The debate is June 27th, and we want to hear the candidates and moderators speak to our concerns.
Dear Friend,
Whoa. It’s hard to even know what to expect in the upcoming presidential debate on Thursday, June 27th. [1]
But there’s one thing we know for sure - the issues of greatest concern to women, moms, families, caregivers, disabled people, aging adults, and our economy don’t often get their attention in these debates. There are more than 94 million mom voters in the United States, we want to hear the candidates and moderators speak to our concerns.
Moms in this country are in crisis. A crisis which studies show could be solved to a large degree by passing care infrastructure policies: Paid family and medical leave, affordable child care, accessible aging and disability care, and closing the huge gender wage gap are all needed, along with maternal health equity and access to the full suite of reproductive healthcare options, including birth control, abortion, and IVF.
There are more than 94 million mom voters in this country. NINETY FOUR MILLION. And we all need CNN to ask about these highly popular policies in the upcoming presidential debate!
The vast majority of Americans support these policies, demonstrating the urgency of CNN asking these questions:
Being there when a new child arrives, for our own serious health crisis, or for when our loved ones urgently need us in a time of critical health crisis is what matters most, and no one should have to risk losing a job or much-needed income to make it happen. At the same time, we are the only industrialized nation, and one of only six countries in the world, without a national paid family and medical leave policy (yet). Given that, it’s not surprising that recent polling led by Paid Leave for All Action found the highest levels of voter support in history for paid family and medical leave in a multistate poll—85%. Among the 85% of voters, 82% are Independents and 76% are Republicans. [2]
Similarly, child care and pre-k are critical issues, especially because child care costs more than college in most states. On the whole, child care is an economic security policy that is proven to boost businesses, the economy, and families alike as they lower costs for families and help increase engagement in democracy. When families are stressed by rising costs, no child care, and uncertainty, the whole family is impacted from the child to the parent. Here too we see sky high polling. In fact one poll by the First Five Years Fund showed that 7 in 10 Americans are more likely to go out to vote for candidates who advocate for child care. [3] Furthermore, 74% of voters, regardless of their parental status, believe increasing funding for child care is a good use of tax dollars, and 93% of voters believe it is important for parents of young children to be able to find and afford quality care. [4]
At the same time, not surprisingly, recent polling by Caring Across shows 86% of voters feel Congress should take action to improve the availability of quality, affordable aging and disability care in homes and communities, including 98% of Democrats, 86% of Independents, and 75% of Republicans. Additionally, 87% of voters want to receive care for themselves or loved ones in their own homes and communities, and 84% of voters know that how we prioritize support for family caregiving must change. Aging and disability care in homes and communities enables older adults and disabled people to live and age with dignity in their homes. [5]
Similarly, support for access to reproductive health care services like the following is also sky high: birth control, emergency contraception, abortion, and IVF. For many women, especially mothers, access to contraception is crucial. It allows us to plan our families, pursue careers, contribute to the economy, and maintain our health and well-being. Over 90 percent of women use contraception at some point in their lives and the vast majority of Americans agree that people should have access to contraception. In fact, around 90 percent of Americans said that birth control options should be legal in “all” or “most” cases. It’s evident through research that moms are the majority of people needing reproductive health equity and access. It’s critically important that the debate convener, CNN, asks about these issues, especially since the US has the highest rate of maternal deaths among high-income nations due to structural racism, Black women are three to four times more likely to die in childbirth as white women. This is not okay and needs to be solved!
