Read Senator Obama's response to our Reproductive Health questionnaire.
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) has taken a proactive approach to reproductive health. He's a cosponsor of the Prevention First Act of 2007, introduced the Responsible Fatherhood and Healthy Families Act, and has earned a 100 percent score from NARAL Pro-Choice America:
"I believe we must work together to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies. I support legislation to expand access to contraception, health information, and preventative services to help reduce unintended pregnancies. That is why I co-sponsored the Prevention First Act of 2007, which will increase funding for family planning and comprehensive sex education that teaches both abstinence and safe sex methods. It will also end insurance discrimination against contraception, improve awareness about emergency contraception, and provide compassionate assistance to rape victims."
Obama has also voted to expand access to contraceptives and education in order to reduce teen pregnancy.
On HIV/AIDS, Obama has supported funding for global efforts:
"[The US should] lead the global fight against the AIDS virus. The US must give its fair share to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to avoid both a humanitarian and economic crisis. President Bush's budget this year actually cuts the U.S. contribution to the Global Fund by 65 percent. As Senator, I will hold President Bush to his word and fully fund our commitment to the war on AIDS. We must also increase the availability of generic drugs to AIDS victims around the world."
Obama also took a public HIV test to raise awareness and reduce stigma.
Obama criticized the Supreme Court decision to uphold the federal abortion ban:
"I strongly disagree with today's Supreme Court ruling, which dramatically departs from previous precedents safeguarding the health of pregnant women. As Justice Ginsburg emphasized in her dissenting opinion, this ruling signals an alarming willingness on the part of the conservative majority to disregard its prior rulings respecting a woman's medical concerns and the very personal decisions between a doctor and patient. I am extremely concerned that this ruling will embolden state legislatures to enact further measures to restrict a woman's right to choose, and that the conservative Supreme Court justices will look for other opportunities to erode Roe v. Wade, which is established federal law and a matter of equal rights for women."
Obama says he trusts women to make a prayerful decision and that gay couples should have equal rights, including marriage:
Obama addresses an audience at the SEIU's Health Care Forum promising universal health insurance by then end of his first term:
