Issue Position: Women's Rights

Issue Position

When it comes to women's equality -- equal rights, equal pay, equal treatment, equally affordable health care -- I do my best to live up to the values my mother taught me. So, in tribute to my mom and, I hope, a legacy to my daughter, Alicia, I will continue to fight for all women until America realizes true equality.

Bob's Focus
Securing economic independence for women
Guaranteeing equal pay for equal work
Supporting working mothers and caregivers
Eliminating threats to reproductive rights
Promoting health insurance that works for women
Preventing violence against women
Bob's Accomplishments
Ensuring equal rights for women
Bob is the lead Senate sponsor of the Equal Rights Amendment, which would make women's equality a fundamental right guaranteed under the Constitution.

Securing equal pay for equal work
Bob was a leading supporter of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, a critical step toward pay equity. The law makes wage discrimination based on gender, race, religion, sexual orientation or disability illegal and strengthens the legal recourse available to those who are subject to such discrimination.

Fighting violence against women around the world
Bob, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced the International Violence Against Women Act (IVAWA), which aims to make reducing violence against women and girls across the globe a top international priority for the United States.

Ensuring health insurance works for women
Bob was a leading voice in the Senate to secure provisions in the Affordable Care Act which ensure insurance companies are no longer able to charge women higher premiums or deny coverage by considering a pregnancy a preexisting condition.

Protecting access to preventive health services
Bob worked to ensure that preventive services, such as an annual well-woman visits and mammograms, are available without any out-of-pocket costs. Additionally, Bob is a strong supporter of the Protect Women's Health from Corporate Interference Act, a bill to fully restore the contraceptive coverage requirement in the Affordable Care Act and ensure that a woman and her doctor are able to make health care decisions without the interference of her boss.

Raising postpartum depression awareness
Bob authored the Melanie Blocker Stokes MOTHERS Act, which was included as part of the Affordable Care Act, to educate women about the signs and symptoms of postpartum depression and conduct research to expand our understanding of the causes of, and treatments for, postpartum conditions.

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