Issue Position: Women

Issue Position

As the father of a young daughter, it is incredibly important to me that all women -- both here and around the world -- are provided with equal opportunities and protections. I am committed to expanding the rights of women and girls to ensure they are paid fairly, can make their own family planning choices, and are never discriminated against."

Crowley Supports a Woman's Right to Choose:

* Active member of the Pro-Choice Caucus in the House of Representatives.
* Supporter of striking current law prohibiting women in military facilities overseas from obtaining abortion services with their own funds.

* Authored the Prevention Through Affordable Access Act, which would reinstate a long-standing policy that allows college students and low-income women to access birth control at a reasonable rate.
* Led efforts to increase funding for Title X Family Planning Services, which helps clinics provide high-quality contraceptive services and other preventive health care services to low-income women who would otherwise lack access to health care.
* Recipient of the Voice for Choice Award from Planned Parenthood for his strong support in keeping women healthy.

Crowley Working to Improve the Lives of Women at Home and Abroad:

* Introduced legislation supporting the United Nations Population Fund, which is the world's largest source of population and reproductive health programs.
* Strongly supports overturning the global gag rule, also known as the Mexico City policy, which prevents international organizations working in developing nations from receiving U.S. support if they use their own funds to perform or provide information regarding abortion services.
* Wrote language into the global AIDS law requiring that programs to combat HIV/AIDS include curriculum targeted to men and boys and emphasize gender equality and respect for women and girls.
* Strong supporter of Title IX, which ensures that women have equal opportunities and access to all educational activities, including athletics.
* Voted to strengthen and extend the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and supports fully funding VAWA programs to combat and prevent domestic violence and sexual assault.
* Worked to increase federal investments in studies being conducted at the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Defense on vital women's health issues such as ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and cervical cancer.

Crowley Wants to Ensure Fairness in the Workplace:

* Cosponsor of the Paycheck Fairness Act to ensure women and men are paid equal amounts for equal work, and voted for House passage in July 2008.
* Voted for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which would reverse the Supreme Court's 2007 decision that a victim of pay discrimination only has 180 days from an employer's original pay decision to file a charge, instead ensuring that employees can file a charge whenever they receive a discriminatory paycheck.

* Strong supporter of the Family and Medical Leave Act and expanding paid leave.

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