The Rights of Women
The Rights of Women

The Rights of Women

In America, it is often said that “in Muslim countries, women are routinely abused by their husbands” however, more than 250,000 American women reported that they had been raped or sexually assaulted to the police.  

American women suffer 4.8 million physical assaults and rape annually in the U.S. from their spouse or partner, and one-third of women who are murdered each year by their spouse or partner.

Even in the face of these unbelievable numbers, American legislative efforts are being made to punish and humiliate women. These efforts are driven by Christian religious fundamentalism. Women are being denied basic sex education and contraception resulting in higher teen pregnancies:

  1. A proposed South Dakota State legislation would expand the definition of “justifiable homicide” to include the killing of abortion providers, and the Ohio legislature is entertaining a law that would make it illegal for women to seek abortions as soon as 18 days after conception.
  2. Although Planned Parenthood does not currently spend any federal money on abortion services, House Republicans just voted to deny any funding to the organization, cutting money for contraceptives, HIV tests, cancer screening, and reproductive health services.
  3. A bill in the US House of Representatives would deny federal funding for abortions except in cases of “forcible rape or, if a minor, an act of incest.” Under the law, a 12-year-old girl coerced and impregnated by her step-father or a young woman subjected to date rape would be forced to bear the child.
  4. President Obama’s Health Care Reform act contains provisions that are likely to cause the elimination of all private as well as public insurance coverage for abortions, and President Obama issued an executive order supporting the anti-choice provisions.

According to the (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), the nation’s largest anti-sexual assault organization, only 6% of rapists will ever spend a day in jail.

Ships Captain The Dread Pirate Dave

David is the Editor in Chief of Postcards From the Edge. I was born on a cold November morning on the showy plains of Colorado. Like my father, before me, I am an American Nomad.

View stories