Obama's 100 First Days: What did he do for women?

by Jen Nedeau · 2009-04-27 14:38:00 UTC
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NARAL's Nancy Keenan as well as Ms. Magazine report on Obama's 100 First Days (April 29) and the strides he has made for women. Check out these inspiring achievements and then ask - what else do we need to accomplish?

JAN 23 - Overturned "global gag rule," which will help re-fund international family-planning groups

JAN 23 & MAR 11- President Obama re-funded the U.N. family-planning program, UNFPA, which President Bush had de-funded for seven years straight. Obama also signed legislation into law boosting UNFPA funding to a record $50 million. (January 23 and March 11)

JAN 29 - Signed Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, restoring women's ability to sue for pay discrimination

FEB 4 - Expanded government health insurance to cover 11 million children

FEB 17 - Saved and created jobs in traditionally women-heavy fields-health care, child care and education-in $787 billion economic stimulus package; also increased Medicaid, food stamps and unemployment benefits

FEB 26 - President Obama signaled his commitment to medically accurate sex education by including it in his first-ever budget outline.

FEB 27 - President Obama announced his intention to repeal the controversial, last-minute Bush policy known as the Federal Refusal Rule. The regulation could have allowed entire health-care corporations to refuse to provide medical services - including, potentially, birth control

MAR 2 - With the choice of Kathleen Sebelius as Health and Human Services secretary, appointed a total of seven women to Cabinet-level positions

MAR 6 - Instituted a new ambassador-at-large for global women's issues

MAR 9 - Lifted restrictions on stem cell research

MAR 11 -

  • Established the White House Council on Women and Girls
  • Restarted U.S. contributions to the United Nations Population Fund
  • President Obama signed legislation into law fixing the birth-control price crisis at college health centers and safety-net provider clinics across the country. (As a senator, Obama authored this legislation.)

MAR 19 - Pledged to sign U.N. declaration to decriminalize homosexuality, which Bush refused to sign

MAR 20 - Obama appointee Elena Kagan is confirmed as the first woman Solicitor General

APR 3 - Obama calls Afghanistan's proposed Shia Family Law "abhorrent"

APR 23 - To date, Obama's appointments to posts needing Senate confirmation were 32% women with a substantial portion women of color

For more information, make sure to check out the spring 2009 issue of Ms. Magazine which also reviews the economic stimulus package and reproductive health initiatives of the new Obama administration as well as the new Obama/Clinton foreign policy approaches.

Jen Nedeau Jen Nedeau is a media relations professional and a writer based in New York City.
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