Gov. Scott Walker and the Wisconsin GOP say they stand with women, but the truth is they stand in the way. Walker’s policies have rolled progress for women back decades, and have time and again shown that he does not believe in the equality of the sexes in the workplace, the doctor’s office or anywhere else. Courtney Mullen of the College Republicans said Thursday that she doesn’t want to be pandered to, and prefers to vote on the issues as they affect society as a whole. However, I am of the opinion that when women are negatively affected, the rest of society is too. We cannot have a functioning economy and society when one gender finds itself consistently being the target of regressive and backwards policies.
College Republicans: Women should support Walker in upcoming election
When it comes to equal pay the mainstream media isn’t Walker’s problem, it’s his record. Early in his term, Walker repealed Wisconsin’s Pay Equity Enforcement Act. This legislation allowed women to sue their employers when wage discrimination occurred. While gender discrimination remains illegal, without the backing of the Pay Equity Enforcement Act, a woman cannot take action against her employer. Walker’s decision equally harms men and women, as wage discrimination is a serious burden to many families. It is outrageous that a serious gubernatorial candidate does not support equal pay enforcement. Walker’s version of “financial independence” does not include even the most basic rights in the workplace.
Another area where Walker is diametrically opposed to women’s rights and freedoms is reproductive choice. To say that Walker has not limited access to abortion is so incorrect that it borders on a blatant attempt to spread misinformation. The law that forces doctors to have admitting privileges is unique to abortion care and therefore solely political. This legislation makes doctors choose between providing safe and medically appropriate care or breaking the law. Many hospitals in Wisconsin have religious affiliations, and, as such, do not offer admitting privileges to doctors who perform abortion care. This restriction, combined with the 24-hour waiting period, drastically reduces women’s access to abortion care.
Under these laws, a woman who is from a more rural area of the state must now travel significantly farther, and wait a full day to access a procedure that should be guaranteed to her by law. Walker also enacted mandatory pre-abortion counseling that treats women as if they are incapable of making their own health care decisions. Perhaps the most offensive act of them all, the forced transvaginal ultrasound, requires an unnecessary, physically invasive and traumatic medical procedure before an abortion can legally occur. These measures comprise a calculated attack on women’s access to abortion.
However, this is not the only area where Walker has attacked women’s health. Walker cut funding for Planned Parenthood Clinics, which provided basic health care to low-income women, including cancer screenings and other important health care procedures. None of these clinics provided abortion services, yet Walker’s budget cuts forced five health centers around the state to close.
In addition to funding cuts to these clinics, Walker refused federal Medicaid funding and removed thousands of families from BadgerCare. Walker’s legislative profile from Planned Parenthood Action Wisconsin shows 13 pieces of legislation that target women, children and other at risk populations. These policies are an overall attack on the health care provided for all low-income Wisconsinites. These policies demonstrate Walker’s disregard for the health and well-being of low-income families in which women and children are disproportionately represented.
Unfortunately, this only begins to scratch the surface of why Walker does not stand with women. Wisconsinites that support gender equality have a decision to make when it comes to women’s opportunity to work for equal compensation and access health care with dignity and autonomy. Men and women alike should not support policies that create institutional inequality. Suggesting that Democrats pander to women when addressing these issues suggests that Republicans don’t believe gender equality should be a priority. The choice between Mary Burke and Walker could not be any clearer. Walker never has, and never will, stand with women, so this Nov. 4 I will be standing with Burke.
Hayley Young ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in political science and international studies with a certificate in gender and women’s studies and is chair of the UW College Democrats.
