Ahead of elections that will be consequential for the future of women in Puerto Rico, three gubernatorial candidates took part Sunday in the Decisión Mujer 2024 forum, broadcast on Wapa TV and organized by Women Who Lead. The forum focused on issues drawn from a survey of 5,000 women about their main concerns.
The broadcast brought together Juan Dalmau of the Alianza between the Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño and Movimiento Victoria Ciudadana, Javier Jiménez of Proyecto Dignidad (PD), and Jesús Manuel Ortiz of the Partido Popular Democrático (PPD).
The only absent candidate was Jenniffer González of the Partido Nuevo Progresista, who declined to participate in the event.
Each participant answered direct questions posed by women representing different age groups between 18 and 50, covering topics including the economy, health, family, gender-based violence and education.
Here is how each focused their answers:
Juan Dalmau-Alianza
How to address workplace harassment against women? He identified a problem in the execution of current protocols and proposed imposing greater consequences and responsibilities on officials who handle workplace harassment cases, as well as stricter policing.
What is his position on the "Pink Tax," or the cost of products for women? He proposed eliminating the sales tax on gynecological and feminine hygiene products, as well as postnatal care products.
How to improve public transportation? He criticized the current concentration of transit service in the metropolitan area and proposed establishing a broader network across the island.
How to improve medical care for breast cancer patients? He proposed strengthening residency programs and improving salaries to retain health care professionals, and also taking on the current control that private health insurers exercise over the system.
How to promote women in leadership positions? He favors giving priority to recruitment based solely on merit and not on gender, race or political ideology. He promised to lead by example with a cabinet assembled according to experience rather than party affiliation.
Javier Jiménez-PD
How to address failures in diversion programs for offenders in domestic violence cases? He supports a more rigorous scientific evaluation of offenders to identify determining factors in their profile.
What can be done about the high cost of basic services? He pointed out the problem of inflation and economic development driven by federal funds. He proposed boosting local production and streamlining the permitting process through engineers, for the benefit of local entrepreneurs.
How to guarantee better special education services? He supports decentralizing the education system and proposed creating school boards with representation from parents, students and community sectors.
How to improve preventive health care, and what is his position on abortion rights? He supports health clinics in the municipalities and proposed a reciprocity system with U.S. states so that licensed professionals can practice on the Island. On abortion rights, he limited himself to saying that he "defends the right to life from conception."
How to prevent a "brain drain"? He proposed incentivizing new sources of employment and, through the Department of Economic Development, encouraging the search for capital and companies around the world to attract them to the island.
Jesús Manuel Ortiz-PPD
How to provide greater protection for victims of gender-based violence? He proposed extending the Referimiento y Ayuda a Mujeres Abusadas (RAMA) program, which operates in the municipality of Carolina, as public policy across the island.
How to address the wage gap? He proposed a professional retention fund with a specific investment for critical professions, to help reduce the gap and offer a salary competitive with other jurisdictions.
How can women who are caregivers be helped? She proposes stricter enforcement of Ley 130 on caregivers of older adults, alternative employment opportunities with flexible schedules, and extended hours at childcare centers and schools so that mothers can meet their responsibilities.
What should be done to improve access to services for women with disabilities? She emphasizes the need for a critical-professions retention fund as a strategy for increasing the availability of medical services.
What comes next?
The debate over the proposals presented will shape voters' decisions. The detailed proposals and the differences in each candidate's approach will be key to determining which is the best plan for advancing the rights and well-being of women in Puerto Rico.
This content was translated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
