Jeff Gorell is trying convince women he has their back on the campaign trail, but unfortunately for Ventura County women, Gorell’s record stands in stark contrast to his rhetoric – especially on pay equity, over-the-counter birth control and a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions.
Throughout his career, Gorell has refused to stand up for women on countless issues and even received a 0 percent rating from Planned Parenthood:
- Silent on Hobby Lobby Decision putting bosses in charge of employees’ contraceptive choices
- Refused to Support Violence Against Women Act
- Refused to Support Equal Pay for Equal Work
- Would Let Insurance Companies Charge Women More than Men for Same Coverage
- Voted Against Minimum Wage Increase
“Ventura County women have a clear choice to make in November – a staunch advocate for women’s healthcare and pay equity like Julia Brownley, or a lobbyist like Jeff Gorell, who refuses to stand up for women,” said Emily Bittner of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “When it Ventura County women want to know who is on their side, the answer is Julia Brownley, not Jeff Gorell.”
BACKGROUND
Headline: California Congressional Candidate Stays Silent on ‘Hobby Lobby’ [RH Reality Check, 8/25/14]
Gorell Supported Over-the-Counter Birth Control Policy. “The Supreme Court also recently decided a case of Hobby Lobby, which was consistent with the Constitution’s protections of religious freedoms, but I believe contraceptives should be made available over the counter, as do many physicians. Doing so would secure freedoms for employers and access for women. It’s time for America to evolve beyond Hobby Lobby.” [Jeff Gorell op-ed, Ventura County Star,9/13/14]
… Which would Result in Increased Costs for Women of $600 a Year. “Under the Affordable Care Act, women with an insurance plan can get birth control dispensed for free with a prescription… [A]ny woman could technically gain access to birth control by walking into a pharmacy without the extra step of seeing a doctor, but the price tag for the medication without insurance would put it out of reach for more women. Many experts have pegged the potential cost of the pill without insurance at $600 a year.” [The Atlantic,9/23/14]
Gorell Has Said He Would Repeal the Affordable Care Act. The Ventura County Star reported that Gorell said, “If given an opportunity to repeal it, I would do so.” [Ventura County Star, 5/08/14]
Repeal Could Deny Coverage for Preventive Care to 47 Million Women. “Beginning today, up to 47 million women may be eligible to get free access to preventive health care services as that provision of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act goes into effect […] Already covered under the law are other free preventive services for women recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a group of doctors that advise the government on treatment guidelines. These include mammograms every 1-2 years for women over 40, cervical cancer screenings and prenatal care.” [CBS News, 8/01/12]
HHS: Preventive Care Covers Services Like Immunizations, Cancer Screenings, and Mammograms. HHS reported that preventive care for children included services like “regular pediatrician visits, vision and hearing screening, developmental assessments, immunizations, and screening and counseling to address obesity and help children maintain a healthy weight” and for adults, services like “recommended immunizations such as flu shots for all adults and meningococcal and pneumococcal vaccinations for high-risk adults; cancer screening including colonoscopy for adults 50 to 64; healthy diet counseling and obesity screening; cholesterol and blood pressure screening; screening for HIV; depression screening; and tobacco-use counseling.” The HHS reported that for women, preventive coverage would also include “cancer screening such as pap smears for those ages 21 to 64, mammograms for those ages 50 to 64, and colonoscopy for those ages 50 to 64… well-woman visits, screening for gestational diabetes, domestic violence screening and counseling.” [HHS.gov, March 2013]
Gorell Refused to Support Urging Congress to Pass Paycheck Fairness Act to Close Wage Gap. In August 2012, Gorell was absent from a vote on a bill urging Congress to pass the federal Paycheck Fairness Act to help close the wage gap. Gorell voted on the bills before and after AJR 47, but did not vote on AJR 47. The bill passed 52 to 21. [AJR 47, 8/29/12; Assembly Daily Journal, 8/29/12]
2013: Gorell Received a Zero Percent Rating from Planned Parenthood. In 2013, Assemblyman Jeff Gorell received a zero percent rating from the Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California Action Funds for his positions on women’s health issues. [PPAC Legislative Scorecard, Assemblyman Jeff Gorell(R-44), 2013]
2012: Gorell Received Zero Percent Rating from Planned Parenthood. In 2012, Gorell received a zero percent rating from the Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California Action Funds (“PPAC”). [PPAC Legislative Scorecard, Assemblyman Jeff Gorell (R-44), 2012]
Gorell Voted Against Raising the Minimum Wage. In 2013, Nestande voted against a 25 percent raise of the minimum wage, from $8 an hour to $9 an hour of July 2014 and finally to $10 an hour by January 2016. “The minimum wage has not kept pace with rising costs,” Governor Brown said. “This legislation is overdue and will help families that are struggling in this harsh economy.”“This bill goes to the heart of economic security. For workers, the minimum wage is all that’s keeping you from sinking further down as the economy moves on without you,” testified Mitch Seaman of the California Labor Federation. The bill passed, 52-25. [AB-10, 9/12/13; Mercury News, 9/13/13; Ventura County Star, 4/24/13]
2013: Nearly Two-Thirds of Workers Earning at or Below Federal Minimum Wage were Women. PolitiFact: In 2013, 62.4 percent of workers, or 2.06 million people, who earned at or below the federal minimum wage were women. This was down slightly from the year before, when it was 64 percent. [Bureau of Labor and Statistics report, March 2014; PolitiFact, 4/02/14]