What We're Reading This Morning -- April 4
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Last night Mitt Romney won all three primaries in DC, Maryland, and Wisconsin. Despite this victory, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, and Ron Paul all remain in the race. Many are wondering, how much longer will they keep “fighting”? Right now we have three weeks until the next battleground state primary on April 24 in Pennsylvania, and a lot can happen between now and then. So in the meantime, make sure to check out what we’re reading this morning…
It’s basic math; more unintended pregnancies lead to more public costs. “Curbing Female Reproductive Rights Raises Taxpayer Costs” – “As restrictions on abortion and contraception have become the subject of state legislative action and Republican presidential candidates’ pitches to voters, arguments have focused on the issue’s moral and religious dimensions. Less attention has been paid to the financial implications to states, businesses and women if governments impose policies that lead to increases in unplanned or unwanted pregnancies. The economic ramifications of such policies are important as the nation recovers from the worst recession since the Great Depression and governments work to reduce debts and deficits. ‘There’s a simple math in place: more unintended pregnancies mean more public costs,’ said Bill Albert, chief program officer at the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. ‘Especially for the deficit hawks, it is a penny-wise-pound-foolish strategy.’”
At the end of the day, women represent more than half of the electorate. “War On Women: Republicans Think Male Votes Outweigh The Damage” – “Democrats think the recent surge of women voters backing President Barack Obama could be opening up a fresh gender gap that will yield dividends for races down the ticket. But Republicans think their rivals are overlooking the other half of the equation: the man vote. Democrats certainly have something to highlight after two national polls found Obama leading GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney largely on the strength of women's support. A Gallup/USA Today poll of swing states, released Monday, found Obama statistically tied with Romney among men, but leading by 18 points among women. Similarly, a Pew poll last week put Obama's lead among women at 20 points. Down the ballot in Senate contests, the gender gap remains, but with a switch. Majorities of men are going for the GOP candidate in many states, and Republicans suspect Democrats ignore that at their peril.”
Republican women are speaking out against their own party. “In New York, a Bipartisan Call for Reproductive Rights” – “A few weeks ago, Teresa Sayward did the unthinkable. The New York state Republican assemblywoman told a state news program that she'd consider voting for Obama. ‘I really, truly think that the candidates that are out there today for the Republican side would take women back decades,’ she said on Capitol Tonight. Apparently, she's not the only one worried about her party's direction on women's health. A new story from North Country Public Radio highlights Sayward and fellow Republican Janet Duprey, who are both supporting the Reproductive Health Act, which would codify access to abortion and contraception. Sayward is one of the co-sponsors. In the segment, Duprey spoke out about her own commitment to women's health. She noted her own adolescence in the early '60s, when women and girls had few options. ‘We can never return to that era,’ she told the radio station. ‘We absolutely cannot.’”
