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Presidential Candidates on Issues Important To Women
As November 4 approaches, it is essential to know where the presidential candidates stand on key issues of importance to women. To aid you in this effort, we present two side-by-side comparisons. The first was compiled by The National Organization for Women Political Action Committee (NOW PAC) to supplement the second, which was compiled by the Business and Professional Women's Political Action Committee (BPW/PAC).
Together these side-by-side comparisons detail the presidential candidates' positions on diverse issues. The information in the comparisons was taken directly from the cited sources, including the candidates' websites, without editorial comment. We hope you will find the comparisons informative and helpful in determining which candidate best represents you and is committed to advocate for the issues important to women.
Index:
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Senator Barack Obama (Democrat) |
Senator John McCain (Republican) |
General Information
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| Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) |
Co-sponsored the Violence Against Women Act of 2005 which reauthorized VAWA and was passed by unanimous consent. [S.1197, 109th Congress on Thomas.loc.gov] |
Voted against the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which authorized VAWA. [Senate Roll Call Votes 103rd Congress - 2nd Session]
Voted for the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 which reauthorized VAWA. [Roll Call 295, 8/25/94, 106th Congress - 2nd Session]
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| Contraception and Sex Education |
Voted in favor of legislation authorizing grants to fund programs that teach comprehensive, medically-accurate sexuality education, and other programs to prevent teen pregnancies. [S. Amdt. 4689 to S. 403 Roll Call 214, 7/25/06, 109th Congress -- 2nd Session]
Original co-sponsor of the Prevention First Act to increase funding for family planning and comprehensive sex education that teaches both abstinence and safe sex methods. The Act will also end insurance discrimination against contraception, improve awareness about emergency contraception, and provide compassionate assistance to rape victims.[BarackObama.com]
Would overturn "Mexico City" policy barring federal funding assistance to non-governmental organizations that perform abortions or provide abortion counseling.[Kaiser Family Foundation]
Would reinstate funding for United Nations Family Planning Agency. [Kaiser Family Foundation]
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Opposed legislation that would provide funding for comprehensive and medically accurate sex education, including scientifically based teaching about abstinence. [S. Amdt. 4689 to S. 403 Roll Call 214, 7/25/06, 109th Congress - 2nd Session]
McCain campaign has not addressed contraception. [Kaiser Family Foundation]
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| Children's Health |
Voted in favor of a bill reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) for five years and increasing federal funding for child health care coverage through SCHIP and Medicaid by $35 billion over five years. The cost of the expansion would be funded by a 61 cent per pack federal cigarette tax increase. [Roll Call 307 8/2/07,110th Congress -- 1st Session] |
Voted against the Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act which would extend health care coverage to more than one third (3.2 million) of the uninsured children in America, increase funding and improve policies for states to enroll and provide health coverage to millions of children currently eligible but not enrolled in SCHIP and Medicaid. [ Roll Call 307 8/2/07,110 th Congress -- 1st Session ] |
| Supreme Court Appointments |
Voted against both of George W. Bush's Supreme Court nominees, Samuel Alito and John Roberts. Both are believed to oppose the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. [Catholic News Agency] |
Pledged to use President George W. Bush's Supreme Court appointees as a "model" for his own choices. [Catholic News Agency] |
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Senator Barack Obama (Democrat) |
Senator John McCain (Republican) |
Education
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| Title IX: Equal Educational Opportunity |
Supports eliminating gender discrimination in American schools. For 35 years, Title IX has been a bulwark against sex discrimination against students and employees at all levels of education. Will fight to make sure women have equal opportunities and access from pre-kindergarten through graduate school. [BarackObama.com] |
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| Early Childhood Education |
"We must fix the failures of No Child Left Behind by providing the funding that was promised, giving states the resources they need, and finally meeting our commitment to special education." [BarackObama.com]
"We know well-designed public charter schools have a lot to offer, and I've actually helped pass legislation to expand them. But what I do oppose is using public money for private school vouchers. We need to focus on fixing and improving our public schools; not throwing our hands up and walking away from them." [BarackObama.com]
Introduced a comprehensive "Zero to Five" plan to provide critical supports to young children and their parents by investing $10 billion per year to create: Early Learning Challenge Grants to stimulate and help fund state "zero to five" efforts; quadruple the number of eligible children for Early Head Start and increase Head Start funding and improve quality for both.
Will work to ensure all children have access to pre-school; provide affordable and high-quality child care that will promote child development and ease the burden on working families; and create a Presidential Early Learning Council to increase collaboration and program coordination across federal, state, and local levels. [BarackObama.com]
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While there are some excellent Head Start centers that can serve as models for leadership and best practices, far too many Head Start centers have fallen prey to the same institutional flaws that have undermined the larger public education system. They lack quality instructors; they lack accountability to parents; and they are focused on process, not outcomes. [JohnMcCain.com]
Believes vouchers [for private school] and merit pay for teachers whose students perform well are two important ways to help kids in failing schools. [Speech at the 99th Annual Convention of the NAACP]
Plans to designate Head Start centers with demonstrated records of success as Centers for Excellence in Head Start, and give them $200,000 per year to expand their programs to serve more children. Standards for quality will be child-centered and outcome-based, with children measured by school readiness skills and instructors measured by student development. [JohnMcCain.com]
Will focus federal resources on ensuring that the neediest children have access to a range of high quality programs. The objective will be to ensure that these children have the opportunity to begin school with a strong foundation in language and numbers, and that they have the social and emotional skills necessary to succeed. [JohnMcCain.com]
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Senator Barack Obama (Democrat) |
Senator John McCain (Republican) |
LGBT
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| Hate Crimes |
Voted in favor of the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007 which would extend existing federal hate crime laws to include violent crimes committed on the basis of actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, disability and gender identity. [Roll Call 3149, 9/27/07, 110th Congress -- 1st Session]
"I have been a strong advocate for hate-crimes legislation at the state level. I would continue to be an equally strong advocate at the federal level. I absolutely think that sexual orientation has to be included in all hate crimes legislation." [Windy City Times, 2/4/08]
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Voted against the Local Law Enforcement Act of 2005, which would expand federal jurisdiction to reach -- for the first time -- hate crimes committed on the basis of "actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or disability of the victim." [HRC Congressional Scorecard, 2006] |
Employment Non-
Discrimination |
"We must repeal the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' military policy." [Windy City Times, 2/11/04]
"I think it needs to be eliminated [. . .] It is safe to assume that we have a significant number of gay and lesbian soldiers in Iraq. The notion that somehow they should be treated differently is contrary to what this country is about." [Windy City Times, 2/4/04]
Supports a military equivalent of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. [Gay People's Chronicle, 2/29/08]
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"I do believe the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy has been very effective. We've got the best military we've ever had [. . .] generally, it's working. I think it's logical to leave this issue alone." [MSNBC, 11/12/06]
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| Same-Sex Marriage & Civil Unions |
"I am a fierce supporter of domestic partnerships and civil union laws." [Windy City Times, 2/4/04]
Barack Obama supports civil unions that give gay couples full rights, including the right to assist their loved ones in time of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits currently extended to traditional married couples and the same property rights as anyone else. [Boston Edge, 5/30/07]
Criticized the proposition to amend California's constitution to deny gays and lesbians the right to marry. [National Journal, 8/30/08]
Favors repealing the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which gives a state the right not to recognize same-sex marriages performed in another state. [National Journal, 8/30/08]
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"The family represents the foundation of Western Civilization and civil society and John McCain believes the institution of marriage is a union between one man and one woman. It is only this definition that sufficiently recognizes the vital and unique role played by mothers and fathers in the raising of children, and the role of the family in shaping, stabilizing, and strengthening communities and our nation." [JohnMcCain.com]
"I am opposed to [civil unions legislation in New Hampshire]… Anything that impinges or impacts the sanctity of the marriage between men and women, I am opposed to it." [New York Sun, 4/27/07]
"The [Federal Marriage Amendment] we're debating today strikes me as antithetical in every way to the core philosophy of Republicans […] It usurps from the states a fundamental authority they have always possessed and imposes a federal remedy for a problem most states do not believe confronts them." [CNN, 7/14/04]
Supported a 2006 ballot amendment in Arizona banning same-sex marriage and favors the upcoming initiative in California that would amend the state's constitution to limit marriage to heterosexual couples. [National Journal, 8/30/08]
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| Defense Of Marriage Act |
"I opposed DOMA [the Defense of Marriage Act] in 1996. It should be repealed [...] I will also oppose any proposal to amend the Constitution to ban gays and lesbians from marrying [...] the repeal of DOMA is essential." [Windy City Times, 5/15/07]
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Voted for the passage of the Defense of Marriage Act, which bans federal recognition of same-sex marriages. [Roll Call 280, 9/10/96, 104th Congress -- 2nd Session]
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| Gay & Lesbian Adoption |
"I think that that's really a state issue [...] one of the things, as an advocate on behalf of gay and lesbian issues, I would like to be able to do is throw issues of state's fights back in the faces of Republicans who, for example, try to pass constitutional amendments or federal laws that prevent states from adopting their own policies." [Windy City Times, 2/4/04]
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"I think that we've proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no, I don't believe in gay adoption." [New York Times, 7/13/08]
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Senator Barack Obama (Democrat) |
Senator John McCain (Republican) |
Immigration
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| Border Security & Enforcement of Immigration Laws |
Would not require the borders to be secured before undocumented immigrants could seek citizenship. [National Journal, 8/30/08]
Some law enforcement policies prohibit police officers from asking people about their immigration status. Obama voted against an amendment that would have eliminated these policies. [LCCR Voting Record, 110th Congress]
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"John McCain's top immigration priority is to finish securing our borders in an expedited manner." [JohnMcCain.com]
Wants to secure the nation's borders, ports and other entry points, and to require border-state governors to certify that their borders are secure before pursuing reforms such as allowing undocumented immigrants to apply for citizenship. [National Journal, 8/30/08]
Some law enforcement policies prohibit police officers from asking people about their immigration status. McCain voted for an amendment that would have eliminated these policies. [LCCR Voting Record, 110th Congress]
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| Legalization & Path to Citizenship |
"We must fix the dysfunctional immigration bureaucracy and increase the number of legal immigrants to keep families together and meet the demand for jobs that employers cannot fill." [BarackObama.com]
Voted in favor of the Amendment to Create Uniform Legalization Programs for Immigrants which would have replaced the existing three-tiered legislation program and replaced it with one process that does not divide the immigrant community. [ACORN Legislative Scorecard 10/06]
Believes we should target the roots of illegal immigration and do more to promote economic development in Mexico. [BarackObama.com]
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"Will ensure that all undocumented aliens either leave or follow the path to legal residence. America cannot permit a permanent category of individuals that do not have recognized status- a permanent second class." [JohnMcCain.com]
Has called for the immediate roundup and deportation of the estimated 2 million undocumented immigrants with criminal backgrounds. [National Journal, 8/30/08]
Voted against the Amendment to Create Uniform Legalization Programs for Immigrants which would have provided a single path to legalization for all undocumented immigrants. [ACORN Legislative Scorecard 10/06]
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| Legal Immigration |
Supports the current system of giving preference to family members of U.S. citizens and legal residents in allocating green cards. [National Journal, 8/30/08]
Opposes moving to a merit-based point system that would favor potential immigrants with higher-education levels or needed job skills. [National Journal, 8/30/08]
Joined Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) to introduce the Citizenship Promotion Act to ensure that immigration application fees are both reasonable and fair. [BarackObama.com]
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Voted in favor of comprehensive bills that would have revised the system of allocating green cards to give priority to immigrants' education and job skills over family ties. [National Journal, 8/30/08]
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| Guest-worker program |
Supports the creation of a new guest-worker program to meet employers' needs for temporary workers with protections against driving down American workers' wages. It must provide temporary workers with labor rights and give those who meet certain criteria the opportunity to eventually become citizens. [National Journal, 8/30/08]
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Voted for comprehensive bills that would have created an expanded program using a computer registry to match foreign workers with businesses that need temporary help. [National Journal, 8/30/08]
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| Employer Sanctions |
Championed a proposal to create a system so employers can verify that their employees are legally eligible to work in the U.S. [BarackObama.com]
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Would require employers to use a new electronic employment verification system to certify that all employees are legal. Workers would need "tamper-proof, biometric" identification cards. [National Journal, 8/30/08]
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| "English Official Language" Amendment |
Voted against an amendment declaring that, unless required by law, no individual would have a right to demand services or materials from federal agencies in any language other than English. [LCCR Voting Record, 110th Congress]
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Voted in favor of amendment declaring that, unless required by law, no individual would have a right to demand services or materials from federal agencies in any language other than English. [LCCR Voting Record, 110th Congress]
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Senator Barack Obama (Democrat) |
Senator John McCain (Republican) |
Health Care
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| HIV/AIDS Prevention & Treatment |
Co-sponsored the Early Treatment for HIV Act that would offer states the option of providing Medicaid coverage to low-income, HIV-positive Americans. [HRC Congressional Scorecard 2006]
On issues like [AIDS] I see my job as not only getting money and passing bills, but also changing and reframing the debate." [Windy City Times, 2/4/04]
Introduced the Microbicide Development Act, which will accelerate the development of products that empower women in the battle against AIDS. Microbicides are a class of products currently under development that women apply topically to prevent transmission of HIV and other infections. [BarackObama.com]
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Opposed Early Treatment for HIV Act. [HRC Congressional Scorecard 2006]
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| Health Care Research |
Fought to maintain funding for the Centers of Excellence in Women's Health at the Department of Health and Human Services. He also supports legislation to encourage research that will examine gender and health disparities. The same legislation would establish community outreach programs in underserved areas to help women access health care and maintain healthy lifestyles. [BarackObama.com]
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Will strongly support funding for promising research programs, including amniotic fluid and adult stem cell research and other types of scientific study that do not involve the use of human embryos. [JohnMcCain.com]
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| Health Care Reform |
Plans to strengthen employer coverage, make insurance companies accountable and ensure patient choice of doctor and care without government interference. [BarackObama.com]
Will provide new, affordable health insurance options to individuals who do not have health insurance or are unhappy with their current providers and reduce the cost of those satisfied with their providers by as much as $2,500 per year. [BarackObama.com]
Will create a new Small Business Health Tax Credit to help small businesses provide affordable health insurance to their employees. [BarackObama.com]
Will lower costs for businesses by covering a portion of the health costs they pay in return for lower premiums for employees. [BarackObama.com]
Will require large employers that do not offer coverage or meaningfully contribute to the health care costs of their employees to allocate a percentage of payroll to this expense. [BarackObama.com]
Will require mandatory coverage of children and expand the coverage options for young adults by allowing them to remain on their parent's plans up to age 25. [BarackObama.com]
Is committed to fiscal responsibility and will pay for his health care reform effort by rolling back the Bush tax cuts for Americans earning more than $250,000 per year and retaining the estate tax at its 2009 level. [BarackObama.com]
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Believes the key to health care reform is to restore control to the individual patients. [JohnMcCain.com]
Will use competition to improve the quality of health insurance to match people's needs and lower prices. [JohnMcCain.com]
Will reform the tax code by offering individuals a refundable $2,500 tax credit as an incentive to buy insurance. If a policy costs less than the amount of tax credit, the consumer could deposit the remainder into an expanded Health Savings Account. [JohnMcCain.com]
Will work with governors to develop a best practice model that states can follow - a Guaranteed Access Plan or GAP -- that would reflect the best experience of the states to ensure these patients have access to health coverage. One approach would establish a nonprofit corporation that would contract with insurers to cover patients who have been denied insurance and could join with other state plans to enlarge pools and lower overhead costs. There would be reasonable limits on premiums, and assistance would be available for Americans below a certain income level. [JohnMcCain.com]
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The following information was compiled by the Business and Professional Women Political Action Committee (BPW/PAC). The original source can be found here in .doc format.
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Senator Barack Obama (Democrat) |
Senator John McCain (Republican) |
Economic Equity
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| Pay Equity |
Voted in favor of Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act [Roll Call 110, 04/23/08]
"I will also increase funding for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance, so that those agencies have the resources and staff they need to process charges filed and effectively remedy equal pay violations." [Letter to BPW/USA Membership 07/17/08]
"[B]y increasing the minimum wage and indexing it to inflation, we can help close the wage gap by increasing the pay of low-wage workers who are disproportionately women." [Letter to BPW/USA Membership 07/17/08]
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Skipped the vote on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, but told reporters he would have voted against it. [Associated Press, 4/28/08]
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| Workplace Flexibility |
"I will support [working parents] by doubling funding for after-school programs and expanding the Family and Medical Leave Act to cover more employees and make the reasons for taking leave more family friendly. … I will also require employers to provide at least seven paid sick days per year and create a new fund to help states provide paid family/medical leave programs. … Other ways we can help include protecting against caregiver discrimination, providing low-income families with a refundable tax credit to help with their childcare expenses, and encouraging flexible work schedules." [Letter to BPW/USA Membership 07/17/08]
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"Issues of family and medical leave should "be subject to negotiations between management and labor." [Federal News Radio, 7/10/08]
Voted in favor of Family and Medical Leave Act, but also voted to gut the bill before passage. [S.Amdt. 16, S. 5, Vote 7, 2/4/93; H.R. 1, Vote 11, 2/4/93]
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| Retirement Security |
"I will stop any efforts to privatize Social Security and will work in a bipartisan way to preserve it for future generations." [Letter to BPW/USA Membership 07/17/08]
"[M]y Automatic Workplace Pension program will offer working women left out of the retirement savings system an easy, automatic and productive way to build wealth for retirement. Employers who do not currently offer a retirement plan will be required to automatically enroll their employees in a direct-deposit IRA account (employees will retain the option of opting-out)." [Letter to BPW/USA Membership 07/17/08]
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"I'm totally in favor of personal savings accounts... As part of Social Security reform, I believe that private savings accounts are a part of it -- along the lines that President Bush proposed." [Wall Street Journal, 3/3/08]
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| Small Business |
"I will increase women's access to federal contracting opportunities by implementing the Women Owned Business contracting program. ...[M]y plan to eliminate capital gains taxes on start-up and small businesses will provide meaningful tax relief to 8.7 million women small business owners..." [Letter to BPW/USA Membership 07/17/08] |
Voted against the Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Amendment that would repeal a program that sets aside 10% of highway funds for minorities/women's business enterprises [Roll Call 23, 3/6/98]
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| Child Care |
"Obama will also provide affordable and high-quality child care to ease the burden on working families." [www.barackobama.com] |
Voted in favor of the Snowe Amendment to TANF reauthorization to provide an additional $6 billion in child care funding. [Roll Call 64, 3/30/04] |
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Senator Barack Obama (Democrat) |
Senator John McCain (Republican) |
Health Care
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| Health Research |
"I will see that research is undertaken and attention given to combating diseases and illnesses that disproportionately affect women, like heart disease, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer." [Letter to BPW/USA Membership 07/17/08] |
"We need to strengthen health care quality by promoting research and development of new treatment models, promoting wellness, investing in technology and empowering Americans with better information on quality, treatments and costs." [www.yourcandidatesyourhealth.org] |
| Reproductive Freedom |
"I have been and will continue to be a champion of a woman's right to choose... [I] have consistently had a 100% pro-choice rating… I will continue to defend this right by passing the Freedom of Choice Act as president." [Letter to BPW/USA Membership 07/17/08] |
"John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned, and as president he will nominate judges who understand that courts should not be in the business of legislating from the bench. Constitutional balance would be restored by the reversal of Roe v. Wade, returning the abortion question to the individual states. The difficult issue of abortion should not be decided by judicial fiat." [www.johnmcain.com] |
| Birth Control |
"I believe in and have supported common-sense solutions like increasing access to affordable birth control to help prevent unintended pregnancies." [Letter to BPW/USA Membership 07/17/08]
"In the U.S. Senate, I've worked with Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) on a bill that would make birth control more affordable for low-income and college women, and introduced the Senate version of Representative Hilda Solis' bill to reduce unintended pregnancies in communities of color." [Letter to BPW/USA Membership 07/17/08]
Voted in favor of Unintended Pregnancy Amendment that would allocate $100 million for the prevention of unintended pregnancies. [Roll Call 75, 3/17/05]
Voted in favor of Teen Pregnancy Education Amendment that would authorize grants to provide education on preventing teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. [Roll Call 214, 7/25/06]
Voted in favor of insurance coverage for prescription birth control. [Contraceptive Equity in Health Insurance Act, Illinois State Senate, 07/03]
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Voted against Unintended Pregnancy Amendment that would allocate $100 million for the prevention of unintended pregnancies. [Roll Call 75, 3/17/05]
Voted against Teen Pregnancy Education Amendment that would authorize grants to provide education on preventing teen pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. [Roll Call 214, 7/25/06]
Voted against insurance coverage for prescription birth control. [Roll Call 45, 3/11/03]
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| Eldercare |
"Obama will work to give seniors choices about their care, consistent with their needs, and not biased towards institutional care. He will work to reform the financing of long term care to protect seniors and families. He will work to improve the quality of elder care, including by training more nurses and health care workers." [www.barackobama.com] |
Voted against Bayh Amendment that would provide a $3000 tax credit for elderly care. [Roll Call 193, 7/14/00]
Voted against a new program for home and community-based long-term care. [Roll Call 533, 10/27/95]
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Senator Barack Obama (Democrat) |
Senator John McCain (Republican) |
Civil Rights
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| Equal Rights Amendment |
Co-sponsor of the Women's Equality Amendment (S. J. Res. 10), a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution relative to equal rights for men and women. |
Voted against passage of the Equal Rights Amendment. [Roll Call 1494, 11/15/83] |
| Violence Against Women |
"I will pass my plan to provide millions of dollars to strengthen programs aimed at preventing domestic violence and caring for those affected by it. I will also expand government efforts to offer domestic violence counseling in urban areas. ...I will ensure that we fully fund the Violence Against Women Act. ... I led the fight to ensure that victims could seek shelter or treatment without losing their jobs, passing one of the strongest job protection laws in the nation. ... I would ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which… affirms the reproductive rights of women, supports women's political and economic rights, and highlights the importance of eradicating violence against women." [Letter to BPW/USA Membership 07/17/08] |
Introduced the Restoring Safety to Indian Women Act which amends the Federal criminal code to cover domestic assault by a habitual offender in Indian country. [S.987 5/10/05] |
| Affirmative Action |
"In order for women to better compete in the workplace, I will continue pushing for increased female representation in jobs where women have been underutilized and will ensure that tax dollars are not underwriting employment discrimination: federal contracts should only go to companies that obey the law." [Letter to BPW/USA Membership 07/17/08] |
Considers himself a "strong supporter of affirmative action," but only when "properly structured so that it is not just a quota." It should "take into account class and hardship [to assess] whether or not a young person is deserving of opportunity." [Los Angeles Times, 08/01/08] |
| Women Veterans |
"As a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Barack Obama has introduced legislation to force the Pentagon and VA to better track the newest generation of veterans -- including the number of women veterans -- so that the VA can better plan their care. Obama also introduced legislation to fight homelessness among veterans, with a special focus on treating women who may have been victims of sexual trauma. As president, Barack Obama will fight to ensure that women can get the care they deserve at the VA." [www.barackobama.com] |
"The VA must also broaden its care for the women who are entering the armed forces in greater numbers than ever. The growing ranks of women in uniform have left the VA lagging behind in the services it provides. And here the Veterans Care Access Card will prove especially valuable, affording women medical options while the VA improves capacity and expands services. … The VA must respond to the specialized health care needs of women veterans, including victims of sexual assault." [www.johnmccain.com] |
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