Monday, March 8, 2010

International Woman's Day 2010

Today marks International Woman’s Day. A celebration of woman from around the world that began about 100 years ago; while it has its roots in socialism and migrated to this country from the Socialist Party of America, it is a day to mark the strides women have made over the past century. When this celebration started, most women couldn’t even vote, let alone hold high public office. Today, Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State is marking the day.



In the mid sixties or so, radical changes started for women in the U.S. the Steinem’s of the world burned their bras and demanded equality under the law. The Sexual Revolution had begun in earnest. Let’s take a look at some of statistics that this revolution had brought to our society:


Single mothers of one child under six has a poverty rate of 49.9%


Single mothers of more than one child under six has a poverty rate of 63.8%


These numbers are sickening. Women are supposed to have the same freedoms as men, yet it is the woman and children who are living in poverty. The people who started this sexual revolution forgot one little detail; men can’t get pregnant. We can’t possibly be equal if women alone are carrying the burden of raising the children that inevitability come from all this sexual freedom. Men, in many cases, are the ones to have the freedom to continue their lives, hence the term “Baby Daddy”. Women will always brunt this inequality; it is an act of nature. Fair or not, it is the way it is.


Another cruel reality is the rise of sexually transmitted diseases. In many cases, the men are asymptomatic, and then just continue the spread. Women, on the other hand, will sometimes become infertile for life, if it is not treated in a timely fashion. AIDS is still a death sentence in many countries around the world.


With sexual freedom also come the unintended pregnancies that end in abortion. NOW has estimated that one in three American women will “need” an abortion. Regardless of where you may fall on the issue of abortion, this is a disturbing number. There are some women who never recover from the guilt that follows the ending of an innocent life. I have several friends who live with this guilt every day. One is to the point that I would never, ever, EVER bring up the topic in front of her. Nor would I want to be in the room if someone else did. She becomes preachy and judgmental. I am not judging, just stating her reactions.


While some women even tweet through their abortion experience and seem to feel no remorse whatsoever, it is not always the case. Men seem to be immune from this emotional experience.


While it is true that women are much better educated, and have many more opportunities than we did when International Woman’s Day started, the reality is that we and our children are still paying the price of the differences between men and women. Young women today need to understand one simple truth, just like with America’s freedom, our sexual freedom is not free either.


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