When Barack Obama beat Hillary Clinton out to be the Democratic nominee for president, many women were saddened and worried whether he would be a champion for women's rights. I hesitate to write a summary of his administration after just one week, but it's been one heck of a week, ladies.

• The Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act was passed by the Senate. The Ledbetter bill makes it clear that each discriminatory paycheck is a new act of discrimination that resets the 180-day limit to file a claim. The US Supreme Court had ruled in 2007 that people had 180 days from the first action to file a lawsuit. President Obama is scheduled to sign this into law this week.




• The Global Gag Rule was overturned. This executive order was begun with Reagan, was overturned by Clinton, again by GW Bush and yet again by Obama. Essentially what this order did was tie the hands of clinics around the world that receives money from the USA for healthcare. An early 1960s law forbids use of any federal money going towards abortion in clinics overseas. The "Mexico City policy" prohibits those clinics from even mentioning abortion as an option or responding to a woman's request for information on abortion. The overturning will allow the clinics we help keep open to talk with a woman without any restrictions from DC. It will allow the clinics to refer a woman with a full family who asks about abortion to a safe clinic. It does not mean we will be funding abortions anywhere in this world.




• President Obama stated that the USA will once again be paying our dues to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).

  President Obama said, "I look forward to working with Congress to restore U.S. financial support for the U.N. Population Fund. By resuming funding to UNFPA, the U.S. will be joining 180 other donor nations working collaboratively to reduce poverty, improve the health of women and children, prevent HIV/AIDS and provide family planning assistance to women in 154 countries."

While some might still be holding on to some bitterness from Barack vs. Hillary, it seems to be clear that President Obama is listening to the women of this country and perhaps more so, the women around him.

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