Women's Rights Are Under Attack

Today, in the USA, women’s rights are under attack. Women are being told what they can and can’t do with their bodies. Although one might not personally believe in abortion, it’s not up to anyone, especially a man, to tell a woman what’s religiously right and wrong. It’s up to the woman to make that personal decision and only God has a right to pass judgement. These same men, who say they are protecting the rights of the fetus, refuse to pass gun control laws to stop the sale of automatic weapons that are killing our most valuable resources- --our beloved children.

International Women’s Day Celebrated

March 8 commemorated the anniversary of International Women’s Day. On this day, countries from around the world celebrate the economic, political, and social achievements of women. In the USA, the 19th Amendment was ratified on Aug. 18, 1920, granting women the right to vote. While American women of every race, class, and ethnic background have made historic contributions to the growth and strength of our nation, women continue to face discrimination on the basis of sex. Today women are still denied equal pay and Congress still refuses to pass the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).

Women Around the World Are Still at Risk

Human Rights Watch has reported that “Despite great strides made by the international women’s rights movement over many years, women and girls around the world are still married as children or trafficked into forced labor and sex slavery. They are refused access to education and political participation, and some are trapped in conflicts where rape is perpetrated as a weapon of war. Around the world, deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth are needlessly high, and women are prevented from making deeply personal choices in their private lives.”

Gender Bias Still a Problem in the USA

According to the American Civil Liberties Union, in the USA, “Gender bias continues to create huge barriers for many women. Ongoing struggles include ensuring equal economic opportunities, educational equity, and an end to gender-based violence. Women still make just 78 cents for every dollar earned by men. Black women earn only 64 cents and Latina women earn only 54 cents for each dollar earned by white men.

The Lobby for Equal Rights

In the 1960s and 70s, feminist activists lobbied for the ratification of the ERA, which would legally guarantee women the same rights as men. Since then, the ERA has been reintroduced in every session of Congress, but still has not been ratified. Critics of the ERA say that we don’t need it anymore. Those critics say, men and women are already seen as equal in our country. We know that this is not true.

Renewing the Fight for Equality

While women have made great strides toward equality, they must never rest until all women are guaranteed equal opportunities and equal pay. Let the courageous vision championed by the women of the 1960s and 1970s inspire the women of today, of all ethnic groups and backgrounds, to join together to “Fight Like Hell” to lobby Congress to pass the ERA and legislation that is fair and equitable to women and working families.

Women must vow to never go back to the “good old days” when women were told what to say, what to do, and how to act. 