News From Terre Haute, Indiana

Letters

Discussion

Welcome to our online comments feature. We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean. We reserve the right to remove comments that are obscene, racist or abusive and statements that are false or unverifiable as well as posts that are attacking other users. Repeat offenders will be blocked. You may flag objectionable comments for review by a moderator.
comments powered by Disqus
September 2, 2012

FLASHPOINT: This election, women must make their voices heard

----

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



 

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Letters
Latest News
Community Calendar
Loading…
Events by eviesays.com
TribStar.com Poll
AP Video
Hoffa Mystery Still Fascinates After 4 Decades Raw: NASCAR Driver Jason Leffler Dies in Wreck Ex-NFL Star Chad Johnson Out of Jail 3 Charged in Ohio With Enslaving Mom, Daughter Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park Tiger on Sergio: 'It's Time to Move On' Raw: 1 Dead in Shooting at Mo. Apartment Complex Unusual Heat Wave Bakes Alaska Raw: Marines Land Osprey on Japanese Ship Failed Cuba-to-Florida Swimmer Won't Try Again Fans Cheer Dramatic Heat Comeback Raw: Volcano Erupts Near Mexico City Obama Welcomes WNBA Champions to White House Pa. Girl Who Took on Donor Rules Gets Lungs Raw: Australian Begins Cuba to Florida Swim Raw: Obama Arrives in Berlin Prosecutors Push for Smartphone "Kill Switch" Raw: Arizona Wildfire Scorches 8 Square Miles Google Launches Internet-beaming Balloons Obama Seeks G-8 Support on Syria
NDN Video
Rihanna Hits Fan With Microphone During UK Concert Obama Renews Call for Nuclear Reductions Miami Heat Wins in Overtime Raw: Arizona Wildfire Scorches 8 Square Miles Fists, chairs fly in restaurant brawl Journalist Michael Hastings Dies in Fiery Hollywood Crash Hairy Leg Stockings Aim to Deflect Male Attention Inside Kim Kardashian's Premature Labor Three Charged for Enslaving Mother and Daughter Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park Spurs' Popovich has no problem with Spurs' intensity RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled Paige Butcher Scorches on Hawaii Beach Video: worst way to load cargo onto a plane Never-before-seen footage of '08 Times Square bomber Obama: NSA Secret Data Gathering 'Transparent' WATCH IT: Lil Wayne tramples American flag Mariah Carey Looks Beautiful in a Tiny Cut-Out Swimsuit Out of Control Boat Throws Passengers Overboard See Lindsay Lohan in Rehab
Parade
Magazine
Click HERE to read all your Parade favorites including Hollywood Wire, Celebrity interviews and photo galleries, Food recipes and cooking tips, Games and lots more.
  • -

     

    March 12, 2010

activity
Real Estate News