The Feminist Vote
The election is only a couple of weeks away and a key part of democracy is education.
In this article, I will be going through the prominent topics on the feminist agenda and discuss the viewpoints from each topic so you can go out and vote by November 3rd.
“The choice is clear, read the facts and speak for yourself”- Planned Parenthood
Abortion
Trump: Trump has been active in saying they are working to make it harder to get an abortion and would support a full abortion ban. Mike Pence, Trump’s Vice President, has been very open about his pro-life viewpoints.
In 2016, Trump said that he would appoint someone to the Supreme Court who supported overturning Roe V Wade and he has done that by nominating Amy Cohn Barret.
Additionally, Trump put a gag order on Title X, which banned health care providers from discussing safe methods of abortion with their patients. Click here to learn more about Title X.
Trump has, however, not come out against abortion in cases of sexual assault or potential harm to the mother.
Biden: Biden has said that he believes in a woman’s right to chose and would like to make the right to abortion a federal law.
Planned Parenthood
Trump: Trump ran on a campaign of promising to defund Planned Parenthood in the 2016 election and he has done just that. One of the ways that his administration has succeeded to do this is by approving a Texas Medicaid program denies women the right to get preventative care at Planned Parenthood.
Another incidence of this being done is again through the Title X gag order which forced many Planned Parenthood centers out of Title X This took away access to traditional Planned Parent services such as STI screenings and birth control.
Biden: Biden has been an open supporter of Planned Parenthood and has vowed to repeal the Title X gag order.
Planned Parenthood has been very outspoken supporting Biden's campaign as seen in the ad they created below.
Access to birth control
Trump: Trump’s administration has been open about wanting to allow employees as well as universities to not have to cover birth control.
Biden: While working as Vice President to President Barack Obama, the administration passed the affordable care act which required employers to cover birth control for women- and he says that if he is elected president he will continue to defend that.
Sexual Assault
Unfortionaly, we live in a country where both candidates have sexual misconduct allegations to their name and run for president.
Trump: Trump has had 26 women accuse him of sexual misconduct according to the Business Insider and has been caught on tape saying “grab um by the pussy”, he has also been linked to Jeffery Epstein on numerous occasions.
Trump’s Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, recently made reporting a sexual assault through Title IX much more difficult for survivors.
Biden: According to the Business Insider, there have been 10 sexual misconduct allegations by Biden. With that being said, he does have a clear plan to create legislation fighting sexual assault on his website- starting with rolling back the regulations that Devos put in place on Title IX.
LGBTQ+ Rights
Trump: In his time in office, Trump has made it clear that he is anti-LGBTQ+ through his actions, although he says he is not. Mike Pence has also been openly homophobic and pro conversion camp. Additionally, Trump’s Supreme Court nominee has also openly spoken out against the legalization of gay marriage.
The administration has taken away many protections to trans people such right to equal housing and health care, as well as but not limited to, the Trans military ban which prevented transgender men and women from enlisting in the military.
Biden: Biden is pro-LGBTQ+ and has a comprehensive plan to help the community on his campaign site.
He has made the promise to ensure that LGBTQ+ individuals protected through the Equality Act within his first 100 days in office. Click here to view Biden’s full pro-LGBTQ+ platform.
With the facts out there, you can make up your mind but I will leave you with this quote.
“Our country is not the only thing to which we owe our allegiance. It is also owed to justice and to humanity. Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong.” – James Bryce
Next week, I will be asking the question myself “am I a bad feminist?”
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