Wednesday, April 29, 2009

100 Days in Women's Lives Under Obama


President Obama signs the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pair Act from White House on Vimeo.

The following timeline is thanks to Ms. Magazine, who tracked the things President Obama has done for women in his first 100 days.

JAN 23 Overturned "global gag rule," which will help re-fund international family-planning groups

JAN 29 Signed Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, restoring women's ability to sue for pay discrimination

FEB 4 Expanded government health insurance to cover 11 million children

FEB 17 Saved and created jobs in traditionally women-heavy fields-health care, child care and education-in
$787 billion economic stimulus package; also increased Medicaid, food stamps and unemployment benefits

FEB 27 Moved to rescind the Bush administration's "conscience" clause-which could have let health-care workers deny patients abortion and contraception

MAR 2 With the choice of Kathleen Sebelius as Health and Human Services secretary, appointed a total of seven women to Cabinet-level positions

MAR 6 Instituted a new ambassador-at-large for global women's issues

MAR 9 Lifted restrictions on stem cell research

MAR 11 Established the White House Council on Women and Girls

Restarted U.S. contributions to the United Nations Population Fund

Reinstated low-cost birth control availability at college health centers and at some 400 clinics serving low-income women

MAR 19 Pledged to sign U.N. declaration to decriminalize homosexuality, which Bush refused to sign

MAR 20 Obama appointee Elena Kagan is confirmed as the first woman Solicitor General

APR 3 Obama calls Afghanistan's proposed Shia Family Law "abhorrent"

APR 23 To date, Obama's appointments to posts needing Senate confirmation were 32% women with a substantial portion women of color

Nancy Keenan from NARAL Pro-Choice America also has some great analysis up on HuffPo.
It seems like Obama has done a lot to further not only reproductive health and rights but pay equity as well. Still, no one is perfect and there's a lot of work to be done.

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