Many children are finding themselves in homes without the bare necessities due to the unfortunate situation of living in single parent homes where the absent parent is not providing any support to the child -- even when there are support orders in place. The states are inconsistent in granting and enforcing child support orders, as a result the children suffer, the custodial parent has to work multiple jobs or long hours and the absent parent escapes financial responsibility without any penalty. Women are disporportionately impacted since they typically are the primary care givers/custodial parent. The laws must be enacted empowering the federal government to take control of the child support enforcement so that we are all subject to the same criteria irrespective of the state in which the children or parents live.

A woman's body is her own to with what she wants to!

The congressional committee that shut all women out of the hearings about women's medical health was shocking and reprehensible. It should be illegal to legislate on women - and other types of people - without representation.

As a Cancer Survivor and a woman, I am concerned with negoations between Catholic Health Initiatives and UAMS. If UAMS is taken over by Catholic Health Initiatives it would mean that state employees jobs would be in jeopardy, it would mean lower pay, reduced or no pensions, longer hours, and less benefits including no contraceptives. It would mean that valuable stem cell research could be restricted or eliminated. It could mean that women's health could be negatively impact. This isn't competition in health care but attempt to create a monopoly by CHI.

Paul Ryan has long wanted to ban access to abortion even in the case of rape -- this is equivalent to being raped again. To take away a woman's control over the consequences of being raped reflects an extreme lack of compassion. Does this man have a heart?!

Thanks to legislation passed by anti-choice lawmakers and supported by Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia is implementing burdensome and medically unnecessary Targeted Regulations of Abortion Providers (TRAP). The Virginia Board of Health took a courageous stand to amend the regulations to allow women's health clinics to remain open. Ken Cuccinelli is trying to veto the Board of Health and shut down women's health clinics, limiting the continued availability of safe, legal, first-trimester abortion throughout the state. Virginia's women's health centers provide vital health care services like STD screenings, cancer screenings and family planning services, in addition to providing legal and safe abortions. Shutting down these clinics would restrict access to essential services, particularly for young, low-income, uninsured, and minority women. Tell the Board of Health to stand up to Ken Cuccinelli's bullying and protect women's health centers and women's access to comprehensive health care services.

A 22-year-old U.S. Army private was raped at a military base in Afghanistan and became pregnant. But military insurance does not cover pregnancy termination in case of rape—it's only covered if the pregnancy is life-threatening. So she had to raise the money and take personal time off to travel all the way back to the United States to have the procedure. Her mother, who was living on a fixed, low income, was her only financial support.

Rep. Todd Akin, your comments about survivors of rape are shocking and offensive. Anyone who doesn't understand basic biology and wants to create more barriers for rape survivors seeking justice does not belong in the United States Congress.

Domestic Violence affects women and children in every State. We deserve equal protection under the law from abuse, physical and emotional harm. The American Constitutionstates that all Men are creadterd equal under the law and endowed by their creator inalienable rights. It is time that pepole are held accountable and not protected by the States for crimes committed against Domestic Violence. The States need to protect women and children and not just give lip service to the crime to break the cycle of Domestic Violence by passing laws that mandate equal protection under the law and the police have to enforce the laws.

Employers that hold over 30 employees should be mandated to pay their full time female employees who have worked for them over a year a min of 6 weeks of maternity leave. There are many employers who currently do provide paid maternity leave to their employees but many who do not. Government employees currently have to use their sick/vacation time in order to take maternity leave. If they do not have the time they may be allowed to take advance leave that must be paid back when they return to work. The other option if you do not have vacation or sick time is to take leave without pay. Missing even one paycheck can send a family into poverty. Also when you are on leave without pay the government does pay your health insurance premiums but they make you pay them back when you return to work. This of course will put the family in further debt. So again, I am pushing for all employers, including the federal government to pay their female employees 6 weeks of paid maternity leave at their regular rate of pay.

I want to petition to require M. Romney, P.Ryan, J.Boehner, Bachman, McConnell, Rubio, Christy and all the republican leadership to state clearly and univocally whether they'd want a pregnancy started as a result of them ( Bachman) their wife/daughter being raped, to be carried to term

as a rape survivor i am sickened by this uneducated man who does not know the first thing about women's rights.. i feel sorry for his daughters. he must quit immediately, men like him should keep silent .