What We're Reading - September 4
Spread the word
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Good morning, everyone! It’s a busy day today as the Democratic National Convention kicks off today and we host a Women are Watching rally in Charlotte this afternoon. Stay tuned for a full wrap-up on the day’s events, but in the meantime check out what we’re reading this morning….
It’s about the substantive policies and how they directly impact women. “GOP good for women? Please” – “By prime time, we couldn't miss the marquee message: Mitt loves women, so keep calm and carry on. Mitt's largely biographical speech was light on substance and long on references to the ladies who had shaped him and supported his career, including those in senior leadership of his governor's cabinet. His shout out to South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, who had appeared that week on the dais, gave him an opportunity to invoke his mother's posthumous approval of how far women have come… Women voters care most about the economy and jobs. But with a critical caveat: nine out of 10 women say that a candidate must ‘understand women.’ To do that requires an acknowledgment of two things: that women's economic security -- by almost every measure -- still lags behind that of male counterparts and that their economic security is inextricably tied to their ability to control their health, including reproductive choices. And on those points, no illusions and tradesman's tricks can obscure the fact that the GOP agenda fails the test.”
Now it’s the Democrats turn to show their women’s health credentials. “DNC 2012: Democrats reframe abortion debate” – “CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Democrats think they’ve figured out how to win the abortion debate: Don’t make it about abortion. Starting Tuesday, the Democratic convention here will feature speeches from Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards, NARAL President Nancy Keenan and Georgetown Law student Sandra Fluke, who became a flashpoint in the debate over requiring Catholic institutions to pay for birth control. But don’t expect them to focus on abortion — or even necessarily use the word. Instead, they’ll defend President Barack Obama’s record on reproductive health and reproductive rights. And, as they have before, they’ll accuse GOP nominee Mitt Romney and his party of waging a ‘war on women.’ Obama’s significant lead among women has given him a slight edge in most national and swing-state polls. Republicans attempted to beat back Democratic attacks last week in Tampa — both Ann and Mitt Romney made specific appeals to women — but Democrats believe they’ve got the clear advantage going into November.”
Texas holds a hearing on the Women’s Health Program. “Alejandrina Henderson, guest columnist: Keep Planned Parenthood in women's health plan” – “Earlier this year, when I was uninsured and found a lump in my breast, I knew there was one place I could go for help: Planned Parenthood of Waco. The staff at Planned Parenthood helped refer me to a facility where the benign tumor was examined, biopsied and removed. They made the process seamless and worry-free so that I could continue to work, go to college and take care of my family. I’m among tens of thousands of Texas women who will lose access to this health care provider that I trust if Gov. Rick Perry succeeds in kicking Planned Parenthood out of the Texas Women’s Health Program. Public hearing: That’s why I wish I could be in Austin today to speak at a public hearing against Perry’s plan to create a fully state-financed Women’s Health Program through the Department of State Health Services. This is all so that he can keep Planned Parenthood and its nearly 50,000 patients out of the program.”
