This election, Gov. Scott Walker has spent millions of dollars trying to convince young women to vote for him. He’s released ads trying to disguise his record and stance on issues like birth control access and equal pay. Only one candidate for governor — Mary Burke — is committed to restoring and protecting women’s rights, and a fancy ad campaign can’t disguise that fact.
Burke believes that women deserve reproductive freedom. She will defend birth control access for all Wisconsin women. In stark contrast stands the Walker administration, which defunded Planned Parenthood resulting in the closure of five small-town Wisconsin health clinics — none of which provided abortions. That means hundreds of women no longer have access to affordable birth control, mammograms and sexual health screenings.
Furthermore, Walker’s stance on abortion is extreme. In 2010, Scott Walker was endorsed by Pro-Life Wisconsin and continues to highlight the endorsement on his campaign website. He’s openly admitted to opposing abortion even in cases of rape and incest, but to win an endorsement from this particular PAC, one must also oppose abortion even when the pregnancy is life-threatening. His campaign has been skewing this extreme stance by saying his anti-choice policies are meant to “make abortion safer,” but they would close at least one of Wisconsin’s four abortion clinics, and abortion is already very safe.
Walker’s administration further harms women by forcing them to endure transvaginal ultrasounds before obtaining an abortion, which are both medically unnecessary and potentially traumatizing for victims of sexual assault.
However, a new ad by College Republicans dismisses the idea that women have the right to be riled up about attacks on reproductive rights by claiming that “all issues … are women’s issues.” The idea that all issues are women’s issues is hardly a novel one — Democrats have not only known this for many years, they’ve been practicing it. The ad brings up other issues women are concerned about: jobs and the economy.
I agree; I’m very concerned, since under Walker, our economy’s crawling. We lag behind most of the country in terms of job growth. Walker’s promise to create 250,000 jobs by the end of his first term is officially broken; Wisconsin has gained less than half that number. Our minimum wage is $7.25/hour — hardly a living wage — but Walker opposes raising it. Many Wisconsinites are living below the poverty line, despite working multiple jobs. This is harder on Wisconsin’s women than men; according to the Economic Policy Institute, seven in 10 people in poverty are women. It doesn’t help that Walker repealed equal pay protections in Wisconsin, making it harder for women to challenge wage discrimination.
Walker’s trying to trick you into thinking he’s innovative and hip, but his policies and stances on women are stuck somewhere between the 1800s and the 1950s. This election, show Walker he can’t steal your rights or your vote. Instead, vote for Burke, the candidate who truly stands with Wisconsin women.
Anna Schwanebeck ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in political science at the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire and is the College Democrats of Wisconsin Women’s Caucus Director.
