A vote for John McCain is a vote against women's issues. During his 26-year career in Washington, John McCain has racked up one of the worst voting issues on women's issues.
There are vast misperceptions about McCain's record:
- 51 percent of women voters in battleground states don't know about McCain's extreme positions on women's reproductive health
- 49 percent of women currently backing McCain have pro-choice views although McCain opposes reproductive rights
- 46 percent of women supporting McCain over Obama want to see Roe v. Wade upheld, yet McCain supports overturning it
- Sarah Palin is opposed to abortion, even in cases of rape or incest
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McCAIN'S VOTING RECORD
- NO on the Right to Choose
- NO on Sex Education
- NO to lift the Global Gag Rule, an anti-family law that bars foreign non-governmental organizations in undeveloped countries from receiving U.S. family planning assistance if they provide abortion services or advocate for pro-choice
- NO on International Family Planning Funding for education, information, and services to help poor people around the world protect themselves from unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections
- NO on Emergency Contraception
- NO on Abortion Access for Women in the Military
- NO on Comprehensive Family Planning
- NO on Teen Health and Safety for Reproductive Rights
- NO on Violence Against Reproductive Healthcare Providers
- NO on Supreme Court Nominations
- NO to Protect Medicare Benefits for Low Income Families
[Source: Planned Parenthood]
McCAIN ON WOMEN'S ISSUES
- McCain Opposed Equal Pay Bill for Women, Said They ‘Need Education and Training’ Instead. McCain skipped a vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act that would ensure women have the opportunity to recover back pay for discrimination once they discover it. McCain said If he had been there to vote, he would have voted against it and that women “need education and training” rather than an equal pay bill. [Source: aflcio.org; H.R. 2831, Vote 110, 4/23/08; Associated Press, 4/28/08]
- McCain Voted to Gut the Family and Medical Leave Act. In 1993, before finally voting for the Family and Medical Leave Act, McCain voted to jeopardize leave for millions of workers by gutting the bill. He voted to suspend the Family and Medical Leave Act unless the federal government certified that compliance would not increase business expenses or provide financial assistance to businesses to cover any related costs. [Source: aflcio.org S.Amdt. 16, S. 5, Vote 7, 2/4/93; H.R. 1, Vote 11, 2/4/93]
- McCain OPPOSED REQUIRING COVERAGE OF PRESCRIPTION BIRTH CONTROL. In 2003, McCain voted NO on legislation to improve the availability of contraceptives for women and to require insurance coverage of prescription birth control.
- McCain OPPOSED Title X Family Planning Program. In 1990, McCain voted NO on legislation to extend the Title X federal family planning program, which provides low-income and uninsured women and families with health care services ranging from breast and cervical cancer screening to birth control.
- McCain Opposed to Preventative Services to Reduce Teen Pregnancies. In 2005, McCain voted NO to allocate $100 million to expand access to preventive health care services that reduce the numbers of unintended and teen pregnancies and reduce the number of abortions.
- McCain Opposes Accurate Sex Education Programs. McCain opposed legislation requiring that abstinence-only programs be medically accurate and scientifically based. He also voted NO on legislation that would help reduce the number of teen pregnancies by providing funding for programs to teach comprehensive, medically accurate sexuality education and other programs to prevent unintended teen pregnancies.
- McCain Voted Not to Overturn Global Gag Rule. In 2005, McCain voted NO on legislation to overturn the "global gag rule," which bars foreign nongovernmental organizations from receiving U.S. family planning assistance if the organization (using its own, non-U.S. funds) provides abortion services or information or advocates for pro-choice laws and policies in its own country.
RATINGS
Following are the ratings John McCain has received from a diverse set of independent organizations and assocations:
- Rated 0% by NARAL, indicating an anti pro-choice voting record. . [NARAL website 03n-NARAL on Dec 31, 2003]
- Lifetime rating of 22% by the ACLU; 17% rating for the current (110th) Congress, indicating an anti-civil rights voting record. [ACLU.org]
- Rated 0% by The Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy (SANE) on issues related to peace and disarmament. [SANE website 03n-SANE on Dec 31, 2003]
- Rated 7% by the NAACP, indicating an anti-affirmative-action stance. [NAACP website on Dec 31, 2006]
- Rated 15% by the AFL-CIO, indicating an anti-union voting record. [AFL-CIO website 03n-AFLCIO on Dec 31, 2003]
- Rated 45% by the NEA, indicating a mixed record on public education. [NEA website 03n-NEA on Dec 31, 2003]
- Rated 33% by the Americans United (AU) is a religious liberty watchdog group, indicating a mixed record on church-state separation. [AU website 06n-AU on Dec 31, 2006]
- Rated 53% by the League of Conservation Votersindicating a mixed record on the environment. [LCV website 03n-LCV on Dec 31, 2003]
- Rated 40% by the ARA, indicating a mixed record on senior issues. [ARA website 03n-ARA on Dec 31, 2003]
- Rated 33% by the Human Rights Campaign, indicating a mixed record on basic equal rights for gay Americans. [HRC website 06n-HRC on Dec 31, 2006]
- Rated 100% by CATO, indicating a pro free trade voting record that favors deregulation and open markets (like the NAFTA agreement) [Source: CATO website 02n-CATO on Dec 31, 2002]
"For the past 25 years, John McCain has consistently voted against women's health. From opposing funding for family planning programs to voting against requiring insurance coverage of birth control, McCain has taken extreme positions. He has voted against women's health and has not supported legislation that would help reduce the rate of unintended pregnancies and the need for abortion. This has earned him a zero rating - the lowest rating we give in the U.S. Senate."
-- Planned Parenthood
McCAIN AND WOMEN'S ISSUES
“I support Barak Obama because he is an honest man with a vision for this country that exceeds our wildest dreams. He is kind, compassionate, brilliant, articulate and tough when necessary. He will restore divided ideologies and we will be the 'United' States once again.”
-- Terrie, California
