Where Ted Cruz Stands On Women's Issues

Yes, it's still 2015, but it's time to start thinking about the upcoming presidential race and weeding out candidates whose stances don't work for you. On Monday, Ted Cruz announced his 2016 presidential bid on Twitter, becoming the first candidate to formerly announce they're running. As a Republican senator from Texas, it's well-known that the presidential hopeful for 2016 opposes same-sex marriage, detests the Affordable Care Act, and wants to secure the borders — but where does Ted Cruz stand on women's issues?

Despite leaking the news online beforehand, Cruz formally announced his candidacy Monday at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. “The power of the American people as we stand up and fight for liberty knows no bounds,” Cruz said in his speech at Liberty University. His campaign so far revolves around "the promise of America," and he's already made some pretty hefty promises, like repealing Obamacare and abolishing the IRS.

Cruz has not yet mentioned the promise of American women or what he would do for this half of the population were he elected in 2016, but his past work makes his opinions about issues like abortion and violence against women crystal clear. Let's take a look at where the senator stands on the women's issues.

Abortion

Cruz vehemently opposes abortion. On his Facebook page, he called Roe v. Wade a "dark anniversary" and wrote "no right is more precious and fundamental than the right to life," apparently including women's individual rights. He did not say he would work to overturn the 1973 ruling, but he has supported bans on taxpayer money funding abortions and a Texas law that would require doctors performing abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital, which was ruled unconstitutional and is now being appealed.

Birth Control

The Texas senator doesn't understand birth control. At the 2013 Values Voter Summit, Cruz said that Obamacare, which requires employers to cover contraception in their health insurance plans, including Plan B, was forcing Christian companies like Hobby Lobby to provide "abortifacients" to employees. Cruz obviously doesn't understand that Plan B, as an emergency contraception, works before pregnancy even begins by stopping the release of an egg from the ovary, preventing fertilization of an egg, and preventing attachment to the uterus.

Violence Against Women

Senator Cruz voted "no" to the amendments to the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 that were passed in 2013. The law, which provides money for the investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women and created the Office on Violence Against Women within the Department of Justice, was amended to expand protections for victims and established more protections for gay and Native American women. Cruz didn't fully defend his vote, but a statement from his office says, "he voted against this federal law because stopping and punishing violent criminals is primarily a state responsibility," basically sidestepping the duty to protect women.

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