Debate Topic: Careers, Babies, and What Policies Work Best for Women
WASHINGTON, DC—Carrie Lukas, President of the Independent Women’s Forum, will debate Rachel Greszler, Research Fellow in Economics, Budget and Entitlements at The Heritage Foundation, on family leave and policies that best support women at the 2018 NeW National Conference. Kelsey Harkness, Senior News Producer at The Daily Signal, will moderate this debate showcasing two conservatives disagreeing on policy in a civil manner. During the debate entitled, Careers, Babies, and What Policies Work Best For Women, Lukas and Greszler will respond to the following prompt:
The political left has often supported government mandated paid maternity and paternity leave after the birth or adoption of a child. After all, the U.S. is the only industrialized nation without paid family leave. What is the proper role of government when it comes to policies that impact women—and men—having children? How should conservatives approach this issue? Is allowing women and men to tap into Social Security, as proposed by the Independent Women’s Forum, the solution?
“Unlike many of our modern feminist counterparts, NeW encourages women to openly debate and discuss ideas. Now it is more important than ever to show how conservatives can disagree about ideas without personal attacks. This debate will encourage those in attendance, especially our students, to think for themselves and develop their own opinions about what it means to be a conservative woman,” said Karin Lips, President and Founder of NeW.
“Women want to make sure that people have access to time off from work when they need it most. Conservatives need to offer our ideas for how to help more people have access to paid leave while staying consistent with our principles,” said Carrie Lukas, President of the Independent Women’s Forum.
The Conference will be held June 21-23 in Washington, DC, with the debate taking place at 4:30pm on Thursday. The Thursday and Friday sessions will be held at Hilldale’s Kirby Center on Capitol Hill. An exclusive student training will be held on Saturday. The Conference Agenda is available here.
Conference co-sponsors include EdChoice, Pepperdine School of Public Policy, America’s Future Foundation, Capital Research Center, Conservative Book Club, The Heritage Foundation, Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, Grassroots Leadership Academy, Speech First, Foundation for Economic Education, The Fund for American Studies, Hillsdale College’s Allan P. Kirby Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship, and The Steamboat Institute.
Past keynote speakers include Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to the President, Katie Pavlich, editor at Townhall, Kate Obenshain, political commentator and author of Divider in Chief, and Christina Hoff Sommers, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, among others.
NeW is the nation’s premier organization for conservative university women. Started as a book club in 2004 at the University of Virginia, NeW has expanded to campuses across the nation, teaching conservative principles, creating open forums for debate, and training young women to speak out on campus and in their communities. In addition, NeW hosts a Young Women’s Leadership Retreat, The Gentlemen Showcase, and professional development trainings.For press inquiries, please contact Alyssa Condrey at alyssa@enlightenedwomen.org.
