Women of N.J. deserve better from Gov. Chris Christie

With Women’s History Month wrapping up a few days ago, I just wanted to share an  op-ed on Governor Christie’s history with women that ran this weekend in The Trenton Times.

By Joshua Henne

Every parent wants his or her daughter to find success and be surrounded by people who treat women with care and respect. New Jersey’s women deserve nothing less from their governor.

March is Women’s History Month. Unfortunately, it’s worth noting that Gov. Chris Christie’s own public history with women — through both word and deed — is pockmarked with marginalization, mockery and even malice.

It’s been this way right from the start. In 2010, with the stroke of a pen, Gov. Christie eliminated a $7.4 million budget line that provided basic reproductive health services. This money helped support critical care and cancer screenings for more than 135,000 patients. It covered clinical breast exams and Pap tests. When cutting this line item, Christie said it was necessary for “fiscal discipline.” Yet, research shows family planning saves taxpayers approximately $3.75 for every $1 that’s invested. So, when Christie eliminated the funding, it myopically meant New Jersey taxpayers could essentially be on the hook for an additional $28 million in Medicaid spending.

Always a trendsetter, Christie was ahead of the curve by putting reproductive rights on the chopping block. Last summer, when the Legislature approved a budget that included restoring women’s health funding, he again slashed $7.5 million in family planning services. Christie even had the temerity to say his budgets provide full funding for women’s health. Apparently, the governor’s dictionary fails to include Planned Parenthood or other reproductive health-care providers in its definition of women’s health.

But, it’s not just about whether Christie believes in a woman’s “right to choose.” It seems he doesn’t believe in a woman’s right to ... well ... anything. Last year, Christie cut $486,000 in grants to Hispanic Women’s Resource Centers and another $450,000 from a postpartum education campaign. He also slashed funding for the Paid Family Leave insurance program, saying it was overfunded. The state has still failed to spend the money mandated by the Legislature to advertise the program and provide outreach. All the while, Christie refuses to even contemplate a millionaire’s tax and has given tax breaks to mall and casino developers even as he claims the state coffers are bare. It’s clear where his priorities lie.

Ever since taking office, through both policy and his words, the governor has consistently unleashed a wholesale assault on the women of New Jersey. Some of the things he’s said and done along these lines would make even Rush Limbaugh blush.

The entire nation recoiled when Christie recommended that reporters “take the bat out on” state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) — a 77-year-old grandmother. While that was the most incendiary remark he’s directed toward a female legislator, it certainly wasn’t the first — or the last. Christie also called Assemblywoman Valerie Huttle (D-Englewood) “a jerk” for daring to criticize him for using the State Police helicopter for personal reasons (to watch his son play baseball and to meet with fund raisers from Iowa). On more than one occasion, Christie called Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver (D-East Orange) a liar despite clear evidence that backed up her side of the story. And Christie accused Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Trenton) of being responsible for two murders allegedly perpetrated by two people who had been released from prison under an early release bill she had sponsored.

Sadly, it’s not only public officials who feel the sting of Christie’s tart tongue. During a live call-in show, when asked if it’s fair to cut so much money from public education while sending his own children to private schools, Christie snapped, “Hey, Gail, you know what? It’s none of your business.” At a town hall meeting, when a teacher pointed out that New Jersey has some of the best schools in the country yet the Christie administration lambastes educators and only talks about how horrible schools are, the governor berated and belittled her. Christie remarked that she only wanted to “put on a show and giggle every time I talk,” and then dismissively stated, “I have no interest in answering your question.”

Running the gamut from eye-rolling derision to outright hostility, Gov. Christie seems to reserve a pointed level of wrath for his female critics. His default defense for bad behavior is that his rough-and-tumble way is simply the “Jersey way” to do things — perpetuating every obnoxious stereotype that plagues the Garden State. But that’s not how anyone should be treating women in any state, anywhere.

By all reports, Chris Christie is a devoted, loving and respectful husband, son and father. If only he would treat all of New Jersey’s women as if they were members of his own family.