Women’s Equality Day

Today is Women's Equality Day. As we celebrate the accomplishments of women throughout history and the strides we've taken towards gender equality, it's important to take stock of the threats to equality that we're facing today.

And the biggest threat of them all is this administration.

Even before taking office in January, President Trump and Vice President Vance have had a long and well-documented history of statements about women that would feel more at home in the 13th Century rather than the 21st, and actions towards women which would make anyone's skin crawl.

The bottom line is, these two have absolutely no respect for women in their personal lives, and that has translated into policy over the last 6 months. Here are just a few of the ways they've used our government to make women's lives worse:

• Rescinded a decades-old executive order which protected Federal workers from discrimination on the basis of sex, race, and religion
• Blocked funding for programs which work to end gender-based violence, support women in the trades, and research women's health
• Suspended funding for various Title X programs which provide access to contraception, STI testing, and cancer screenings to approximately 834, 000 people
• Instructed the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC) to not investigate complaints filed concerning gender identity
• Pardoned 23 anti-abortion activists convicted of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, a federal law that prohibits threats of force, obstruction, and property damage at reproductive health care facilities, including abortion clinics, and ordered the DOJ to stop enforcing this law.
• Rescinded protections for servicemembers and their families who need to travel to receive reproductive health care not covered by military insurance, including abortion and in vitro fertilization.

Imperfect as America is, we have a proud tradition of striving towards equality for all people. This administration seems hell-bent on undoing any and all progress we've made towards that goal.

Today, I encourage you to join me in renewing our dedication to equality for all genders, sexes, races, and religions. We've got a lot of work to do, but I believe in our ability to rise to the occasion.

Yours in the fight,

Jim McGovern