I am clear that NOSY NEIGHBORS are NOT tied to anything MEDICAL-----they are a black market PORN AND DRUG cartel. When I say NOSY NEIGHBORS use psycho-sexual torture to scare victims from apartments to bring new STUFF to video-tape as PORN----one can see they are not interested in MEDICAL HELP.
What can be the reason a NOSY NEIGHBORS AND THE GANG wanting to GET RID OF ME----NOW-----might be that after several years of ''using' me to commit criminal frauds and racketeering of PRESCRIPTION DRUGS-----and charging MEDICARE for 24/7 surveillance NOT NEEDED OR WANTED-----my SOCIAL SECURITY/MEDICARE SAVING may have been depleted---ergo, no more money for NOSY NEIGHBORS to steal.
That may be why I stayed so long----my SS and MEDICARE SAVING had lots of money------and now it has run dry supposedly leaving me with NO MONEY FOR RETIREMENT.
As I make moves to change status with SS and check actions on my MEDICARE ----I may find NO PROBLEMS but I suspect I will find PROBLEMS. PLEASE DO THE SAME---CHECK IF YOU HAVE BEEN PLACED ON ANY DISABILITY----WORKER'S COMP as this illegal surveillance structure has been tied to these health status' FENTANYL IS A PAIN KILLER.
Fentanyl | Addiction Treatment Services
addiction-treatment-services.com/.../fentanyl
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid analgesic. It’s 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine. Fentanyl is a schedule II prescription medication often used to treat patients suffering from chronic, severe pain. Most of the reported cases of fentanyl-related harm, overdoses, and deaths have been linked to illegally manufactured fentanyl.
Baltimore man allegedly built $4 million drug empire
By Phil Davis
Baltimore Sun |
Aug 22, 2019
Paul Alexander built a drug empire in Baltimore that generated more than $4 million in profits, prosecutors say, as he and others worked with Chinese money launderers and — possibly — a Mexican drug cartel to push cocaine, heroin and fentanyl in the city and its surrounding counties.
Someone can go onto WORKERS' COMP or temporary disability for a few years---get back to work and those MEDICARE/SS structures are still being used as CRIMINAL FRAUD. Worker's COMP comes with PAIN KILLERS often-------DISABILITY comes with various mental health and PAIN problems each with lots of PRESCRIPTION DRUGS.
I heard through FEEDBACK I was diagnosed as BIO-POLAR so what PHARMA might I have taken if so------KNOWING I DO NOT TAKE PHARMA and never have had any PHARMA during this DISABILITY.
BIPOLAR is tops in diagnosis in Baltimore ------so the number of people and their benefits accessible to these black market criminal frauds is TREMENDOUS.
What Is Mood-Stabilizing Medication?
Mood stabilizers are medicines that treat and prevent highs (mania) and lows (depression). They also help to keep your moods from interfering with work, school, or your social life.
Examples include:
- Carbamazepine (Carbatrol, Epitol, Equetro, Tegretol)
- Divalproex sodium (Depakote)
- Lamotrigine (Lamictal)
- Lithium
- Valproic acid (Depakene)
Not all of these drugs have the same effects, though. Some (such as lithium) are better at treating mania. Others (such as lamotrigine) may be more useful for depression.
Keep in mind that the term "mood stabilizer" can be misleading. If you take one, your mood can still change during the day. These medicines treat full episodes of mania or depression that last for several days or weeks at a time.
Other Mood-Stabilizing Medicines
Drugs called antipsychotic medications are also common in bipolar treatment plans. You can take them alone or with mood stabilizers to help with symptoms of mania. These drugs include:
- Haloperidol (Haldol)
- Loxapine (Loxitane) or loxapine inhaled (Adasuve)
- Risperidone (Risperdal)
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Throughout these several months of PSYCHO-SEXUAL TORTURE trying to get rid of me------I constantly referred to IDENTITY THEFT. My concern was the making of PORN with me being a GOOD PERSON----that being slander-----but as well I spoke of this public surveillance structure being used to get people's PERSONAL DATA which then can be used to access retirement benefits like SOCIAL SECURITY/DISABILITY AND MEDICARE.
This access of MEDICAL INSURANCE PLANS can take the appearance of BILLING a person as a PATIENT---or it can used to create a reason to write PHARMA SCRIPT.
'Identity thieves can also use SSNs in combination with other personal data to access medical insurance plans. Uncovered costs are billed to the victim. Mailing addresses are commonly changed so victims don't receive bills and statements from breached accounts'.
My concern today after finding myself a VICTIM is this attack upon my MEDICARE AND SOCIAL SECURITY by NOSY NEIGHBORS AND THE GANG black market criminal SEX TRADE PORN AND DRUG cartel.
This is happening in your neck of the woods------please protect your 99% WE THE PEOPLE wealth assets.
2018 Prescription Drug Abuse Statistics You Need To Know
Prescription drug abuse is a serious and growing problem in the United States. The 2016 National Study on Drug Use and Health reported that an estimated 28.6 million Americans age 12 and over used illicit drugs during the month prior to the study. That means roughly 1 in 10 people struggle with some level of substance use, including addiction to prescription drugs.
When a person takes a prescription drug for a nonmedical reason, it can quickly lead to addiction and the need for drug treatment. In fact, 25 percent of people who misused prescription drugs by age 13 ended up with an addiction at some point in their life.
Let’s take a closer look at the current prescription drug epidemic in the United States:
- In the US alone, an estimated 54 million people over the age of 12 have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons in their lifetime.
- Most abused prescription drugs fall under four categories, based on the number of people who misuse the drug:
- Painkillers – 3.3 million users
- Tranquilizers – 2 million users
- Stimulants – 1.7 million users
- Sedatives – 0.5 million users1
- More people report using controlled prescription drugs than cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine combined. That puts prescription drugs second behind marijuana when it comes to illicit drug use.
- Between 2006 and 2011, nonmedical use of Adderall and emergency room visits involving the drug increased significantly, while treatment visits stayed the same. Adderall misuse rose 67 percent, and ER visits went up 156 percent, with family and friends serving as the primary source. Young adults (age 18-25) made up 60 percent of those using Adderall for nonmedical reasons.
- The number of adults filling a benzodiazepine prescription increased 67 percent (from 8.1 million to 13.5 million) between 1996 and 2013, while the total quantity filled more than tripled. During this same time period, the overdose death rate for benzodiazepines more than quadrupled.6
- All 50 states have prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) that actively track in-state prescriptions.
More people report using controlled prescription drugs than cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine combined.
- The US makes up 5 percent of the world’s population and consumes approximately 80 percent of the world’s prescription opioid drugs.7
- Prescription opioid drugs contribute to 40 percent of all US opioid overdose deaths.8
- In 2016, more than 46 people died each day from overdoses involving prescription opioids.8
- Prescription opioid overdose rates are highest among people ages 25 to 54 years.8
- Overdose rates were higher among non-Hispanic whites and American Indians or Alaskan Natives.8
- Men are more likely to die from prescription opioid overdose, but the gap between men and women is decreasing.8
- Because of its cheaper price, heroin has become the drug of choice for many who are addicted to opioid pain relievers. Approximately three out of four new heroin users misused prescription opioids prior to using heroin.9
- More than half (53 percent) of prescription opioid users got their last painkillers from a friend or relative, with 40.4 percent paying nothing for the pills.1
- Many teens believe that prescription drugs are much safer than illegal street drugs because they are prescribed by a doctor.10
- The top three prescription drugs used by high school seniors in 2017 were: Adderall (5.5 percent), tranquilizers (4.7 percent) and prescription opioids (4.2 percent).11
- There’s been a significant decline in the misuse of prescription opioids among teens over the past 15 years. For example, Vicodin use among high school seniors dropped from 10.5 percent in 2003 to 2 percent in 2017.12
- Teens reported less availability to prescription painkillers in 2017, with only 35.8 percent of high school seniors saying they were easy to get versus 54 percent in 2010.12
Professional baby boomers earned quite a bit in wages therefor the calculation for SS retirement monthly payments would be HIGH as well. Today, far-right wing global banking 1% and their 5% freemason/Greek players/pols are working as hard as they can to see these baby boomers with a strong wage earning history are SCAMMED from receiving those benefits.
This is tied to an 'US' and 'THEM' as HITTING people's wealth assets are targeted according to these WINNERS vs LOSERS.
My lifetime earnings were HIGH-------I have a 35 year window of employment that will place me in a HIGH-SOCIAL SECURITY monthly payment bracket.
Since I do not plan to wait until age 66.5 or 70-----but will retire at 62----I supposedly will receive only 80% of FULL BENEFIT.
Please guard your retirement-------global banking 1% is trying every trick in book to see we do not receive the SAVINGS ACCOUNT we earned.
1. In order to calculate your monthly Social Security benefit income, the SSA takes an average of your covered wages over a 35 year span.
What this means is that your Social Security benefits are calculated by a mean of how much money you have earned over your 35 highest earning years. The way they calculate your benefits package is quite complex; however, 35 years is the key number, no matter what, for any and all Social Security benefit packages.
Social Security Benefits: e 35 Year Advantage
When it comes to your Social Security benefits, there are very few possibilities for “luck” to factor in. The amount of money you receive is based on the average salary your earned and the disbursement options you choose when applying.
While the calculations with the number 35 may not be luck, knowing the facts concerning this special number may help you position your financial future. Read on to discover why the number “35” may just turn out to be your new lucky number.
1. In order to calculate your monthly Social Security benefit income, the SSA takes an average of your covered wages over a 35 year span.
What this means is that your Social Security benefits are calculated by a mean of how much money you have earned over your 35 highest earning years. The way they calculate your benefits package is quite complex; however, 35 years is the key number, no matter what, for any and all Social Security benefit packages.
2. If you have been employed for over 35 years, the government still will base your benefit amount on only 35 of the years you have been employed.
At first, this sounds as if you’ll be receiving less money for working all of those extra years, but the key here is in the use of averages. The government will calculate an average of 35 of your “top earning years” (the years you were paid the highest salary compared to other years). What this basically means is that they will shave off the first few years you worked, assuming those were the years were you received a lower salary than later years (which it typically will be, as your first few years of employment are usually entry level positions that receive minimal salaries compared to higher level positions), and use only 35 years’ worth of your highest salaries to calculate your Social Security benefits.
3. If you worked less than 35 years of your life, your retirement benefits will suffer.
Your Social Security benefits are based on an average of your total salaries over a 35 year span. This means, if you worked less than 35 years of your life, the years you didn’t work will be represented as zeros in your 35 year average. Needless to say, zeros mixed in with your average will definitely hurt your benefits package. Thus, if you have say 33 years of work credits, then it makes sense to pursue 2 more years in order to ensure you get the most money from your Social Security benefits.
When thinking about your retirement and future, remember the number 35. This special number holds the key to making the most of your Social Security benefits.
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'Slut-Shaming in the Workplace: Sexual Rumors & Hostile Environment Claims'
NOSY NEIGHBORS AND THE GANG and THE NETWORK often have FEEDBACK tied to this idea of SHAMING WOMEN OUT OF THE WORKPLACE. This is of course what FEEDBACK and THE NETWORK is doing to me. Supposedly, because HOSTING SERVER NOSY NEIGHBORS as men were allowed to ILLEGALLY SURVEILLE ---SEXUALLY ASSAULTING AND NON-CONTACT RAPING ME--------I am a damaged woman-----ergo, a syphilis riddled prostitute.
This goal of getting women out of the workforce comes from two directions. One is SACKING AND LOOTING---RAPING AND PILLAGING------which is tied to global banking 1% OLD WORLD KINGS trying to get as much wealth and power as they can. This ILLEGAL SURVEILLANCE attaches our retirement assets----it kills our ability to re-enter workforce------but it also is used to shatter IDENTITY-----ergo, it can be driven by religious affiliation------by racial affiliation----by immigrant vs sovereign citizen.
'Islamic scholars, many of whom enjoy celebrity status on social media, derived their ability to enforce ultra-conservative norms, including the ban on women’s driving, from a power-sharing agreement concluded between the ruling Al Saud family and Ibn Abdul Wahhab’s followers that dates back to the founding of modern day Saudi Arabia'.
The driving force in MOVING FORWARD during what everyone knows will be a SHRINKING WORKFORCE as automation kills every industrial job sector---is to secure employment for your POPULATION------the 'US' and 'THEM'.
The second driver of SLUT-SHAMING innocent women is the MOVING FORWARD to FAR-RIGHT WING ULTRA-CONSERVATIVE RELIGIOUS stances. This is what I hear regarding my being SHUT INSIDE MY HOUSE-----MADE TO BE SILENT------TOO ASHAMED TO BE SEEN IN PUBLIC.
This ULTRA-CONSERVATIVE RELIGIOUS stance is what I say is NOT RELIGIOUS. It is always in context with POWER AND CONTROL----and all religions are based upon SOCIAL JUSTICE and EQUALITY.
WE DO NOT WANT FAR-RIGHT WING ULTRA-CONSERVATIVE RELIGIOUS STANCES IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
These stances are found in each major religion as SECTS-----as a nation the US has been relatively liberal and/or moderately conservative in our religious stances. We do not want FAR-RIGHT ULTRA-CONSERVATIVE stances using as pretext SLUT-SHAMING WOMEN out of THE WORKPLACE.
While global banking 1% tie this rise in sexual harassment to TITLE V11 or TITLE IX-----the goals of MOVING FORWARD DARK AGES is not going to be stopped by fighting for these US CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS. What is MOVING FORWARD is far-right wing authoritarian, militaristic, DEEP DEEP REALLY DEEP STATE TOTALITARIANISM with extreme levels of job and employment availability----getting any population group out of job market is the goal. Placing people in job market to become FREE SLAVE LABOR is the goal----and men make the best SLAVES----women get to be the SEX SLAVE ---PORN STARS.
Slut-Shaming in the Workplace: Sexual Rumors & Hostile Environment Claims
Contents
- Introduction
- II. Title VII’s “Because of” Sex Requirement in Sexual Harassment Cases
- III. “He’s a Stud, She’s a Slut”: The Problem with Workplace Rumors About a Woman’s Sexual Promiscuity
- IV. Sexual Rumor Court Decisions & Title VII’s “Because of” Sex Requirement
- V. Conclusion: Recommendations for how Courts Should Handle Sexual Rumors in Hostile Work Environment Cases
Wendy N. Hess0
Abstract
“Slut-shaming” is the act of criticizing a woman for her real or perceived sexual promiscuity. Until now, much scholarship and journalism has focused on the slut-shaming of school-aged girls and young women. This article broadens the discussion about this harassing behavior by illuminating an overlooked area: slut-shaming in the American workplace. This article focuses on how courts have dealt with hostile work environment cases based in whole or in part on rumors about adult women’s alleged sexual promiscuity. In particular, courts have struggled with how to interpret Title VII’s seemingly simple requirement that conduct occur “because of” sex. Courts have often failed to recognize the gendered aspect of sexual rumors about women. Due to the continued existence of the sexual double standard, rumors about women who engage in sex acts with men penalize women for violating gender norms.
I. Introduction
“[W]hen you want to put down or undermine a woman, accusing her of being slutty works every time.”1
Workplace rumors about a woman’s real or perceived sexual promiscuity can create a hostile work environment in violation of Title VII. A rumor that a woman is sexually promiscuous is a gender-based insult because it censures a woman for violating the sexual double standard. Sexual rumors can undermine a woman’s credibility and call into question her achievements in the workplace. Research shows that people perceive women who they believe have violated the sexual double standard as less competent.2 Courts’ treatment of such sexual rumors has been inconsistent: some courts recognize the gender-based nature of the harassing behavior while others have failed to recognize that rumors about sexual promiscuity are uniquely degrading and insulting to women because of the sexual double standard. This article addresses why workplace rumors about women’s3 sexual promiscuity satisfy Title VII’s requirement that the harassing conduct occurred “because of” sex.
The sexual double standard is a “moral code that permits sexual freedom and promiscuity for men but not for women.”4 Despite American society’s increasingly relaxed attitudes about sexual behavior,5 women are still viewed differently than men for engaging in the same behavior. A woman who engages in sexually promiscuous behavior with a man is shamed; she is deemed a “slut.” A man who engages in the same sexually promiscuous behavior with a woman is celebrated for his sexual prowess; he is considered a “stud.”6 A flippant—yet apt—definition that encapsulates the sexual double standard is that a “slut” is “a woman with the morals of a man.”7
Contemporary feminists refer to the practice of criticizing a woman’s real or perceived sexual promiscuity as “slut-shaming.” Feminist blogger Andrea Rubenstein defines slut-shaming as “the idea of shaming and/or attacking a woman or girl for being sexual, having one or more sexual partners, acknowledging sexual feelings, and/or acting on sexual feelings.”8 It is “sexist because only girls and women are called to task for their sexuality, whether real or imagined; boys and men are congratulated for the exact same behavior. This is the essence of the sexual double standard: boys will be boys, and girls will be sluts.”9 Rubenstein notes, “in many cases, the so-called slut’s actual sexual behavior is nonexistent or irrelevant.”10 The practice reinforces the sexual double standard by intentionally targeting a woman who “does not adhere to feminine norms.”11
Although recent attention has focused on the problem of slut-shaming among adolescents,12 the behavior is not limited to teenagers. Slut-shaming can also occur in the workplace.13 The behavior frequently manifests in the form of spreading rumors14 that a female employee has engaged in sexually promiscuous behavior with a male superior or male coworker.15 For example, Marcela Fuentes, a twenty-one year old who worked as a part-time cashier for AutoZone, became the subject of humiliating workplace sexual rumors.16 After Ms. Fuentes came to work with a fever blister on her lip, her male supervisors spread rumors that she had herpes and that she had contracted it by performing oral sex on a male coworker.17 The rumor spread quickly among employees, so much so that Ms. Fuentes heard the rumor repeated back to her by an employee at another AutoZone store.18
Workplace rumors about a woman’s alleged sexual promiscuity are not simply embarrassing invasions of privacy;19 they are gender-based insults. Many, perhaps most, employees do not choose to make their personal sexual conduct a matter of public discussion in the workplace. Sexual rumors invade that privacy and most likely convey false information while doing so.20 They also accuse the woman of violating the sexual double standard, of being a “slut.”
Part II of the article will review the origins and requirements for a hostile work environment claim and specifically discuss Title VII’s “because of” sex requirement. Part III will summarize social science research that confirms the continued existence of a sexual double standard. In Part IV, the article will examine hostile work environment cases that have included rumors about sexual promiscuity and analyze how the courts have addressed the “because of” sex requirement. Finally, in Part V, the author offers recommendations for how courts should treat sexual rumors for purposes of the “because of” sex requirement in hostile work environment cases.
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When GLOBAL BANKING 1% OLD WORLD KINGS take control of US------they sell to MEN the idea that a US WOMAN shouldn't have been in the workforce -----therefor should not receive RETIREMENT benefits. If a woman works----she is a SLUT.
As I go to address this RESPIRATORY INFECTION tied to ASTHMA taking blood and X-RAYS what I am hearing in FEEDBACK from NOSY NEIGHBORS AND THE GANG----is-----
THIS MAN HAS SEEN HER NAKED-----SHE DOESN'T CARE THAT SHE HAS BEEN SEEN----SHE IS A WHORE.
This is happening as I am simply trying to access my MEDICARE HEALTH BENEFITS.
CLINTON/BUSH/OBAMA set the stage for MOVING FORWARD back to DARK AGES to include women----to include loss of MAGNA CARTA ergo all 99% of men. These stances were goals over these few decades of ROBBER BARON bringing US to colonial status. NO ONE will have rights so women being attacked today will be men attacked tomorrow.
So, NO----TRUMP is not the source of these policy goals. TRUMP is simply that MADMAN/RIGHT WING THEOCRACY guy installed to MOVE FORWARD ONE WORLD 3000BC HINDI-BRAHMIN.
Being made so uncomfortable as to go to medical facility for health care access would be one way to keep people from accessing HEALTH RETIREMENT ---like MEDICARE or DISABILITY.
If NOSY NEIGHBORS AND THE GANG have stolen all SS benefits they would act like this.
8 Ultra-Conservatives Leading Trump’s War on Women
November 8, 2017IWHC Staff
One year after the election of Donald Trump, it has become clear that his Administration staunchly pursues one priority: removing policies that protect the rights of women and girls while ensuring that conservative ideologues with extreme, retrograde views are positioned to decide on women’s bodies and lives.
At the International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC), we have been chronicling the Trump Administration’s efforts to restrict sexual and reproductive health and rights from day one. Our unique lens is documenting and analyzing the repercussions of the Administration’s actions for women and girls worldwide. We have found that a track record of restricting women’s access to health care has seemingly become a key credential for joining President Trump’s Administration.
Here are Trump’s top-tier anti-woman nominees and appointees:
- Penny Young Nance, US Ambassador-at-Large for the Office of Global Women’s Issues (rumored nominee): Nance has an extensive record of championing policy rooted in religion and ideology, rather than in fact and science. Her ambition surpasses legal restrictions. “It is not enough to make abortion illegal, we strive to make it unthinkable,” she stated. Nance has worked to limit access to common birth control methods like emergency contraception. She supports so-called “Heartbeat Bill,” legislation that would ban abortion at around six weeks of pregnancy, despite a lack of medical evidence to support such a restrictive ban. Some versions of this legislation would also punish physicians with prison sentences for providing standard medical care. One such bill is currently under consideration in Congress. Her anti-abortion views are extreme, even suggesting that women facing life-threatening complications from pregnancy should carry their fetus to term. Nance is clearly not qualified to spearhead US efforts to support gender equality and the human rights of women and girls around the world.
- Sam Brownback, US Ambassador-at-Large for Religious Freedom (nominee): Long a zealous opponent of women’s and LGBTQ rights, Senator Brownback has often sought to cloak his efforts to block access to health and undermine human rights in a veil of religious liberty, justifying crackdowns on individual choice through a twisted understanding of religious freedom. As Governor of Kansas, he supported some of the nation’s most restrictive abortion laws, including legislation allowing pharmacists to refuse to provide drugs they believe might cause an abortion; a budget defunding Planned Parenthood; and a law that states that life begins “at fertilization” and requires doctors to tell women that abortion causes breast cancer (a proven lie). Senator Brownback’s approach in Kansas—using narrow religious interpretations to justify large-scale denials of human rights—has become more common in many countries around the world where women, LGBTQ persons, and other groups see their health and rights jeopardized in the name of religion. His record demonstrates an interest in advancing a conservative ideology at the expense of human rights.
- Bethany Kozma, Senior Adviser for Women’s Empowerment, Office of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, US Agency for International Development: Kozma, a former White House staffer who spent the waning months of the Obama Administration leading a campaign to restrict bathroom access for transgender students, has been tapped by an agency responsible for a substantial amount of LGBT human rights and development programming, including economic support, education, and health. She has no history of leadership on women’s rights, no record of advocating for gender equality and empowerment, and no international development experience. These would appear to be basic requirements to advise a leading foreign development aid agency on issues that affect more than half the world’s population.
- Mark Green, Administrator, US Agency for International Development (USAID): Unlike other Trump nominees, Ambassador Green brings significant experience to this position. Following four terms as a Congressman for Wisconsin, Green served as ambassador to Tanzania, headed the International Republican Institute and was previously on the board of directors at the Millennium Challenge Corporation. However, his record on reproductive rights and women’s health is discouraging. As Congressman, Ambassador Green repeatedly voted for ideologically driven policies that restrict women’s control over their bodies and limit access to a full range of reproductive health care. NARAL Pro-Choice America gave him a 0 percent rating for consistently voting against abortion rights. He voted in favor of a provision to maintain the President’s ability to implement the Global Gag Rule, a policy that prohibits family planning funding to foreign organizations that provide abortion services, counseling, and referrals—allowing international access to abortion services to remain at the whim of politicians in Washington. Trump’s Gag Rule is already threatening women’s health. IWHC provided recommendations for Ambassador Green’s new role.
- Nikki Haley, US Ambassador to the United Nations: Haley’s views and actions also represent an across-the-board threat to women’s health. She has staked her name as an opponent of abortion rights in the state of South Carolina, signing numerous pieces of anti-choice legislation, including a 20-week abortion ban. She launched a statewide investigation into clinics that provide abortions in the wake of a 2015 Planned Parenthood smear campaign, and told ABC’s The View that “women don’t care about contraception,” but rather about jobs and families. Under her tenure, the US has blocked global agreements that would advance sexual and reproductive rights, and cut off all funding for the UN Population Fund, the world’s largest provider of reproductive health services.
- Rex Tillerson, US Secretary of State (Since resigned): Tillerson’s positions on sexual and reproductive rights are largely unknown, yet he is overseeing one of the world’s largest government programs supporting women’s sexual and reproductive health globally. During his confirmation hearings, Tillerson expressed a personal commitment to gender equality. Yet when asked if he would continue to prioritize US support for family planning and reproductive health—which are critical for women’s and girls’ autonomy, economic independence, and political participation—he failed to provide assurances that US leadership on these issues would continue. Instead, he indicated that these programs would be under review. In his tenure so far, he has not interfered with the US taking regressive positions on sexual and reproductive rights in international forums. Since taking office, Tillerson has embarked on a controversial and highly political process of redesigning U.S. diplomacy and foreign assistance and has undermined women’s health and rights at every turn, both through devastating policies like the Global Gag Rule and by calling for budget cuts to key global programs.
- Tom Price, Secretary, Health and Human Services (Since resigned): At the time of his nomination, Price had a well-documented history of anti-science and anti-reproductive health views that could have significantly harmed and undermined the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women in the US and globally. He is a member of a medical association that has consistently taken false positions contradicting evidence-based medicine on numerous issues, including denying the existence of HIV/AIDS and claiming that abortion causes illness. In Congress, he sought to curtail women’s access to contraception and abortion, and to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which ensures access to contraception, a continued target for President Trump. The head of the HHS oversees US global health policy and commitments, and plays a significant role at the World Health Assembly (WHA), the governing body of the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO sets global standards and guidance for sexual and reproductive health care, including crises such as Zika, which could be subject to political meddling from the US Government if ideological positions hold sway. At the time of Price’s resignation, HHS invited public comment on a draft Strategic Plan that would recognize life from the moment of conception and pave the way for increased restrictions on access to abortion in the US and abroad.
- Jeff Sessions, US Attorney General: Senator Sessions’ long record of hostility towards women’s reproductive rights is crucial as the country’s chief implementer of laws in the US must have a record of fairness and respect for the rights of women, which the attorney general severely lacks. In fact, his confirmation could still eviscerate women’s reproductive rights domestically and signal to the world that hostility to basic rights is a welcome standard for the Trump administration. As a senator, Sessions repeatedly voted against provisions to protect abortion providers from violence. It is the attorney general’s responsibility to uphold the rule of law. He has already played an instrumental role in diminishing the rights of women, LGBT and other communities within the US, which sets a new, low standard and threatens to erode such rights globally.