WOMEN, YOUTH & FAMILIES

Terry Goddard has a long history of supporting issues that are uniquely of great concern to women, youth and families.    As Mayor and Attorney General, Terry has promoted opportunities for women and has been an active voice for key issues of social justice, civil rights, diversity, job security and education.

Domestic Violence

As Attorney General, Terry has been a consistent and strong voice for the prevention of domestic violence and child abuse and in seeking justice for victims.  He has worked with fellow attorneys general on a national level on many issues that affect the safety of women and children including:

• Protecting children from Internet Predators on the Internet especially social networking sites, such as MySpace and Facebook.
• Enforcing bans on advertising and sales of tobacco to youth.
• Urging the alcohol industry to eliminate products and advertising that encourage underage drinking.
• Aggressively enforcing and prosecuting Mexican cartels engaged in human smuggling.

He has launched several successful initiatives to address violence against women that include:

• Supporting domestic violence shelters throughout Arizona through the distribution of $525,000 in settlement money recovered by the State in the Nine West antitrust litigation, including $55,000 to the Women’s Foundation of Southern Arizona.
• Protecting children affected by forced underage marriages in the polygamous communities of Colorado City and Hildale.  This issue presents extraordinary challenges to law enforcement and human services.  Through the outstanding partnership between Arizona and Utah law enforcement and service agencies we have prosecuted crimes, developed a multi-faceted safety net for services and established a physical presence for law enforcement and social services in Colorado City. (Note the newly relocated office opens the first week in October)
• Launching the 2005 CUT IT OUT program a successful national domestic violence prevention initiative in Arizona with the Arizona Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Arizona State Board of Cosmetology.   This common sense program draws upon cosmetology professionals’ unique access to women, and helps train them to recognize the signs of domestic violence in their clients and assist victims in finding help.

Terry is and will always be fully committed to the protection of women, children and crime victims, especially those who are most vulnerable.

Choice

Terry Goddard has a strong record, developed over 30 years of action, of support for reproductive rights here in Arizona.  His positions on reproductive health are consistent and are clear.   

Terry supports Roe vs. Wade and a woman’s ability to choose safe and legal abortion.

Terry is opposed to regulations that interfere with access to care, such as required waiting periods.

Terry opposes restrictions on abortion procedures that fail to provide an exception to protect a women’s health.

Terry supports the current law requiring health insurance coverage for contraception.

Terry supports public funding for family planning services for low-income women.

Download this PDF to read Terry's stance on choice.

Paycheck Fairness Act (PFA)

Terry Goddard understands that nationally a woman is receiving only 77 cents for every dollar a man earns for the same job and believes that this is an inequity that has been allowed to go on far too long.  With so many American families supported by women’s wages, this issue impacts not only women, children and families but the entire economy.  He supports the Paycheck Fairness Act (PFA), which would deter wage discrimination by closing loopholes in the Equal Pay Act and barring retaliation against workers who disclose their wages.  He supports the concept that women and men should receive the same remedies for sex-based pay discrimination that are currently available to those who are discriminated against based on race and national origin.  

Youth Employment Initiative

Our youth should not have to bear a disproportionate share of the burdens of the recession.

Arizona needs a concentrated and focused effort to give opportunities to our youth for jobs and leadership opportunities and keeping our talented young people in Arizona.  We must build on the successful programs for community and national service models that maximize federal funding and corporate support.


Methamphetamine Awareness

As Attorney General, Terry worked with community leaders to launch a successful methamphetamine awareness campaign aimed at teens, which helped contribute along with aggressive law enforcement and treatment a 50% reduction in teen meth use between 2006 and 2008.