Read about Dan on Women’s Rights
Dear Friend,
Welcome to the Women for Dan Seals web page! We are women dedicated to improving our communities and believe that Dan will best represent our interests in Washington. Women for Dan Seals really started right here at home. Dan’s mother—Cecelia, our three daughters, and I have been rooting for Dan for as long as each of us can remember. So we decided to join with the thousands of women across the district supporting Dan to create Women for Seals.
As Dan’s wife, I can personally attest for Dan’s amazing character and dedication. Dan is a great listener. Sure, he has ideas of his own, but he takes the time to really listen to everyone. It’s not to say he does everything you suggest (too bad for me sometimes), but he earnestly listens in order to understand where people come from – which leads to better decisions. Just as important, if you disagree with him, he takes the time to explain why he believes what he does. He doesn’t dodge tough questions or confrontations.
Dan is a great father, husband and the most trust-worthy person I know. He took on the challenge of staying home full-time to take care of our toddler during my mid-MBA summer internship – in a totally new city with no family support. Dan didn’t complain once (though he was extraordinarily glad to see me when I got home).
Even now, despite his busy campaign schedule, he makes every effort to have a meal together and read to our children. Dan knows and does what is right – we can count on him. And I love him for that. Furthermore, I believe these values are important not only for our family, but also for our community.
Please help this great guy get elected. I know I am biased, but I truly believe we need more people like Dan in Congress.
Join the movement, join Women for Seals.
Sincerely,
Mia Seals
Dan’s Agenda for Women
Women’s Health
Despite great strides in medical research, women still have unequal representation when compared to men. Much of the most recent research has been conducted with a one-size-fits-all mentality. Research studies are so disparate that it often takes decades after a supposedly comprehensive medical study is conducted before the equivalent research is even contemplated. Knowing that this disparity exists, Dan will work to close this gender gap and prevent lack of adequate medical advances from becoming too great.
Within the past decade, the National Institutes for Health (NIH) has made astounding progress in medical research to improve women’s health. Science, development of new technologies, and research will promote wellness and help drive down health care costs. If elected, Dan will serve as a strong advocate for NIH and medical research in Congress and support funding for the great medical advances researchers accomplish every day.
Breast Cancer
Perhaps more than any other health issue, breast cancer has become the symbol of women’s health. Early detection is key to helping women defeat this disease. Several key Republicans in both the House and the Senate have labeled breast cancer screenings as both expensive and unnecessary, which would allow insurance companies to eliminate payments for this service. However, doing so would effectively deny many women breast cancer screenings when they need it most. As a husband and father to three girls, Dan has a personal stake in making these screenings available to all women.
Reproductive Rights
Dan is a strong supporter of a woman’s right to choose. While Dan understands that many people feel strongly against this issue, he feels that the matter is so personal and complicated for each woman that only she has the right to decide what to do with her body, her health, and her reproductive rights.
Rather than falling into the old partisan battles over this issue, though, Dan believes we need to move forward by ensuring that abortion is safe and legal, while working to make it as rare as possible through emphasis on preventing unwanted pregnancies and supporting adoption. The more focus we put on these policies, the fewer abortions will occur.
Dan strongly opposes a constitutional ban on abortion favored by many Republicans—evidence suggest legal restrictions would only serve to drive women to seek abortions outside of the medical system, where economically disadvantaged women in particular would face unsafe procedures.
Domestic Violence
Combating domestic violence is a community effort. Only by working with law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and victim’s advocacy groups can the effects of this horrible crime be mitigated. Dan believes that only by providing women affected by these outrageous acts with adequate support and resources to escape their abusers can they be made to feel safe. Unfortunately, these acts of violence against women are still too common, and Dan will continue supporting measures to aid survivors.
Working Women & Fighting Poverty
Working and middle class families are being squeezed by skyrocketing gas prices, rising health care costs, and the effects of the housing crisis. With the recent economic downturn, households are becoming increasingly dependent on working women to make ends meet. As a businessman and husband to a working mother, Dan understands the challenges women face in balancing work and family. Dan is committed to promoting policies that protect the rights of working women and remove barriers to economic advancement.
As an advocate for paycheck equity, Dan Seals supported HR 1338 (known as The Paycheck Fairness Act) and the Lily-Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. These acts attempt to address a pay disparity wherein women earn only 77 cents for every dollar that men earn for the same work. This gap creates a poverty rate for women that is nearly 13% higher than men and is even greater for minority women. If pay rates were equal for men and women, the poverty rate in Illinois would fall by half for both single mothers and married women. Dan has pledged to fight this inequity that continues to hurt women at home and at work.
The cost of childcare in Illinois has increased 40% since 2000, forcing many families to devote nearly 25% of their income to childcare costs. The average costs of childcare in suburban Cook County- $11,427- now outpaces the average cost of tuition at Illinois public universities- As the father of three daughters, Dan understands the challenges of balancing work and family. Dan will fight to help middle class families by making quality child care more accessible and affordable. [Chicago Public Radio, 8/18/08; “2007 Report on Childcare in Cook County: Elements of Childcare Supply and Demand,” Illinois Action for Children, 2008.
Education
Education is the key to economic advancement, particularly for working women. Compared to a woman with only a high school education, a woman with a two-year associate's degree earns 28 percent more and a woman with a bachelor's degree earns 75 percent more. Increasing support for adult education initiatives and career development programs will raise individual income levels and expand economic opportunities for women as more and more jobs require some post-secondary education. [Fact About Working Women, Women Employed Institute, April 2004].
Dan supports collapsing all of the different higher education tax incentives into one, easy-to-understand $3,000 tax credit. This credit would be available for four years of college (public or private), two years of community college, two years of graduate school, and job training and certification programs.
Dan also supports expanding access to the credit to more middle class families by making it available to individuals making up to $80,000 and married couples making up to $160,000 per year. Also, under the current law, families who have no income tax liability—nearly half of all families with children—are not eligible for the available tax credits. Seals’ would benefit these families for the first time by making the credit partially refundable.
Women Veterans
There are approximately 56,000 women serving in the Armed Forces statewide, many of whom have been called to active duty from the 10th District. Dan supports measures to ensure that these brave women operate in a safe and healthy environment free from discrimination. He is also committed to ensuring women who have chosen to serve in the Armed Forces are empowered with all the benefits they have earned and deserve.
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