George W. Bush and the War on Women

Abstract

* Preface * Part I: George W. Bush's Radical American Revolution ** Presidential Powers and Women's Rights ** Conservative movements and Republican politics ** Significance for Women of Conservative Success ** Plan of the Book * Part II: In the China Shop: Closing Agencies, Eliminating Initiatives, Changing Procedures ** 2001: Percentage of women in executive positions is reduced ** 2001: Women's Input Excluded from Appointments Process ** 2001: President's Interagency Council on Women is ** Eliminated ** 2001: White House Office on Women's Initiatives and ** Outreach is Closed ** White House Access granted to Right-wing Groups ** The Equal Pay Matters Initiative is eliminated ** Bush Tries to Eliminate Regional Offices of the Women's ** Bureau ** Bush tries to eliminate federal workers' contraceptive coverage ** Bush Tries to Eliminate Women's Educational Equity Act programs ** Bush Tries to Eliminate Women's Military Advisory Committee ** Bush Weakens Enforcement of anti-discrimination laws ** Bush cancels regulations on Ergonomics in the Workplace ** Bush cancels paid family leave plan * Part III: Power Through Appointments: Rewarding Ideologues and Friends ** Right-wing Organizations and the Bush Administration ** Cronyism and Political Payback in Bush Appointments ** Bush's 'diversity' strategy ** A Rogue's Gallery of Bush Appointees ** Bush's Ambivalence about Gay Appointees * Part IV: Managing Information: Erasures, Manipulation, Outright Lies ** Reducing public access to reliable information ** Political Manipulation of Scientific Research and Information ** Stacking Scientific Panels to Get the 'Right' Recommendations. ** Reaction of the Scientific Community ** The dangers of politicising information * Part V: Reproductive Rights, Sexuality, and Abstinence: Limiting Women's Freedoms ** The Birth Control Revolution ** Sex Education Wars ** Misinformation and Ineffective Advice for Parents ** The Partial-birth Abortion Ban ** Redefining the status of the foetus, at the expense of ** Women ** Reducing access to contraception for everyone ** Does Bush oppose contraception? Troubling Questions. ** Abortions Rise under Bush ** Ideological Appointments to Reproductive Policy Positions ** Bush Bravely Protects Marriage * Part VI: Restricting Reproductive Rights Around the Globe: Threatening Women's Lives to Please the Right ** Reproductive Rights as Human Rights ** Reinstating the Global Gag Rule ** Fighting AIDS with Abstinence ** Inhibiting Successful Sex-Worker Anti-AIDS Programs ** Withdrawing Funding from the UNFPA. ** Conclusion: undermining women's reproductive freedom * Part VII: Bush vs. Women of the World: Are Women's Rights Human Rights? ** Opposing 'Comfort Women's' Suit against Japan ** Refusing to Grant Asylum to Domestic Violence Victims ** Retreat from international women's rights goals and treaties ** The Beijing Plus 10 Conference ** Bush administration backs out on support for CEDAW. ** Bush appointees with international women's rights responsibilities. * Part VIII: Stacking the Deck Against Women: Bush and the Courts ** Bush Selection Strategies ** A Sampling of Bush's Court Nominees ** The Supremes: Changing the Court of Last Resort ** Bush's Justice in the Courts: Failure to prosecute discrimination * Part IX: Weakening Support for Women's Education and Health ** Challenging Title IX protections ** Opposing Diversity in Higher Education ** Cutting Programs that Work ** Bush and Women's Health ** Politicising Women's Health Needs in Afghanistan * Part X: How Bush's Economic and Budget Priorities Hurt Women ** Dismantling the Great Society ** Threatening Social Security ** Bankruptcy Legislation: Women as Economic Victims ** Tax Policy: Shifting the Burden, Rewarding the Rich ** Increasing Poverty and the Bush Response ** Welfare Changes and Medicaid Cuts ** Marriage as the Answer to Women's Poverty ** Funding Antifeminist Religious Groups * Part XI: The Real Bush Revealed: Lessons from Katrina ** Initial signs of disarray and public outrage ** Mismanagement of the real crisis ** Charges of racism and class bias ** Women the Majority of Victims ** Taking political advantage ** Cronyism unmasked and unleashed ** Propounding disinformation and passing blame ** The lessons of Katrina * Part XII: Bush Wars and Militarism: Heavy Burdens for Women ** Losing the Peace in Afghanistan ** Women and War in Iraq: Losing Ground ** Undermining Human Rights ** Karen Hughes' failed diplomacy ** War and Militarism: Hidden Costs to Women ** Rhetoric and Reality: Using feminist language to undermine feminism * Conclusions: Where do we go from here? * Appendix * Resources on the Bush administration and current political issues * Notes * References * Index