Fixing the Nation's Health Care System:
More than 19 million women are uninsured in this country, and women are more likely than
men to delay or not get medical care because of high costs. Barack Obama and Joe Biden
are committed to ensuring that all Americans have health care coverage by the end of his
first term in office. The Obama-Biden plan will encourage insurers and providers to adopt
electronic claims systems, electronic medical records, and patient safety reporting
systems. These improvements will reduce administrative costs and health care
inefficiencies such as duplicative testing and medical errors, which in turn will reduce
costly medical malpractice lawsuits. These common sense steps will cut overall
health-care costs by up to 10 percent or more. 


Empowering Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS:
In the United States, the percentage of women diagnosed with AIDS has quadrupled over the
last twenty years. Today, women account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS
diagnoses. Women of color are especially hard hit: In 2004, HIV infection was the leading
cause of death for African-American women between the ages of 25 and 34. Around the world,
7,000 women are infected with HIV every day. Barack Obama has been a leader in the global
fight against AIDS. He introduced the Microbicide Development Act, which will accelerate
the development of products that empower women in the battle against AIDS. Microbicides
are a class of products currently under development that women apply topically to prevent
transmission of HIV and other infections.


Supporting Research into Women's Health:
Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, accounting for nearly 39 percent
of all female deaths. Studies show that after a first heart attack, women are less likely
than men to receive diagnostic, therapeutic, and cardiac rehabilitation procedures, and
are more likely to die or have a second heart attack Women are also more likely than men
to report having arthritis, asthma, autoimmune diseases, and depression. Health care
disparities among minority and poor women are especially pervasive. Barack Obama has
fought to maintain funding for the Centers of Excellence in Women's Health at the
Department of Health and Human Services. He also supports legislation to encourage
research that will examine gender and health disparities. The same legislation would
establish community outreach programs in underserved areas to help women access health
care and maintain healthy lifestyles. 


Fighting Cancer:
Ovarian cancer is the fourth-leading cause of cancer-related death among women in the
United States. Because of the lack of early symptoms or a proven screening test, ovarian
cancer also has the highest mortality of all cancers of the female reproductive system.
Barack Obama is an original co-sponsor of Johanna's Law. Signed into law in January 2007,
the law will educate women and increase awareness of ovarian cancer. Obama has also
supported efforts to combat breast cancer, another leading cause of death among women. He
helped pass legislation in the Illinois State Senate to expand insurance coverage for
mammograms. 


Reducing Health Risks Due to Mercury Pollution:
More than five million women of childbearing age have high levels of toxic mercury in
their blood and more than 630,000 newborns are born every year at risk. The EPA estimates
that every year, more than one child in six could be at risk for developmental disorders
because of mercury exposure in the mother's womb. Since the primary sources of mercury in
fish are power plant emissions that contaminate our water, regulation of utility emissions
is essential to protecting the health of our children. Barack Obama introduced two pieces
of legislation to significantly reduce the amount of mercury that is deposited in oceans,
lakes, and rivers, which in turn would reduce the amount of mercury in fish. 


Supporting Stem Cell Research:
Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe that we owe it to the American public to explore the
potential of stem cells to treat the millions of people suffering from debilitating and
life-threatening diseases. Obama is a co-sponsor of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement
Act of 2007, which would allow research of human embryonic stem cells derived from
embryos donated (with consent) from in vitro fertilization clinics. These embryos must be
deemed in excess and created based solely for the purpose of fertility treatment.


REPRODUCTIVE CHOICE
Supports a Woman's Right to Choose:
Barack Obama understands that abortion is a divisive issue, and respects those who
disagree with him. However, he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and
will make preserving women's rights under Roe v. Wade a priority as President. He opposes
any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in that case. 


Preventing Unintended Pregnancy:
Barack Obama is an original co-sponsor of legislation to expand access to contraception,
health information and preventive services to help reduce unintended pregnancies.
Introduced in January 2007, the Prevention First Act will increase funding for family
planning and comprehensive sex education that teaches both abstinence and safe sex
methods. The Act will also end insurance discrimination against contraception, improve
awareness about emergency contraception, and provide compassionate assistance to rape
victims.


PREVENTING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Reducing Domestic Violence:
One in four women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. Family violence
accounted for 11 percent of all violence between 1998 and 2002. Barack Obama introduced
legislation to combat domestic violence by providing $25 million a year for partnerships
between domestic violence prevention organizations and Fatherhood or Marriage programs to
train staff in domestic violence services, provide services to families affected by
domestic violence, and to develop best practices in domestic violence prevention. 


Strengthening Domestic Violence Laws:
Approximately 1,400 women a year – four every day – die in the United States as a result
of domestic violence. And 132,000 women report that they have been victims of a rape or
attempted rape, and it is estimated that an even greater number have been raped, but do
not report it. Senator Obama co-sponsored and helped reauthorize the Violence Against
Women Act. Signed into law in January 2006, the bill funds and helps communities,
nonprofit organizations, and police combat domestic violence, sexual assault, and
stalking. The legislation establishes a sexual assault services program and provides
education grants to prevent domestic violence.


Fighting Gender Violence Abroad:
The genocide in Darfur has had particularly devastating consequences for women. Tens of
thousands of women have been killed, raped, and displaced since the conflict began in
2003. Barack Obama has been a leading voice in Washington urging the end of genocide in
Sudan. He worked with Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) on the Darfur Peace and Accountability
Act, a version of which was signed into law. Obama has traveled to the United Nations to
meet with Sudanese officials and visited refugee camps on the Chad-Sudan border to raise
international awareness of the ongoing humanitarian disaster there. He also worked with
Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) to secure $20 million for the African Union peacekeeping
mission.


ECONOMIC ISSUES

Fighting for Pay Equity:
Despite decades of progress, women still make only 77 cents for every dollar a man makes.
Throughout his career, Barack Obama and Joe Biden have championed the right of women to
receive equal pay for equal work. In the Illinois State Senate, Obama cosponsored and
voted for the Illinois Equal Pay Act, which provided 330,000 more women protection from
pay discrimination. In the U.S. Senate, Obama joined a bipartisan group of Senators to
introduce the Fair Pay Restoration Act, a bill to overturn the Supreme Court's recent 5-4
decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. The bill would restore the clear
intent of Congress that workers must have a reasonable time to file a pay discrimination
claim after they become victims of discriminatory compensation. Obama is also a cosponsor
of Senator Tom Harkin's (D-IA) Fair Pay Act. As president, Obama will continue to promote
paycheck equity and close the wage gap between men and women. 

Expanding Paid Sick Days: Today, three-out-of-four low-wage workers have no paid sick
leave. It is fundamentally unfair that a single mom playing by the rules can get fired or
lose wages because her child gets sick. Barack Obama and Joe Biden support efforts to
guarantee workers seven days of paid sick leave per year, a moderate proposal that should
not impose too onerous a burden on employers. 


Investing in Women-Owned Small Businesses:
Women are majority owners of more than 28 percent of U.S. businesses, but head less than
4 percent of venture-capital-backed firms. Women business owners are more likely than
white male business owners to have their loan applications denied. Barack Obama and Joe
Biden encourage investing in women-owned businesses, providing more support to women
business owners and reducing discrimination in lending. 


Protecting Social Security:
Americans are increasingly at risk of working their entire lives only to face retirement
in poverty. Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe we need to preserve the character of
Social Security by stopping any efforts to privatize social security. They also will work
in a bipartisan way to maintain Social Security's solvency for future generations.


Encouraging Retirement Saving:

Create Automatic Workplace Pensions: The Obama-Biden retirement security plan will
automatically enroll workers in a workplace pension plan. Under this plan, employers who
do not currently offer a retirement plan, will be required to enroll their employees in a
direct-deposit IRA account that is compatible to existing direct-deposit payroll systems.
Employees may opt-out if they choose. Experts estimate that this program will increase
the savings participation rate for low and middle-income workers from its current 15
percent level to around 80 percent. 

Expand Retirement Savings Incentives for Working Families: Obama and Biden will ensure
savings incentives are fair to all workers by creating a generous savings match for low
and middle-income Americans. His plan will match 50 percent of the first $1,000 of
savings for families that earn less than $75,000. The savings match will be automatically
deposited into designated personal accounts. Over 80 percent of these savings incentives
will go to new savers. 

NATIONAL SECURITY

Ending the War in Iraq:
Obama and Biden will change our mission in Iraq and responsibly redeploy our combat
brigades in consultation with our commanders and the Iraqi government. We can safely
redeploy at a pace that removes our combat brigades in 16 months, with a residual force
to target remnants of al Qaeda, to protect our service members and diplomats, and to
train Iraq's Security Forces if the Iraqis make political progress. This change in
mission will ease the burden on our troops and their families while increasing our
flexibility to address more pressing challenges in Afghanistan. The Obama-Biden Plan will
also increase diplomacy in the region and act immediately to address the humanitarian
crisis in Iraq.


Caring for Women Veterans:
There are 1.7 million women veterans today, a number that is increasing every day. The
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that was built to care for World War II veterans is
not ready to handle the influx of women veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. As a member
of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Barack Obama has introduced legislation to
force the Pentagon and VA to better track the newest generation of veterans – including
the number of women veterans – so that the VA can better plan their care. Obama also
introduced legislation to fight homelessness among veterans, with a special focus on
treating women who may have been victims of sexual trauma. Along with Senator Claire
McCaskill, Obama has also co-sponsored legislation to provide funding for additional
caseworkers and mental health counselors, a women's mental health treatment program, and
a comprehensive mental health study of returning soldiers. As president, Barack Obama
will fight to ensure that women can get the care they deserve at the VA.


POVERTY
Fighting Poverty:
Of the 37 million Americans living below the poverty line, approximately 14.6 million are
women — a staggering number equal to the combined populations of Iowa, Indiana, and
Wisconsin. And nearly 13 million children are living in poverty, a rise of 1.3 million
since 2000. Barack Obama and Joe Biden are committed to a renewed effort to tackle the
underlying problems that cause poverty.


Raising the Minimum Wage:
Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe that people who work full time should not live in
poverty. The minimum wage hasn't been changed in nine years and has less purchasing power
in real dollars than it did in 1955. Women are the largest group of beneficiaries from a
minimum wage increase: 60 percent of the workers who would benefit from an increase to
$7.25 are women. As President, Barack Obama would raise the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour
by 2011, index it to inflation, and increase the Earned Income Tax Credit to make sure
that full-time workers have a living wage. 


Helping Low-Income Workers:
Obama and Joe Biden will invest $1 billion over five years in transitional jobs and
career pathway programs that implement proven methods of helping low-income Americans
succeed in the workforce. Obama and Biden will also create a program to directly engage
disadvantaged youth in energy efficiency opportunities to strengthen their communities,
while also providing them with practical skills in this important high-growth career
field.


EDUCATION
Protecting Title IX:
Barack Obama and Joe Biden supports eliminating gender discrimination in American
schools. For 35 years, Title IX has been a bulwark against sex discrimination against
students and employees at all levels of education. Obama and Biden will fight to make
sure women have equal opportunities and access from pre-kindergarten through graduate
school.


Expanding Early Childhood Education:
Obama has been a champion of early childhood education since his years in the Illinois
legislature, where he led the effort to create the Illinois Early Learning Council. Obama
has introduced a comprehensive "Zero to Five" plan to provide critical supports to young
children and their parents by investing $10 billion per year to create: Early Learning
Challenge Grants to stimulate and help fund state "zero to five" efforts; quadruple the
number of eligible children for Early Head Start and increase Head Start funding and
improve quality for both; work to ensure all children have access to pre-school; provide
affordable and high-quality child care that will promote child development and ease the
burden on working families; and create a Presidential Early Learning Council to increase
collaboration and program coordination across federal, state, and local levels. 


Promoting Women in Math and Science:
Women constitute 45 percent of the workforce in the U.S., but hold just 12 percent of
science and engineering jobs in business and industry. Women also make up just 9 percent
of the recipients of engineering-related bachelor's degrees. Barack Obama and Joe Biden
believe that every student should have equal access to education in math, science, and
technology in order to compete on a global scale. 


Improving Our Schools:
From the moment our children step into a classroom, the single most important factor in
determining their achievement is their teacher. Barack Obama and Joe Biden value teachers
and the central role that they play in education. They will work to ensure competent,
effective teachers in schools that are organized for success. The Obama-Biden K-12 plan
will expand service scholarships to recruit and prepare teachers who commit to working in
underserved districts. To support teachers, Obama and Biden will foster ongoing
improvements in teacher education, provide mentoring for beginning teachers, create
incentives for shared planning and learning time for teachers. To retain teachers, Obama
and Biden will support career pathways that provide ongoing professional development and
reward accomplished teachers for their expertise. This Career Ladder initiative will help
eliminate teacher shortages in hard-to-staff areas and subjects, improve teacher retention
rates, strengthen teacher preparation programs, improve professional development, and
better utilize and reward accomplished teachers.


Making College More Affordable:
Barack Obama and Joe Biden will make college affordable for all Americans by creating a
new American Opportunity Tax Credit. This fully refundable credit will ensure that the
first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for most Americans, and will cover
two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university. Recipients of
this credit will be required to conduct 100 hours of public service a year, either during
the school year or over the summer months.