Women's Issues

Women’s Rights

As a social worker, the head of Lowell’s first all-female law practice, and a community activist, I have always made the issues that impact women a priority.  Now, as the first female elected to Congress from Massachusetts in more than 25 years and the only female member of the Massachusetts delegation, I have been a strong advocate for federal policies that improve the well-being of women.  I am proud to join the 76 members of the Women’s Caucus in ensuring that our perspective is represented in the legislation Congress considers.

When I meet women interested in political office, I always say, “If we don’t run, we can’t win.” When women serve in elected office, more of the issues that disproportionately affect women, like women's health and equal pay, are addressed.  So, too, are more of the issues that affect families, such as health care and education.  This perspective can also highlight issues around justice and equal rights for all because women have fought for their own equal standing for so long.

Women’s rights have come a long way, but we still have work to do.  In the US, women make only 78 cents for every dollar earned for similar work by their male counterparts, according to the US Census Bureau, and aremore likely to be poor.  Many women in the US lack access to safe and affordable family planning assistance and many are still victims of domestic violence.

Women in the Workplace

I have been proud to co-sponsor the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, legislation that seeks to ensure that women are paid the same amount for doing the same job as their male counterparts.  

The Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act restores a basic protection against pay discrimination by rectifying the Supreme Court decision in the case Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.  The case concerned Lilly Ledbetter, a Goodyear employee with more than 19 years of service to her employer who did not discover until the end of her career that she was paid significantly less than her male counterparts.  Seeking back pay, she sued Goodyear.  In a 5-to-4 decision, the Supreme Court overturned decades of precedent, ruling that Ledbetter should have filed her claim within six months of receiving her first discriminatory paycheck. 

The Ledbetter Fair Pay Act requires employers who practice unequal pay to justify their actions. This bill was signed into law by President Obama on January 29, 2009.

The Paycheck Fairness Actwas passed by the House in 2009, but was not approved in the Senate.   It is a comprehensive measure that builds on the protections in the Equal Pay Act of 1963 to help put an end to the discriminatory practice of paying a woman less than a man for performing the same job.  During this Congress, I am also a cosponsor of this critical pay fairness bill and will continue to work towards its eventual enactment.

Preventing Sexual Assault in the Military

Women now comprise about 15% of the military, and the population of women in uniform continues to grow.  Our women servicemembers put their lives on the line for our nation day after day, and deserve our protection and support.  As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I have made it a priority to ensure that the women who serve in our military are given the opportunity to succeed.

In 2010, there were 3,230 reported sexual assaults in the military, yet the Department of Defense estimates that the number of actual assaults is much higher. Once a report is made, women often experience a lack of support, confidentiality, or access to legal counsel.

Last year, I worked with several of my colleagues on the Armed Services Committee to include language in the Defense Authorization bill which required the Department of Defense to develop a comprehensive plan to address sexual assault prevention and response and submit it to Congress for the first time. 

While our efforts were a good first step, additional steps are needed to ensure that servicemembers have appropriate protections against this crime. That is why I introduced the Defense Sexual Trauma Response, Oversight, and Good Governance Act (the Defense STRONG Act) earlier this year.  This bipartisan legislation, which has also been introduced in the Senate by Senator John Kerry, would provide victims with the right to legal counsel, the right to a base transfer, provides victims the ability to maintain confidentiality when speaking with Victim Advocates, and would mandate greater training for sexual assault prevention and response at every level of the armed services.  The bill’s passage by the House earlier this year marked another significant victory for the effort to provide greater rights and legal protections to victims of sexual assault in the military. 

Another victory was achieved at an Armed Services Committee hearing earlier this year, where I had the opportunity to ask Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to commit to efforts to prevent sexual assault in the military and better protect servicemembers who have been victims of sexual assault despite potential budget cuts for the Pentagon.  Secretary Panetta responded by saying he would “absolutely” commit to doing so.

Women in the Military

I have also introduced the Women’s Excellence of Care and Access Review and Evaluation Act (the WE CARE Act). This legislation directs the Department of Defense to conduct a comprehensive review of the availability, efficacy and accessibility of women-specific health services and treatments for female members of the Armed Forces.  This comprehensive assessment would provide the needed focus to ensure the Military Health System is providing the right care for the right patient at the right time. It seems simple—the DOD should be able to see if it is meeting the healthcare needs of our women in uniform.  But the DOD hasn’t been meeting its obligations to our women.  This legislation was passed by the House earlier this year. 

Women’s Health

Congress passed a historic health care reform bill, which was signed into law by President Obama in March 2010.  This bill holds benefits for everyone, but it has a unique impact on women because of the way women have been persistently discriminated against by insurance companies.  For example:

• Women on average pay higher premiums than men (a practice known as “gender rating”).  A 25-year-old woman can pay up to 84% more than a man, even for a health plan that excludes maternity coverage.  More than 60% of health care plans charge a 40-year-old woman who doesn’t smoke more than a 40-year-old man who does.

• Prior to passage of health reform, it was still legal in many states for insurance companies to deny a woman coverage if she has been the victim of domestic violence. 

• Many women did not have coverage for routine preventative care like mammograms and pap smears.  The final bill guaranteed this covereage.

I was proud to join my fellow women colleagues in raising this issue and others that specifically affect women during the debate over health care reform. 

The Budget Committee, on which I served, was one of the committees responsible for reviewing the bill before it could become law, and during our review, I introduced an amendment to prohibit insurance companies from denying full or partial coverage to women, including maternity coverage, for so-called “pre-existing conditions” such as domestic violence, pregnancy, or a medical history of cesarean sections.  My Republican colleagues joined me in supporting this motion, acknowledging that my amendment was crafted “fairly” and “addresses a significant problem,” and will improve health care for women and families.  The motion passed unanimously.

Reproductive Rights

Each year, half of the more than six million pregnancies in the United States are unintended, and nearly half of those end in abortion.  I know this is an issue that individuals take very seriously and I respect those who may come to a different conclusion than I do.  I believe that women should have the right to make their own health decisions in consultation with their doctors, and I am working hard so that the need for an abortion is rare.

In order to make this possible, young people must have access to the proper sexual education and preventative health services.  To help accomplish this, the federal government funds Title X, the only federal program dedicated to providing women and men with comprehensive family planning and related preventive health services that help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and improve women's health.  To be very clear, Title X does not fund abortion services.

Violence Against Women

During my time in Congress, I have been a strong proponent of measures that prevent and respond to domestic violence and sexual assault and that enable women to empower themselves with the tools to find safety and seek economic mobility.  As I have noted on the House floor, domestic violence not only harms the victim, it has a cumulative effect on communities.  Children who grow up in households where domestic violence occurs are 60-75% more likely to experience child abuse.

These children tend to suffer from a variety of psychological problems during their lifetime.  I have been a strong supporter of full funding for the Violence Against Women Act which helps with legal assistance for victims of domestic violence, strengthens domestic violence shelters, and helps to enforce restraining orders.