what I don’t understand is how he claims to fix that massive problem by denying women the right to have access to health care related items, such as contraceptives.

Mitt Romney seems to always say and do what he thinks will gain him the most political capitol. He has wavered dramatically when asked about women's issues.  In 2005 he vetoed a bill to make it legal to offer contraceptives to rape victims, but at the debate he said that all women should have access to contraceptives in America.

The second laughable blunder that Romney made during the debate was in addressing equal opportunities for women. Romney began by saying that he was a supporter of women in the workplace and that during his time as governor he actively sought out women to hire for his cabinet.  He went on to say, “I recognized that if you’re going to have women in the work force that sometimes they need to a more flexible work schedule. My chief of staff, for instance, had two kids that were still in school… she said, I can’t be here until 7 or 8 o’clock at night. I need to be able to get home at 5 o’clock so I can be there for making dinner for my kids and being with them when they get home from school.”   Instead of just saying that he planned on supporting such important legislation like the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, he decided that it would be a better course of action to paint a picture of women needing flexible schedules so that we can get home to make dinner. 

As a woman, I was outraged after watching the last debate and I agree with the New York Times author's opinion.  Do we really want a leader in the White House who will not regard women as equals and advocate for the programs they rely on?  I attend school full-time and live on a meager budget. I rely on Planned Parenthood, not only for contraceptives, but for check ups and breast exams.  My only hope is that upon graduation, I can be guaranteed the right to equal pay for equal work and that I will have affordable health care so that I no longer need programs liked Planned Parenthood.  If Romney is elected, who knows what rights women will be guaranteed.