As this election has unfolded, one thing has become perfectly clear: In races across the country, this election comes down to a choice between two worldviews — two different beliefs in who we are as Americans. In one, women are objects, vessels for childbirth, and aren’t trusted to make their own decisions about their bodies, lives or futures. This is the worldview of Donald Trump and anti-choice GOP candidates up and down the ticket. In the other, women are equals and trusted to make the health care decisions that are best for themselves and their families. This is the worldview of the majority of Americans, pro-choice candidates, and our champion for reproductive freedom, Hillary Clinton.
Hillary Clinton and pro-choice leaders like Katie McGinty in Pennsylvania, Maggie Hassan in New Hampshire, Catherine Cortez Masto in Nevada, and Deborah Ross in North Carolina, trust women to chart their own destinies. They’ll fight to not just protect but to expand access to birth control, abortion and other basic health care. They’ll work to end discrimination against pregnant workers. They’ll lead the charge for all Americans to have paid family leave so each of us can decide to start or grow our families when it’s right for us. Their grit and passion will move our families forward and that, in turn, will keep America moving forward. Their leadership and policies will build an America in which your zip code or income or race or ethnicity doesn’t determine how much access you have to opportunity and success.
These leaders who fight for our reproductive freedom stand with the seven in 10 Americans who believe abortion should be accessible and legal. That’s not just a majority — that’s a consensus. And when we speak as one and insist that all Americans be respected equally, our nation grows stronger together.
Donald Trump doesn’t share this view of what makes America great. In the worldview of Trump and his allies — like Pat Toomey, Kelly Ayotte, Joe Heck and Richard Burr — women can’t be trusted to make their own decisions. When elected officials peddle this worldview, they insult women. It implies that we don’t think through their decision to have an abortion and that women should not be full and equal partners in our society.
Trump and the Republican party that he leads have implied — or outright said — that women shouldn’t get paid the same amount as men because they can’t do the job as well as men. They talk endlessly about repealing the Affordable Care Act, which has saved women across the country over $1 billion on birth control alone, helped an estimated 8.7 million women gain coverage for maternity care and made sure women can no longer be charged more or denied coverage because of their gender. And let’s not forget, the Republican platform calls for banning abortion, shutting down reproductive health clinics, defunding Planned Parenthood and forcing women to “think through” their decision to have an abortion. This is the agenda of anti-choice candidates across the country.
And while the country focuses on every new insult and slur that escapes Donald Trump’s mouth, the crop of Republicans running behind him don’t get much better. These anti-choice politicians subscribe to the same out-of-touch worldview espoused by Donald Trump and have used the Republican Party to push an agenda based on these beliefs for years. Let’s take a look at some of the worst offenders.
Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) refused to say he wouldn’t vote for Donald Trump at a Women for Toomey event following the release of a tape showing the GOP nominee bragging about sexually assaulting women. Toomey also has voted to criminally prosecute abortion providers, allow your boss to opt out of providing birth control and defund Planned Parenthood. And on top of that, he has repeatedly voted against laws that would guarantee women equal pay for equal work.
Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) may act like she cares about reproductive health and lifting up women, but her record shows otherwise. Like the man she once called a role model, Sen. Ayotte agrees with Donald Trump that Roe v. Wade should be overturned and will stop at nothing to defund Planned Parenthood. If she gets her way, women could be charged twice for birth control. And when given the opportunity to pass a bill that would help survivors of sex trafficking, Sen. Ayotte instead held up its passage because she didn’t want to give these survivors access to abortion.
Rep. Joe Heck (R-NV) may be trying to run away from his support for Donald Trump, but he can’t hide from the fact that he and the GOP nominee share the same views when it comes to restricting women’s reproductive rights. Determined to overturn Roe v. Wade and ban abortion? Check. Opposed to making contraception accessible and affordable? Check. Consistently opposed laws to guarantee equal pay for equal work? Check.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) consistently supports legislation that restricts our constitutional right to abortion even though he knows his position puts him at odds with the majority of his constituents, and even as the Zika virus has made reproductive health care in Florida more important than ever. Like Donald Trump and his anti-choice GOP colleagues, Rubio is also committed to defunding Planned Parenthood, even if it means shutting down the government. Rubio has consistently voted against bills that would guarantee equal pay for equal work. He opposes accessible and affordable contraception. And he thinks abortion should be flat-out illegal, even in cases of rape and incest.
And last but not least, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), another die-hard anti-choice Republican who has continued to stand by Donald Trump to the bitter end. Ron Johnson is also obsessed with defunding Planned Parenthood at any cost, voting down any bills that would guarantee women equal pay for equal work and overturning Roe v. Wade.
Women and families across the country deserve better. The good news is that we have great candidates on the ballot who will put our best interests ahead of partisan posturing — candidates like Katie McGinty in Pennsylvania, Maggie Hassan in New Hampshire, Catherine Cortez Masto in Nevada, Patrick Murphy in Florida, Deborah Ross in North Carolina, Jason Kander in Missouri and Russ Feingold in Wisconsin. Each of these candidates knows that if we want stronger families and stronger communities, we have to empower women — and empowering women means making reproductive health care, including abortion, affordable and accessible.
