If you don't know where candidates stand on reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights, ask yourself, "Why not?"

Then access The Womxn Project's 2024 General Election Bodily Freedom Forever Index and find out.

The Womxn Project (TWP) today announced the launch of the 2024 General Election Bodily Freedom Forever Index (BFFI©). This Index is derived from publicly available sources and directly from candidates. All candidates were sent the Bodily Freedom Forever Survey.

“The Womxn Project does not expect every candidate to respond to the survey in the interests of transparency since there has not been a direct action for this kind of accountability,” said Jocelyn Foye, Executive Director of The Womxn Project. “But voters have the right to know where candidates for any elected office stand on these most fundamental of human rights.”

Bodily freedom is the ideal - that people should have sole decision-making power over their bodies as long as those decisions don’t infringe on another’s bodily freedom. The Index rates candidates as supporting or opposing bodily freedom based on their support or opposition to reproductive rights including abortion and support or opposition to LGBTQ+ rights.

“The Bodily Freedom Forever Index is now out for the general election in November,” said Jocelyn Foye in response to an inquiry.  “This is the first effort anywhere in the United States to rate candidates on the critical and fundamental human right of bodily freedom. Transparency is more critical today than ever. The Womxn Project Research Collective continues to research and compile responses from candidates as surveys come in. Please contact candidates in your town to respond to the survey. TWP initiated the BFFI after those opposed to bodily freedom started showing up at school committees and began grooming opposition candidates to run for local offices. We believe voters have the right to know where all candidates for any office stand on the fundamental reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights.”

TWP Research Collective researches publicly available information, communicates directly with candidates, and sends surveys to every candidate to assess their stances on those two rights which, incredibly, are still contested in this modern, first-world country. TWP will expand the index to include all public officials, whether they are currently candidates or not.

The need for this Index, no matter the office sought, reflects the realities of polarized United States politics.

The Index is located here. It is sorted by town and then the candidates for every race in that town are listed along with their position: For, Against or N/A, the latter for candidates who have yet to respond.

“Candidates who have not yet responded to the surveys are encouraged to do so by visiting our website listed below,” added Foye. “Further, TWP encourages constituents to contact candidates in their towns to cajole and harangue them into responding to the survey or otherwise declaring their position on bodily freedom. The BFFI will become a feature of every election in Rhode Island and you can help us build it by contacting candidates.”

The Womxn Project encourages any interested voter to contact their candidates and ask them to fill out the BFFI Survey. TWP has compiled a list of publicly available contact information for every candidate on their website and encourages candidates themselves to request access to the BFFI survey if they did not receive or cannot find the email at the link on our website.

The Womxn Project will continue to compile the results and other research findings right up until the last day to vote on November 5th.

“Local elected officials may not directly act upon issues of bodily freedom, but a candidate’s stand on bodily freedom informs aspects of many other policies,” concluded Foye.