Washington (CNN) - House Minority Leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi told a summit of female activists she believes Republicans are engaged in a war on women and women's rights.
"There is actually a war on women," the minority leader told several hundred activists attending the Women Money Power Summit sponsored by the Feminist Majority Foundation. "Abortion is one issue but contraception and family planning and birth control are opposed by this crowd too. Understand what is at risk here," Pelosi said, referring to proposals promoted by the new House Republican leadership.
Pelosi's criticism echoes warnings by other progressive activists who argue the new House Republican leadership's budget cuts disproportionally target programs for women's health and low-incomes women's services.
Pelosi identified three bills pending before Congress which she said take aim at women. One, HR-3, would restrict women's access to abortion and eliminate federal funds for abortion in all circumstances. A second, the stop gap spending measure passed Thursday by the House, would eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood, including for health checks for sexually transmitted diseases. And the third, the House Republicans' proposed budget for next year, would completely overhaul Medicare and Medicaid. Pelosi argued that proposal will end Medicare altogether.
"This is not reform. This is the same old ideological turn back the clock for women- end Medicare, end Medicare. Are you ready for that?" Pelosi asked the crowd.
When asked for comment, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee dismissed Pelosi's remarks as obstructionist. "These are more scare tactics and demagoguery from Democrats who are trying to distract from the serious conversation Republicans are having about our unsustainable budget. They weren't willing to have the conversation when they controlled the entire federal government and they are continuing to attempt to obstruct it now," said RNC spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski.
Republicans argue that they are advocating painful cuts now to save programs for the future. When he unveiled his proposed budget earlier this week, Republican Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan said, "We owe it to our country, to our kids to fix this problem."
In an interview with CNN Thursday, Pelosi maintained that women will bear the brunt of Ryan's Medicare fix saying, "Women are predominantly the recipients of Medicare, and they are going to be hurt by this. Medicaid they are going to be hurt by this."
The House Republican budget would convert Medicare from a fee-for-service program into a "premium-support" system for anyone under 55 today. When those individuals become seniors, they would choose from a Medicare-approved list of private insurance plans and the cost of that plan would be partly subsidized by the federal government. The Republican proposal would also gradually raise the age at which an individual is eligible for Medicare from 65 to 67 by the 2030s.
Speaking with CNN, the former speaker insisted the Republican agenda does harm to women saying, "If you are talking about jobs, their pay in the work place, health care, making-no longer is being a woman a pre-existing medical condition. They want to change all of that. So in every aspect – whether it is employment, whether it is education, whether it is health care, whether it is retirement, whether it is collective bargaining which affects women as well women have a lot to lose with the ideological old style agenda of the Republicans."
The women's vote will be key in next year's election, and analysts expect a battle for their allegiance. Since 1984, according to CNN exit polls, women have been a majority of voters in both presidential and congressional mid-term elections. By a 56 to 43 percent margin, the female vote in the 2008 presidential race went to President Barack Obama while in the 2010 midterm elections women voted for Republicans by a 49 to 48 percent margin for the House - helping them to re-gain the majority.
Pelosi urged the assembled activists to get involved ahead of the 2012 elections insisting the stakes are high.
"We have a big fight on our hands, in terms of respect for women, and our, what is right for our country in terms of our family decisions, in terms of Medicaid and Medicare," she said. "We have to create a drumbeat across America."
From CNN Politics
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She's absolutely right. They want to halt the whole government because President Obama won't throw women's rights under the bus for those GOP cavemen.
Restricting women's access to abortion has NOTHING to do with the budget. The GOP is pushing an ideological agenda and using the budget as a lame excuse. There are huge items in the budget that the GOP won't address but instead go after women. It's pathetic.
Planned Parenthood provides birth control to many women. Cutting their funding will result in more unplanned pregnancies and more abortions. The abortions done by Planned Parenthood are privately funded. This is another non-issue drummed up by GOP extremists looking for scapegoats. Mike Pence is a liar.
Republicans have really, really, really disappointed me, the association with the tea-party group (a group that will ensure a democratic win in 2012) was the last straw for me. I thought there was a slight chance of some sucess in 2012, but now...
Sorry, this isn't just a war on women.This is a war on the poor and soon to be poor (middle class). The masters of the Republicans want a two class society, the Princes and the peasants and most of us will be the peasants.
When MY tax dollars are being blocked from funding necessary and needed services, religious zealots like the GOP are trampling on MY rights. Abortion is a needed and necessary service for many women. I support it, and WANT my tax dollars used for this important service. If you are religious and object, that's fine. However, we have Separation of Church and State for this reason. Your religious views impeding the Constitutional RIGHTS of Women, is un-Constitutional.
The GOP will tell women what their rights are!!!
PLEASE POST THE 1-WEEK EXTENSION BILL IN ITS ENTIRETY FOR ALL AMERICANS TO SEE – and determine if the juice will be worth the squeeze since apparantely our elected officials, once again, like Pelosi, are thinking of themselves or their sex, and not concentrating on compromise. Thank you!
Yes, there is a war going on against women – but it's being led by the Democrats, who are trying to tear down every strong Republican woman who dares speak her mind.
Women are only allowed to speak freely, you see, when they spout talking points of the Democratic party.
I wish there were more women like Nancy Pelosi in our leadership.
I am scared of Palin/Bachman/angles trio who are trying to push women's rights movement back to the middle ages. They are murdering Susan Anthony's spirit each time they open their mouth.
Pelosi is absolutely right. There are warring against women and children.The right wing nuts want to do away with all abortions and with no Planned Parenthood, birth control, too. What does this mean? Tens of thousands of unwanted children the right wing nuts will not do anything to help when they cut all those programs for children and the poor. What happens then? More welfare? More unemployment? More sexually transmitted diseases? More women with health issues? More people with no health services? Stop with the social issues and get on with what you promised when you were running, Repuglicans, JOBS JOBS JOBS JOBS GET AWAY FROM YOUR POLITICAL POSTURING AND DO THE PEOPLE'S WORK. WHERE ARE THE JOBS?
...except for Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, nominated Vice Presidential canidate in 2008 Sarah Palin ( who by the way received about 45% of the national vote. ) and so on. Women are an important part of the Republican Party.
But sorry Noncy, women are smarter than what you give them credit for. They pay attention to the issues too.
Republicans don't respect women. They never have. And they never will. Not unless women stop taking this abuse from them.
We pay taxes, we vote, but every once in a while we ought to march, because anyone who thinks their body being debated on capitol hill is a sign of equality is very much mistaken.
The saddest part of this, however, is how few female journalists are focusing on this collective insult to women.
This woman continues her crazy statements, looking for whatever group of people will stand by her. She needs to retire and move in with George Soros. Then both of them can tell each other the lies that they try to convince intelligent people to believe.
Not only attacking Women, but attacking working people, attacking Children, attacking Seniors, attacking our economy, attacking our safety, attacking the poor.................
Many of us noticed that the Republicans ran on the promise of improving the economy and increasing jobs, but quickly turned to abortion restrictions and slashing Planned Parenthood as soon as they got into office.
Nothing new here. The radical Neo-Confederates have been waging Culture Wars against the rights of of Women for decades.
Pelosi is right about the war against women, and it is pepetrated by the GOP/Tea Party. Religious family values wingnuts are trying to impose their ideology and values while taking away women's rights. The Taliban is doing the same thing in Afghanistan.
If the Republicans are so concerned about the deficit, why is none of their proposals call for cuts in defense, or a stop to tax cuts for the top 2% of this Country? I think their agenda is clear from their amendments.
We the People need you now more than ever Nancy. GOD BLESS YOU
Spot on, Nancy! We've been seeing this coming for awhile now and a lot of us are indeed organizing for 2012. Going back to the Dark Ages is not an option. Seems the GOP only cares about fetuses and less about viable human beings. These decisions belong to a woman and her doctor, no one else, and certainly not government! Hey, GOP, thought you were about "small" government?
The Reps. aren't that concerned about the budget as they are defunding Planned Parenthood, EPA, and killing Medicare. These are things that will hurt women. It doesn't take a genius to see this.
Nancy Pelosi hits upon a dirty little secret most people don't realize, and those that do won't bring up – the political divide in America is largely (not completely, but largely) a gender divide. That's what makes politics today so contentious and intractable. They type of government people want to see depends upon what they value; women and men tend to value different things, and tend to distrust one another to some degree, so reaching compromise is extremely difficult. Several studies, including one out of Yale university, have shown that the size of government is related to women getting the right to vote. The social and cultural course of events over the past 50 years has been marked by a shift in women's reliance on men to their reliance on themselves and "Papa State" to take care of them. This trend has been mostly negative for the country and society in general. The main beneficiaries have been women who are irresponsible and selfish, or for some other reason don't want families. As a conservative it pains me to say this, but I partly agree with Pelosi – Republicans ARE engaged in a war on women, but I would complete her sentence by saying, "Republicans are engaged in a war on women who are selfish, irresponsible, short-sighted, and ignorant". Yes, we are definitely in a war against those kinds of women. And with good reason.
Republicans are not at war with women- That is a stereotype. As far as I know, Republicans are for heath care for women- The "exception" is abortion which is used to violently dismember and kill the unborn human baby because he/she is unwanted.
I am a women as well- I value the well being of the mother, AND the baby. I should not be forced to pay taxes to Planned Parenthood which kills defenseless human babies. Respect life.
Pelosi, stop your damn whining. You had a super majority last year, and could have passed the damn budget. Yet you and Reid didn't do it, why not? Let me guess, you were scared of cutting the budget and lowering our deficit...so what did you do? You punted to the 2011. I am disgusted with our current Democratic Leadership. Stop blaming the last Administration, stop blaming Republicans, stop blaming the Tea Party...just do your DAMN jobs or in 2012 we'll replace you.
In every Republican budget, the rich and the corporations keep their tax breaks, while the cuts come at the expense of women, seniors, the poor and the working class. They're an abomination and will be the destruction of this nation if they aren't held in check.
You tell it, Nancy! Tell it like you see it! I'm behind you all of the way!!!!!
why dont this pig go away? But then she is from san francisco...figures.
Yes, the Party of No can't compromise or negotiate, but can wage a war against social issues. Where is one piece of legislation for jobs out of these right wing nuts?
Pelosi is delusional and incompetent. There is a war against women, but it's by the liberals against any woman who doesnt subscribe to the liberal agenda. Pelosi is the problem, not the solution.
I don't understand how any woman can vote Republican. The bills that are working their way through some State legislatures right now to control women's right to choose (FL, IN, WI) are really abominable and single out women purely because of their gender. Rep. Pelosi is right.
Republicans hate women, Americans, this country, everything that has to do with America. They want to establish a dual theocratic/dictatorial fascist country where only older white rich men have anything.
What? The Republicans have empowered women. Just look at Sarah Palin. On second thought, don't look. It's one thing to empower women; it's quite another to empower bimbo women.
Nancy has got her facts right.
Republicans are at war with everything that doesn't fit into their narrow view of the world. Anything that can in any way pose a threat or opposition to their rule they are attacking. Women, children in our schools, NPR, ACLU. Name it.
"There is actually a war on women" of every kind
And the women from the RIGHT are totally blind
Blind to the fact that the MEN have forgot
About their rights because they call all of the shots!
"Abortion is one issue…” we should discuss
“…contraception and family planning…” is a MUST
“…and birth control [is] opposed by this crowd too
When will they realize they don’t speak for me or YOU!!!
“Understand what is at risk here"
The far-RIGHT seems as if they don’t care
It’s all about the Tea Party and NO ONE else
That’s why the Republicans will be put back on the shelf!!!
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012 – Everything from the RIGHT cannot serve the TRUE AMERICA!!!!!!
The Republicans have announced their plans openly so what Ms. Pelosi states is nothing new. That Republicans can say otherwise is ridiculous. It is amazing how Republican women want to be subsurvient to males. The few like Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann seem far from educated when they open their mouths. One has to give them credit for knowing how to capture monies from others, so in that respect they are smart. When Mrs. McCain openly talked of a position against her husband's ideas, it seems the plug was pulled on her. We haven't seen her since then unless she is standing by her man. I wish women would realize this effort to push women backwards.
Queen Nan is her usual divisive and uninformed self! There is a war, but the war is on ENTITLEMENT PROGRAMS that she and her party have hooked their voters on! There are tons of worthy causes, but since a minority of us are actually paying taxes, we have a big problem with her government give-aways at our expense!
There is a war on women? Hmmm...Sarah Palin comes to mind.
So the rethuglican mouthpiece blathered about smokescreens and demagoguery but couldn't bring herself to answer the question. Typical.
I, too, agree this is a war on women. Everyone should be aware of what these cuts are and not just some magic number these Republicans want to cut the budget by. These are programs our country need. Planned Parenthood is vital to women of all ages and not just the working poor. WIC provides vouchers for formula and baby food, and monthly check-ups for the child from birth to 5 years old. They also want to cut the EPA for goodness sake. You want to cut something that will make a difference, cut the subsidies to the oil companies, cut that darned Bush Tax Cut. Stop making the Corporations and wealthy of this country off limits when it comes to cuts.
Anyone who believes her spin and lies suffers from a significant case of HEAD UP REAR END syndrome. What a fool.
It is great to see an intelligent and powerful woman standing up to the Repub thugs (angry old men) who want to destroy providers womens healthcare.
Typical Dem tactic – lie and use scare tactics. Anybody that does not see through this old crow is an idiot....
Ms. Pelosi had plenty of opportunity to create and pass a budget but decided not too; enough said.
The Democrats along with Pelosi need to come out and tell the American people that the GOP is LYING when they claim Planned Parenthood is funded to perform abortions. In fact it is illegal for the goverment to do so. Yet they keep allowing them to tell this untruth. I know the folks in the right wing FoxNews bubble will not believe them, but the Dems need to get more spine and STOP letting GOPers spread manure that is downright untrue just because they know they have people out there that just trust everything they tell them without research of facts.
Yea Repub/TPers, keep 'em barfoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen. You betcha !
nancy we know why your eyes are brown
Thank you for speaking the truth. This war is driven by religion. It's a war of church pressuring state to do its biased dirty work. All these law makers who are obsessed with women and their reproductive tracts are acting from superstition and fear, and not from understanding or compassion for the realities of being female, bearing live young, and tending those young for many, many years. Women are not government breeding machines, and this is not government business.
Pelosi is right. This chipping away at women's access to good health care if fundamentally wrong and misguided.
You do not have to believe in abortions but you should at least believe in the right to choose. If you do not want an abortion, do not get one but to limit a women's access and place prohibitive restraints on women is wrong. I would not get an abortion and I carried two babies, and that experience and choice was my own. I could not force someone to carry a baby if they do not want one. That is wrong.
There's a war on women for sure. Young ladies are discouraged from marrying young and having their babies because so many feminists think they need to get out there in the workforce to be happy. Then when they do finally try to follow through with the desire of marrying and having children many of them are finding it too late or impossible. Yes, I call the feminist agenda a war on women.
No botox lady this is not a war on women it's about this country being broke and the programs of Planned Parenthood and NPR should be at the bottom of the list on things to fund. The demo's just don't get it; the cookie jar is empty it's time to fund only programs that have to be funded. If a woman wants to have an abortion fine just don't use tax dollars that we don't have to do it. Private funding should be used for these programs not tax dollars. It's time to stop the out of controll spending and stop it now.
There certainly seems to be when there is a restriction on abortion as well as cuts to health centers run by Planned Parenthood. Why would you cut that when they do more than just abortion? I guess with plans to cut every social service, they figure that there will be a private sector that will compensate. That is only in an ideal world. We're not there!
According to Pelosi, reducing federal funding for abortions is a "war on women". I guess for Pelosi, a war on a baby in the womb is perfectly ok. This woman needs psychiatric help.
I know what is at stake here – a baby's life. No federally funded abortions! That means Planned Parenthood which tries to push abortion on your mothers. I know, because my daughter-in-law went there for a pregnancy test and she just about had to fight her way out of there when she said she was keeping the baby. Sorry folks. No more funds for Planned Parenthood.
The current debt is about 24% of our GDP; where were all these Republican yahoos when Reagan took it up to 50%?
The truth hurts and the Republicans can't stand it. They ARE targeting programs that help women and children – just look at the list:
1. Planned Parenthood (without whom I would not have found my early-stage cervical cancer)
2. WIC (Women, Infants and Children program for low-income women and their children)
3. CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program for low-income children)
4. HeadStart (low-income children whose parents can't afford private daycare)
Since women tend to outlive men, targeting Medicare also unfairly penalizes women.
The bottom line is, we need these programs because it's just common sense (pay for it now or pay for it later with more unhealthy people and fewer skilled laborers). Besides, it's also the Christian thing to do to help those in need (Matthew 25:40 "And Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’"
Could so much favoritism for Planned Parenthood against the desire of many taxpayers to pay for abortion ( for they will use the money to build surgical centers and buy instruments which will dismember and kill the defenseless human baby) be due to political /financial support from Planned Parenthood???
If I didn't know better, I would think that the members of Congress who are opposed to all things related to women are the Muslims the same people rail about because of their treatment of women in some quarters. These people are the same type of radical fundamentalists who still think women should stay home, pleasure their men, raise children and keep their mouths shut. What can you expect when Supreme Court Justice Scalia is of the belief that the constitution does not afford any protection to women because of their gender. I hope these people are right about Revelations and the Rapture and that they will soon all be gone. Then the rest of us can live in peace while we figure out how to kill the anti-Christ. Locusts and frogs would be far better than continuing to have to share oxygen with these cretinous people.
Nancy seems to forget that it was SHE who waged a "war" against the first VIABLE woman candidate for President, Hillary Clinton. Perhaps if she had voted FOR THE FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT, instead of fight her, women would not be in this predicament.
Of course there is a war on women. The rethugs want to keep them in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant. santorum tells us that he has done his job (over population I would say) with seven children and that 1/3 of abortions is the problem with Social Security. I guess getting rid of Planned Parenthood who work with women, any woman, for birth control and annual checkups is less important. Look at the governor from va. During his campaign his sons had something important to do. His daughters were going to visit grandma. These fools want to take us back to the days when the little woman stayed home and spawned like a rabbit (once again adding to the over population)!
As always Nancy Pelosi talking out her ass there is no war on women Medicare parenthood is not just about women This is about Pelosi trying to Get women all Worked up
No need to take a step back in time when women had no rights – WOMEN UNITE!
While you can obviously argue that the GOP is specifically targeting bills that would affect women primarily, it would be an oversight to mention this and NOT the number of bills currently on the table that oppose Pelosi's perogative. I'm not saying that this article is wrong, but there is little to say Pelosi is right. Then take for a moment that men have no rights AT ALL in respect to these issues, and nor can we be voted to have them. Case in point: Abortion. Often, the man would rather keep the baby, than to see the pregnancy terminated prematurely, but since it is growing in the woman, the man has no right; hundreds of thousands of mens sons are aborted, and we have no right to complain, nor do we make a stand about it every damned election cycle. It takes two to tango, or make a thing go right, or to create a new life, yet politics and women's right have pushed this issue entirely to one side of the court. I'd like you to think about this onesidedness before abasing Pelosi's perogative as national agenda or anything other than GOP scare mongering. And by the way, registered Democrat.
I thought the Republicans were against being mandated to purchase health insurance from a private company, calling it unconstitutional after they mandated it by threatening to filibuster the Affordable Health Care for America Act over a "Public Option". Yet here is Paul Ryan mandating that future seniors get their end-of-life care decided on by for-profit companies subsidized by the government. There is no credibility in the Republican message, only more and more brazen hypocrisy.
The real war on women are liberals and feminists like Ms. Pelosi who assault the values, opinions, life choices, wardrobes, and intelligence level of women that they don't agree with.