Women. We find new solutions to old problems. We care about children, education, health, fair pay and jobs with living wages; we care about Indiana’s future.
We are 51 percent of the population. When we vote, families and communities win. When we’re concerned, we go to work, and we change the world.
Today, on Women’s Equality Day, when we celebrate women’s right to vote, we’re concerned about the future of our state. The statistics on women, children, families and our state’s economy don’t look good. Consider this:
A recent Prudential Financial study showed that the majority of American women are now the breadwinners in their households. Yet in Indiana we still make only 74 cents compared to every dollar made by our white male counterparts. If we happen to be African American, that’s only 62 cents, and, if we are Hispanic, 54 cents.
According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, one in five Hoosier children lives in poverty, and, in 2010 nearly half a million free and reduced school lunches were served in Indiana. We know that children who struggle with hunger are less prepared to enter school, and children who don’t perform well in school are more likely to drop out. Teens who do not graduate from high school are three times more likely than college graduates to be unemployed and — even more sobering — teens who don’t complete high school are eight times more likely than high school graduates to end up in jail or prison. Completing fewer than 12 years of education is a strong predictor of repeated unplanned pregnancies, perpetuating the cycle of poverty.
Hoosier teenage girls have a birth rate significantly higher than the national average. For every 1,000 young women aged 15-19, there are approximately 44 births. We know that teen mothers are less likely to complete high school. Teen mothers are also at a greater risk of dependence on federal aid: approximately one quarter of teen mothers go on welfare within three years of the child’s birth. We know that daughters of teen mothers are 22 percent more likely to become teen mothers themselves and that sons of teen mothers are 13 percent more likely to be incarcerated.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, Indiana ranks 49th in the United States in terms of access to family planning services. We know that every $1 spent on family planning saves taxpayers $4 associated with the costs of unintended pregnancy that end up being paid for with public dollars.
Wage discrimination, policies and practices that discriminate and lack of access to comprehensive sex education and contraceptives not only make Indiana less welcoming, they also contribute to the growing problem of poverty in our state.
We’ve heard that this fall’s elections are about jobs and the economy. On this day when we commemorate women’s right to vote, we remind our candidates for public office that “women’s issues” are not separate from jobs and the economy – they are the foundation for creating a strong, well-prepared workforce and the key to a thriving economy. We want to elect leaders who will support what we know works:
n Jobs that provide Hoosier families with living wages.
n Equal pay practices for women and men who perform the same jobs.
n Access to comprehensive sex education so our young people know how to protect themselves against disease and unplanned pregnancies.
n Access to family planning services, including contraception, so that families have the tools to determine for themselves how best to grow and succeed.
This fall, we women must make our voices heard. We must examine our candidates’ positions and their records. And we must vote for the ones who will stand with us to make Indiana a place where every individual has the opportunity to grow and prosper.
— American Association of University Women
State President Sharon Langlotz
— Central Indiana Jobs with Justice
Community Organizer Amy Shackelford
— Indiana Federation of Business and
Professional Women State President Theresa Adams
— Indiana Federation of Democratic Women
State-Wide Coordinator Trish Whitcomb-Sipes
— Indiana Religious Coalition in Support of
Reproductive Justice Co-Presidents
Sue Ellen Braunlin, M.D., and Carolyn Meagher
— National Council of Jewish Women
State Public Affairs Chair Robyn Pauker-Honig
— National Organization for Women
State President Robin Olds
— Planned Parenthood of Indiana
President & CEO Betty Cockrum
Flashpoint
FLASHPOINT: This election, women must make their voices heard
- Flashpoint
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FLASHPOINT: A legislative session of missed opportunities
Given the nature of politicians, grand claims of accomplishments and overblown rhetoric about “historic” efforts are to be expected at the close of any legislative session.
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FLASHPOINT: Again in 2013 General Assembly, middle class generally ignored
Last year, the people of Indiana entrusted the Republican Party with some of their most precious possessions.
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FLASHPOINT: Indiana lawmakers reinforced school safety mechanisms
Nothing is more important to me than the safety of my children. Every parent has felt that instant, apprehensive rush when their child plays too close to the street or falls down while playing soccer and it is our responsibility as parents to implement every safety mechanism we can muster to protect our kids.
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FLASHPOINT: Lessons from the legacy media — get it right, first
Enough mistakes and maybe we’ll learn: When in doubt, leave it out.
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FLASHPOINT: Hoosiers got steady hand in recent session
As the General Assembly began its work last November, as Speaker of the House, I pledged a renewed spirit of bipartisanship with legislators working together to solve our state’s most pressing challenges. As this year’s legislative session concludes, representatives from throughout the state — Republican and Democrat — have joined together to address those issues at the forefront of Hoosier minds: maintaining our state’s fiscal integrity, spurring job creation and expanding education opportunities for every Hoosier family.
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FLASHPOINT: Time has arrived for overhaul of TV news
Former FCC Chairman Alfred Sikes gave an address in 1992 in which he claimed television news was too superficial and too focused on visuals.
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FLASHPOINT: Fiscal cliff, Obamacare have already raised taxes enough
Our history is rich with stories of people who have immigrated to the United States for a chance at the American Dream. The American Dream, in its truest form, is the opportunity to achieve success by working hard and playing by the rules; to make it on your own and to say, “I earned this.”
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FLASHPOINT: Expanding Medicaid coverage makes sense for Indiana
Since last summer’s U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on the Affordable Care Act effectively gave states the option to expand Medicaid, policymakers across the country have debated if and how to extend health programs to millions of uninsured Americans.
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FLASHPOINT: Improve public education, stop experimenting with it
In January, the four of us who serve as the Democrats on the House Education Committee outlined our hopes for the 2013 session of the Indiana General Assembly, particularly in joining with Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz to offer common sense solutions to improve the quality of education for our children. With the halfway point of this session past us, we remain optimistic that positive steps can be taken … but that optimism is tempered by the reality that education policies are being directed by a legislative majority that has a radically different agenda.
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Healthcare law anniversary no reason for celebration
March 23 marked three years since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law, yet this is not an anniversary that deserves celebration.
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FLASHPOINT: Defending state’s authority is attorney general’s obligation
The law of the land recognizes the authority of states to license marriage.
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FLASHPOINT: Stability key for state’s future
Hoosiers have the unique luxury of being the fiscal envy of the nation due to the sound fiscal policies of the last eight years.
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FLASHPOINT: House budget offers Medicaid solution for Indiana
This week, my U.S. House Budget Committee colleagues and I introduced a federal budget resolution for fiscal year 2014. Our budget is a responsible plan that stops spending money and balances in 10 years — largely through making key reforms to drivers of our debt like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
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FLASHPOINT: Problem gambling in Indiana: A new understanding of community concern
The week of March 3 was designated as National Problem Gambling Awareness Week.
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FLASHPOINT: Eastern time in Indiana defies common sense
Nobody complains more than Hoosiers about changing their clocks. And there’s a valid reason — daylight-savings time in Indiana’s Eastern Time Zone is painful.
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Praying for civil resolution to debate over gun control
Guns are lively ammunition for passionate debate these days.
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FLASHPOINT: It’s not too late to expand health services
This week, state leaders euthanized the biggest, boldest Hoosier jobs proposal of the 2013 session of the Indiana General Assembly.
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FLASHPOINT: You can’t go back again — and that’s OK
Our progressive colleagues have been telling us for years that the 1950s were a horrid time.
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FLASHPOINT: The fierce urgency of now — nation needs to protect youth
The alcohol-fueled alleged serial rape of a 16-year-old Ohio girl by two of her similarly impaired classmates — not to mention the drunken videotaped commentary of others — points yet again to the imperative that adult America renews its commitment to address as a true national community those issues that most threaten the health, safety and forward development of youth.
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FLASHPOINT: A pastor speaks out against Sullivan’s ‘traditional prom’
I am a pastor in Sullivan, Ind., and I am outraged.
Recently, two young students applied to walk the Grand March together in the school prom in Sullivan. -
FLASHPOINT: 0wning firearms is a First Amendment exercise, too
Following the hysteria generated by gun prohibitionists in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy, a nationwide rush on gun stores began as citizens bought semiautomatic modern sporting rifles, handguns and ammunition, in effect “making a political statement” about proposals to ban such firearms.
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FLASHPOINT: Maintaining the priority
Recently a newspaper article has been written about a change in the by-laws of the Indiana High School Athletic Association which speaks directly to attempted undue influence exerted upon students below the level of grade nine and their parents.
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FLASHPOINT: The fairness of marriage
What is the current Indiana law concerning marriage? Our state defines marriage in a singular way — between a man and a woman.
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FLASHPOINT: We ask state legislators to abide by their oath of office
All of us relish giving unsolicited advice to our elected representatives.
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FLASHPOINT: Mentoring is having major impact on public education
While managing local utility services, Mike Martin found a new way to energize his community, and students are starting to benefit.
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FLASHPOINT: Common Core standards should be common sense
Years ago, when state officials and education experts came together to create new model standards for schools, they probably never expected it to be controversial.
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FLASHPOINT: Milestone year for Rose-Hulman
The Rose-Hulman campus traditionally quiets down this time of year, yet for me I sense a renewed energy from the phenomenal year just closing.
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FLASHPOINT: ISU’s reasoning flawed in flight school planning
ISU and the taxpayers of Indiana and Vigo County are being led down a path of deception once again.
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FLASHPOINT: Incessant attacks on Christianity by the ACLU
It is obviously apparent that the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is continuing its onslaught against religious freedom in the United States.
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FLASHPOINT: Americans deserve more value for their tax dollars
While traveling the 8th District and listening to fellow Hoosiers during my first term in Congress, I have reached the conclusion that many constituents do not believe they are getting value for the tax dollars that come out of their paychecks and are sent to Washington, D.C.
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FLASHPOINT: A legislative session of missed opportunities
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