Bill Keating is pro-choice. Roe v. Wade is settled law and he plans to keep it that way. His opponent, on the other hand, does not think a woman should have a right to choose. In fact, he wants less government in all areas except when it comes to women.
Bill Keating is for equal pay. As a member of the State Senate he helped usher in the “Close the Gap” law that created hiring goals for women on state construction projects.
Bill Keating is for equality for all. Bill voted to make it illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation in the 1980s — when it was not a politically easy thing to do – and supported gay marriage here in Massachusetts. We need him to continue to fight for equality in Congress at a time when women and gays are losing ground as Republicans publicly call for discrimination against them. For example, Sen. DeMint R-SC does not want gays and unmarried, pregnant women to be teachers. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/10/02/demint-gays-unmarried-pregnant-women-teachers_n_748131.html) Rather than drive women and gays out of jobs in a bad economy, Bill wants to create job opportunities for all.
Bill Keating understands the importance of small business. When he was in the legislature, Bill fought to get small businesses greater access to capital. In recent years, women’s business centers like the Center for Women and Enterprise (http://www.cweonline.org/) are constantly threatened with funding cuts. We need an advocate like Bill to ensure that small business programs do not lose their funding.
Bill Keating protects women. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (http://dvam.vawnet.org/) and Bill Keating, unlike his opponent, has not just stood by on the sidelines while women are being victimized. He’s worked to toughen the sanctions against domestic violence/stalking and to find funding for rape evidence collection/preservation kits for hospitals.
Bill Keating protects families. Bill has worked to increase the “no tax status” threshold for low-income families with children. He also founded the Norfolk Advocates for Children, a nonprofit child advocacy center for those who have been sexually and physically abused. In the Legislature and as DA, he has made it a top priority to go after sexual predators and prosecute sex crimes. He has twice earned honors from the Mass Office for Victim Assistance.
I have witnessed the great strides my generation has been able to take thanks to earlier generations. I do not want to be part of a generation of women who contribute to losing our basic, yet hard-earned, rights, by electing legislators who have repeatedly demonstrated that they do not have the best interests of women in mind.
This is why I trust in Bill Keating and will vote for him on Nov. 2nd. I hope all of you, especially those with daughters, will too.
Diane K. Danielson
MA10 Voter
http://www.facebook.com/#!/Wom…
Bill Keating has a long record of enlightened support for progressive issues around issues affecting women, the GBLT community and the most vulnerable in society. Sure Perry will give lip service to “compassion” but he advocates for issue that will drive women to the back alleys, millions of men and women back into the closet and weaken society’s safety net during this recession.
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p>Folks, we have lots of important elections to focus on in this state…but this election will impact the control of Congress…we need to work hard to elect Keating to Congress.
Do you include Dick Cheney in that category?
I would be quite careful about that argument in this race.
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…anyone who doesn’t have daughters, which at least for now includes myself. Plenty of people do have sisters, wives, mothers, etc or occasionally maybe no women close to them. A few times in high school while I never dated comments were made to the effect that girls knew I treated them with the utmost respect.
First, I did not write this to speak to everyone. I seriously didn’t expect this to resonate with anyone who hasn’t been the “odd woman out” in a business situation. In fact, I’m thrilled to hear at least one dad found it compelling.
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p>Second, having daughters is clearly not a litmus test. There are plenty of GOP candidates (male and female) with daughters who you wonder how they could possibly turn on the blinders (I seem to recall a Pink song directed at George Bush on this issue). However, based on my personal experience, my chances of getting a white male to really consider the female point of view are greatly increased when they have daughters.
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p>Third, I’m hoping some of Jeff Perry’s views will change as his granddaughter grows up and becomes a teenager and then a young professional. But that’s the future, this is now. And, right now Perry’s track record of advocating for women is … ????
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p>Finally, I wrote this in response to complaints that no one is focusing on the issues. Women’s rights affect half the district and I wanted others to know that Bill Keating doesn’t just talk the talk; he’s been working on behalf of women and other disenfranchised groups for years. He’s not just respectful of women, he’s actually been out advocating on their behalf.
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p>I’m supporting Bill Keating for many reasons (jobs, the environment, Cape Wind, health care, etc.), but women have to stop letting their issues get pushed to the backburner. Women across the country have so much to lose should the GOP take control of Congress. Here are two links to some of the national conversation that’s starting around this issue.
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p>http://dccc.org/blog/entry/rep…
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p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…
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p>There’s more info available at http://www.facebook.com/womenf… Please visit and lend your support.
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… include in my decision making who is best able to see the world through a mans eyes?
After all, isn’t this what we’re doing here? Electing representatives that reflect the values of the population they represent? Out of the two candidates running, Bill Keating best represents my values based on his record which I outlined above.
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p>The point is that we have a women-friendly candidate with a record that speaks for itself and I think at least 50% of the population needs to know that. No one is trying to detract from the male vote here, just trying to point out some positives.
Not sure I see the pro-choice connection. Ideally a responsible father would make sure his daughters never had to face that choice in the first place, educated them, made sure they were protected, etc. I know plenty of people who are pro-life precisely because they love their daughters-which is why they decided to have them regardless of how hard it was. I don’t see how that choice and that love is any less valid.
This is why I included in an article discussing issues that affect women and where a candidate like Bill Keating stands.
But to argue that being pro-choice makes you love your daughter more seems like a wash. Wherever you stand on the issue, one could argue either way in a credible manner.
You wrote (emphasis mine):
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p>Excuse me, but an unexpected pregnancy has two responsible parties. The lie that it is the woman who faces the choice is among the more insulting, bigoted, and misogynist canards of the pro-life movement. A man has to perform the procreative act. A man knows whether or not he is wearing a condom. A man knows whether or not he has accompanied his partner to the pharmacy to acquire pills if that is their method of choice. Hopefully, in the not too-distant future, a pharmaceutical contraceptive will be available for that man, so that he can take the step himself. A man experiences the grief and guilt of terminating a life, right alongside the mother — that is, if the man has any moral grounding.
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p>Somehow, I get the idea that your comments about what a “responsible father” should do are driven by speculation rather than first-hand experience with fatherhood.
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p>I have three sons and two daughters. I make sure sure that my children — both daughters and sons — never have to make that choice. If you think that choosing to abort a child is limited to the woman involved, then it sounds like you, as a man, have never faced that choice — either for yourself or your children.
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p>In case you haven’t noticed, it is still true — even in this twenty-first century culture — that your sons will generally initiate the procreative act. That initiation comes with responsibility, just as the woman’s choice comes with responsibility.
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p>Fathers who love their children have a responsibility to teach those children — sons and daughters — about the responsibilities and consequences that accompany sexual activity.
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p>Having said all that, sometimes abortion is the loving choice, for both sons and daughters. Contraceptives, especially condoms, do have a non-zero failure rate. The guilt and grief that comes with every abortion is something that loving parents help their children handle — just as loving parents help our children handle the many other sources of guilt and grief.
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p>The premise that loving their sons and daughters has anything whatsoever with being pro- or anti-choice is an offensive lie.
. . . is to send Jeff Perry to Washington DC?