Press Releases
Jeff Sessions Chooses Halliburton Over Women
October 12, 2009
Sen. Session's Lead Against the Franken Amendment Abominable
Montgomery, AL - The Alabama Democratic Party condemns the position of Republican Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions in the matter of his vehement opposition to an amendment to the Senate's Defense Authorization Act that would have protected the female employees of defense contractors from mandatory "binding arbitration" in matters dealing with sexual assault.
An amendment that passed the Senate by a vote of 68-30, including the support of 10 Republican Senators (and all four female Republican Senators), was visibly opposed by Sessions who is quoted as saying, "this is a political attack directed against Halliburton."
Democratic Senator, Al Franken, offered the amendment after ABC News reported about an employee of a Halliburton subsidiary who was brutally gang-raped and placed in a cargo container during her service to the company in Iraq. This amendment goes to the core of protecting a woman's right to due process and is offered because of the many accounts of abuse against women serving overseas in civilian positions in defense of our country.
Sen. Sessions should consider how many women are deployed overseas in defense of our country in all types of civilian and military positions and work each day to ensure their safety. His callous position and vote against women and justice in lieu of his favoritism for Dick Cheney's defense mammoth (Halliburton) is inexcusable.
"This position of Sen. Session hurts women and sends the wrong message abroad. It also perpetuates a negative image of our state. Senator Sessions should support good public policy, like this amendment that seeks justice, empowers women and assures the right to a trial by jury by all injured parties", said Joe Turnham, Chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party.
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