To the Editor:
The false slogan of “war on women”—trumpeted throughout the 2012 election—is being dusted off to slander a candidate who, unlike his opponents, has spent a verifiable lifetime of helping Virginia’s women.
I had a chance to hear Ken Cuccinelli a couple months ago, and his wife shared some of Ken’s accomplishments that—yes—are pro-woman. For example, as a student at UVA, Ken Cuccinelli started a sexual assault awareness program that is still in place today. The attorney general has received national recognition from the anti-human trafficking group Polaris Project and has quantifiably improved the state's ability to fight sexual exploitation and predators. His expansion of the Address Confidentiality Program allows countless victims to keep their addresses unknown to their abusers, affording them to live more peacefully.
Having sworn to uphold Virginia’s Constitution, Cuccinelli has both defended laws he has supported and some he hasn't. One of those laws, which the attorney general directed to be enforced over the objections of the Board of Health, set standards for safety and hygiene in abortion clinics. Given the deplorable and dangerous conditions in Kermit Gosnell's “House of Horrors,” who could be against safe conditions for women in facilities where sensitive and invasive procedures are being performed?
Ken Cuccinelli’s history of standing up for women goes largely ignored by the media. As a woman, I am stunned by the opposing party’s “war” theme. I have found no evidence of such a war. The attack appears to be more about the candidate winning at any cost—moral or not—than it does about the truth. The truth should always prevail.
We need someone who stands on principle and doesn't pander to the populace with flimsy promises. That person is Ken Cuccinelli. I hope you will join me on Nov. 5th in supporting him.
Tina Dante
Vienna