AfroCentric_News Features - The Candidates, Barack Obama & John McCain

John McCain vs. Barack Obama

Records on Reproductive Rights and Other Issues Women Care About

Barack Obama:

• Received a 100% pro-choice vote rating from Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America

• Obama received a 100% rating from the Illinois Planned Parenthood Council as a state senator for all years where ratings were available and was endorsed by the council in his 2002 race for U.S. Senate.

• Obama was the only presidential candidate who rose in support of Illinois Planned Parenthood when their new Aurora clinic faced a threatened shut-down last year.

• Obama was the ONLY U.S. Senator who helped raise funds in 2006 to successfully repeal a South Dakota law that banned abortions.

• In 2005 Obama voted to repeal the Mexico Policy, which bars U.S. air to international family planning organizations that provide or promote abortion.

• As an Illinois state senator, Obama supported a successful law to require insurance plans to cover FDA-approved contraceptives in Illinois.

• Obama co-sponsored legislation with Sen. Claire McCaskill to make birth control affordable for low-income women and students after Federal changes to regulations caused birth control costs to skyrocket.

• Obama voted against allowing anti-abortion activists to escape court-ordered fines or judgments by filing for bankruptcy protection.

• Obama twice voted against making it a crime to take a minor across state lines for an abortion.

• As an Illinois state Senator, Obama worked closely with the Illinois Pro-choice community - led by Planned Parenthood - to employ a "present vote" strategy to successfully defeat a series of anti-choice legislation proposed by republicans.

• Obama sponsored a bill to provide information about emergency contraception to sexual assault victims.

• Obama Passed the Prevention First Act. Obama co-sponsored the Prevention First Act which increases funding to family planning programs.

• Obama has said that protecting and safeguarding Roe v. Wade will be a priority in his administration.

John McCain:

• McCain has received a 0% pro-choice rating from Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America

• Since 1983, in votes in the House and the Senate (where he has served since 1987), McCain has cast 130 votes on abortion and other reproductive-rights issues. 125 of those votes were anti-choice.

• McCain co-sponsored and voted for the Federal Abortion Ban.

• He voted to uphold the Global Gag Rule. The Global and Gag Rule is a policy that bans aid to global and if they use their own funds to provide legal abortion services or even adopt a pro-choice position. He has also voted for a similar a ban on grants for domestic health centers that offer abortion or take a pro-choice position.

• McCain has consistently voted against legislation requiring insurance companies to cover birth control.

• He voted against legislation that established criminal and civil penalties for those who use threats and violence to keep women from gaining access to reproductive health clinics.

• McCain voted to shut down the Title X family-planning program. This program provides millions of women with health care services ranging from birth control to cancer screenings.

• McCain has consistently voted against expanding access to programs that reduce pregnancy and the need for abortion and in favor of abstinence-only programs.

• Voted to impose a Federal Parental Consent Law on teens seeking birth control.

• McCain has pledged to fill Supreme Court vacancies with justices who will overturn Roe. V. Wade. McCain voted for four anti-choice nominees for the Supreme Court including Roberts and Alito.

• Voted against reauthorizing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program for five years. McCain voted against reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance Program for five years. His health care plan provdes $2 billion in tax cuts to health insurance

• When Congress was considering the Family and Medical Leave Act in 1993, McCain voted to suspend it.