The “War On Women” was a rallying cry during the 2012 Campaign which focused on the Republican Party policies which were collectively seen as an assault on Women’s Rights. The Democrats pointed to the GOP’s legislation in the areas of violence against women, workplace discrimination as well as women’s reproductive health services as examples of the War.
Planned Parenthood is seen as the poster organization advocating for women’s reproductive rights. Planned Parenthood, like many powerful groups, give lawmakers a rating on how well their voting record supports the organization’s goals. Their 2014 report can be found on their website.
You might not be surprised to learn that Rep. Tom Reed has earned a 0% rating on Planned Parenthood’s 2014 scorecard. Below is a summarized Rep. Reed’s voting record from their “Scorecard” that tied him with two New York Congressmen who can share the title as the “NYS Most Anti-Woman Representative.” (The other two of the trio are Rep. Peter King (NY 2) and neighboring Chris Collins (NY-27).
Here is Rep. Tom Reed’s voting record on legislation that Planned Parenthood supports:
Rep. Tom Reed voted:
- To Eliminate Health Care for Low Income Women by completely defunding Title X Family Planning Program which provides life saving, preventive care to millions of women each year and saves taxpayers money. (February 19, 2011, Final Passage of FY11 C.R., Roll Call vote 147)
- To Prevent Planned Parenthood from Receiving any Federal Funds, including Medicare reimbursements for family planning services and funding for critical primary and preventive care. (April 14, 2011, H. Con. Res. 36, Roll Call vote 271)
- To Prohibit Access to the Comprehensive Reproductive Health Insurance and Raise Taxes on Women and Small Businesses. The majority of private health insurance policies offer comprehensive plans that includes abortion. This bill would take that private abortion coverage away for women—even where the abortion would prevent severe, permanent damage to her health. (May 4, 2011, No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion, HR. 3, Roll Call 292)
- To Undermine the Full Range of Women’s Health Services. This amendment would prohibit all funding fo Mifeprisone, a safe, effective medication for ending a pregnancy. (June 16, 2011, King Amendment, HR 2112, Roll Call vote 445)
- To Endanger Women’s Lives by Eliminating Patient Protections and Undermine Health Benefits for Women. This law would weaken the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act that ensures that hospitals would provide emergency care in a life-threatening situation, EXCEPT if a woman needed an abortion to save her life. (October 13, 2011, HR 358, Roll Call vote 789)
- To Intrude on the Doctor-Patient Relationship and Criminalizing Health Care Professionals. This bill would make an abortion illegal if the physician and patient discuss the gender of the fetus (amongst other topics). (May 31, 2012, HR 3541, Roll Call vote 299)
- To Ban Abortion After 20 Weeks in the District of Columbia except in the case of rape or incest.The bill (HR 3803) would require a victim of rape or incest to prove that she reported the crime to police or other law enforcement bodies before getting an abortion. (July 31, 2012, H.R. 3803, Roll Call vote 539 )
- To Ban Abortion After 20 Weeks in the Nation, except in the case of rape or incest. The bill (HR 1797) would require a victim of rape or incest to prove that she reported the crime to police or other law enforcement bodies before getting an abortion. (June 28, 2013, HR 1797, Roll Call vote 251).
- To Take Away Critical Women’s Preventive Health Benefits, including well-women exams, HPV testing to prevent cervical cancer, domestic violence screening and counseling, and birth control—on the basis of religious or moral convictions. (September 29, 2013, Motion to Concur H.J. Res. 59, Roll Call vote 498)
- To Undermine Abortion Access in Health Care Plans This bill (HR 7) would take away existing tax deductions and premium tax credits to help pay for health care, simply because the family/person chose a private health insurance that included abortions. —January 28, 2014, On Passage of HR 7, Roll Call 30
For more information on any of the above topics go to: http://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/elections-politics/congressional-scorecard/#/new-york/307
For information about the votes on any particular bill, the Library of Congress’ Thomas website should help you.
Click here for more information on the War on Women
New NY 23rd (http://NewNY23rd.com)
This will be very helpful to take along when going door to door. Thank you!
As a rule, Dems. earn 100% while Republicans earn 0%. Clearly these Representatives are not giving us their honest service–they are voting the party line rather than seriously considering the issue at hand. Even Republican women, Candace Miller (R-MI) for example, earn 0%.
As someone who came of age during feminism’s second wave, I am stunned that we are still having some of the conversations that we’re having, that any of this isn’t the settled policy that it should be by now (thereby letting us move on toward addressing all of the other issues that still pend). No matter what you think about Hillary Clinton, her assertion–I paraphrase here–that equalizing the status of women and girls in the world is the great unfinished business of our time, is sadly accurate and applies as much to our own country as it does to any emerging nation in the world. It’s time–it’s past time–to defund Tom Reed.
The “War on Women” is misnamed. It is a war on “poor women”. Wealthy and middle class Republican (and Democratic) women and their daughters will always be able to obtain birth control and abortions. Like the “good old days” (pre Roe) when the middle class teenage girl went to see “aunt and uncle” for a week and came back a little bit lighter. While the poor girl went to see the neighborhood amateur in unsanitary conditions. It is about social class much more than gender. Who does PP primarily serve ? Senator’s daughters? I think not.
It is also wrong to think of PP as primarily a provider of abortions. Their focus is much broader than that; it includes important educational programs intended to reduce teen pregnancy which is a major social problem in NY-23.
Yes, definitely, PP is a general women’s health provider, counseling on all manner of female issues, and screenings for breast and ovarian cancer, STDs and one more almost never mentioned – infertility.
They also provide a number of men’s health services, including cancer screenings, UTI & STD screenings and treatment, vasectomies, other reproductive and sexual health services including, yes, infertility screenings and referrals. I think their abortion services are about 3% of what they do.