Whoever said that the War on Women was a "liberal rallying cry" should check out a national poll conducted in early October that tells a very different story. The poll results, which are also embedded in the Modern War on Women infographic, show that these issues are a concern for a broad range of voters, including Independent women, black men and Hispanic women.
According to the poll responses, these groups agree that a group of lawmakers in Washington have been working to curb women's rights to contraception, abortion and equal pay for equal work. The results underscore voters' anxiety about Washington's legislative hostility toward women, at a level of intensity unseen in 40 years since Roe v. Wade passed.
The poll of 1000 likely voters asked respondents if they agree or disagree with the following statement:
Lawmakers in Washington have been engaging in a War on Women, by taking away women's rights to contraception, denying equal pay for equal work, and curbing a woman's right to choose.
Among the results:
- 54 percent of Independent women voters polled agree that there is a War on Women.
Katherine Spillar, the Executive Vice President of the Feminist Majority Foundation, said,
The war on women being waged by lawmakers in Congress and state capitols across the country is not only an attack on women and girls in the U.S., but its reach circles the globe. Dangerous restrictions on abortion access and cuts in family planning budgets here at home turn deadly when translated into U.S. policies globally in the form of draconian cuts and restrictions on international family planning programs. The result: every 90 seconds of every day a woman or girl dies from complications of pregnancy or childbirth and unsafe abortions. Almost all of these deaths are preventable. The death toll mounts while mostly male politicians debate their next battle in the war on women.
And according to Emily's List, the House of Representatives spent at least 52 days this past session discussing laws that threatened to take away women's rights, such as the Personhood Amendment, which would define a fertilized human egg as a legal person, criminalize abortion with no exceptions, and would ban common forms of birth control, stem cell research, and in-vitro fertilization.
In addition to the poll data, the infographic briefly takes you through recent history, exploring laws that have been introduced, and passed. Some of the legislation explored by the infographic has benefited women, while others like the Violence Against Women Act, which would provide tough provisions to hold offenders accountable, and provide programs for survivors has not been re-authorized. And other legislation like the Paycheck Fairness Act has not been passed.
Just days before the election, many voters are expressing their concerns over the attacks on women's basic rights. Will enough people use their civic duty to stand up for women's rights and elect leaders on Tuesday who will stand up with them? #HopeSo
*Note this poll was commissioned by my firm Rad Campaign and conducted by Lincoln Park Strategies. The infographic was designed by Rad Campaign.