President Obama shouted these words on Thursday, September 17, as he addressed the large young crowd at the University of Maryland’s Comcast Center. AAUW gave me a ticket to the event, which landed me less than 30 feet from the president, along with union members, members of Congress, and other nonprofit workers. I was very excited to see the president, even if I had already heard most of his speech in earlier days.
Yet this time, he strategically mentioned the Student Aid and Financial Responsibility Act, known as SAFRA, which will reform the student loan industry by eliminating federal subsidies to private banks and investing most of the $87 billion in savings into financial aid programs. The debt facing many students after college is astronomical, especially for students like me who are graduating in these hard economic times and trying to find full-time jobs that will provide us with health benefits.
Student loan debt, on top of any debt we incur from medical bills if we are not properly insured, may lead us to a future of massive indebtedness and poverty. We live in the richest nation in the world but, as the president said, “We spend more than any country on Earth, and we’re not any healthier for it.”
At the same time, even though more women than men are graduating from college, on average we earn less after graduation than men do, and this gap increases over time. According to AAUW’s position paper on health-care reform, women also use more health-care services than men do, and health insurance companies charge us higher premiums for coverage. These inequalities, along with the fact that 18- to 34-year-olds make up about half the uninsured population in the United States, are creating an alarming situation.
As Congress and the president continue to debate on health-care reform, I will continue to be “fired up” about increasing health-care benefits and economic opportunities for women and girls. For these reasons, I hope that the president can follow through on his statement at the rally: “I may not be the first president to take up the cause of health care reform,” he said. “I am determined to be the last — with your help.”
Written by Christina Rivero, AAUW Public Policy & Government Relations Fellow.
I am thinking for myself when I say I strongly agree with AAUW’s position on abortion. Otherwise, I would not be a member.
I am hoping that AAUW is open to printing an opposing view on the issue of abortion. I am counting on my organization to be as open to my opinion as it is to opinions that agree with its stated mission.
I hold a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Minnesota and an MSW from the University of Washington. I have worked as a children’s services worker for both a private agency and the state of Washington. I also worked as a Contracts Coordinator for the Division of Children’s Services in Washington state. I have also been a foster parent for a severely disabled child and worked in Special Education.
In my work I have found that there is value in all children, no matter how disabled. Yes, they require more care, but who are we who are more abled can be assured that we will not require more care as we grow older? How many potential Stephen Hawkings have been aborted for the convenience of the mother under the guise of Reproductive Choice? I strongly disagree with the AAUW stand on the issue of abortion and I think we should get out of taking a stand on this issue. I think it has no place as part of an organization that encourages the education of free-thinking women. Membership in AAUW should not require us to march in lock-step on such an important and divisive issue.
We are encouraged to think freely and state our opinions. This is my opinion and I would like to hear of others who agree with me.
Thank you for your willingness to think for yourself.
Submitted by Martha Hickman, AAUW in the Tucson Branch, Tucson, Arizona