On Election Day, Congressman Chris Smith was re-elected to represent us and write laws in Washington, D.C., that reflect our values. Congressman Smith’s voting record on women’s issues is egregious.
In 2011, he wrote a bill to redefine the language of rape to forcible rape, which means, in Congressman Smith’s definition, women would have to be beaten, bloody or worse to prove they were raped.
Last year, he voted against equal pay for women and the Violence Against Women Act. Congressman Smith voted to outlaw the birth control pill. Congressman Smith’s extreme and devout belief is that the pill is an abortion.
In 2014, Congressman Smith wrote HR7, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, blocking private insurance and personal flexible-spending account money from being used to purchase birth control. The misleading title makes people believe their tax money is being used for abortion. HR7 blocks your pretax money from being used to purchase birth control either through your health plan or your flex spending money. Congressman Smith’s ideology is that if your pretax money is used for birth control, the government is funding your abortion. Congressman Smith is against women’s choice even in cases of rape, incest and to save the life of the mother.
Congressman Smith also advocated for Hobby Lobby in 2014, allowing corporations to deny employees birth control based on the owners’ religious beliefs. Congressman Smith is the chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus and leads the war on women from our District 4 seat. We should be afraid.
Robin Nowicki
Manalapan