To Kirsten, policies that support women and families are a priority, not an afterthought. She fights for bold ideas that will make a difference for families’ health and economic security, even when nobody else will. And in the face of a president who demeans women and threatens their rights, Kirsten’s fearless advocacy for women is the antidote. Women are half of this country—and they deserve a president who values and fights for them.
We need to protect women’s rights and access to the health care they need.
Reproductive rights are civil rights, and they are nonnegotiable. With Republicans waging an unprecedented assault on abortion access, Kirsten has pledged to only nominate judges who will commit to upholding Roe, and she was the first candidate to put out a comprehensive reproductive rights agenda. As president, she will codify Roe into law, end the Hyde Amendment, protect Title X funding and Planned Parenthood, and guarantee access to reproductive health care — including abortion —nationwide.
We need to look out for families, not special interests.
As a working mom of two young kids, Kirsten has always brought that perspective to her work in Congress, and as president, she’ll fight for every family like she fights for her own. We need policies that will help families make ends meet and get ahead: affordable child care, universal pre-K, a $15 minimum wage, equal pay for equal work, and tax relief for middle-class and low-income families. Kirsten is also committed to combating our maternal mortality crisis—particularly the glaring disparities and institutional racism facing women of color in our health care system—and introduced the MOMS Act to protect every new mom.
We need to make national paid family leave a reality.
America is the only industrialized nation in the world without any form of a national paid family leave plan. Our failure to prioritize paid leave forces millions of Americans to make an impossible choice: provide for their family or care for their family. Kirsten has led the national fight for paid leave to fix this problem. Her FAMILY Act—a national paid leave program that she’s introduced in every Congress since 2013—would give workers 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave to care for a new child, a sick family member, or their own health issues, all for about the cost of a cup of coffee a week. Paid leave is part of Kirsten’s Family Bill of Rights—read it here.
We need to invest in public education and stand with teachers.
A child’s opportunity and success shouldn’t depend on which block they grew up on. To strengthen our communities, combat systemic inequality and ensure all of our kids have the chance to reach their potential, we have to invest in our public schools. This means paying teachers a living wage, maintaining small class sizes, and ensuring teachers have the resources and support they need.
We need to stop sexual assault and harassment.
Kirsten believes that women should be valued in America, and that means we need to stop sexual assault and harassment. Even before the #MeToo movement, she has been the national leader in Congress on the fight for justice and accountability on behalf of sexual assault survivors, and has led the crucial national conversation around sexual abuse. And she takes on this fight no matter who she’s up against, whether it’s the Pentagon, major universities, President Trump, or even her own party. Kirsten has never backed down from a fight if it’s the right thing to do—even if it means she has to stand alone.