What's Next? A Burqa?

Despite the fact that there are many education issues to cover, I have to speak up now before too much more  time passes.

Do you have a daughter?  Are you a younger mom (under 35)?

Speak up now because there's this sudden focus on women and their issues and what looks like some kind of effort to roll back the clock.  You must talk to your daughters about what rights women have fought for over the last 40+ years and how they cannot be allowed to be rolled back.

On the floor of the House, a Georgia lawmaker compared women to cows and pigs (he was trying to make a point about women being allowed abortions past a certain point if the child will likely be born dead). I am NOT advocating for abortion rights here - I am advocating for common sense and a respectful manner when discussing pregnancy or any other women-centered issues.  We cannot allow ourselves to be debased in this manner. 

It's Rush Limbaugh calling a law student "a slut and a prostitute" for advocating for women to have access to birth control (something 99% of UW women will use at some time in their lives) and that if she's going to be slutty, she should make a video for all to watch.

The latest from Ed Week? 

The California Assembly passed a measure 71-0 on Monday in recognition of the upcoming 40th anniversary of Title IX, but generated a bit of controversy in the process.

Despite the presence of Brandi Chastain, one of the stars of the U.S. women's soccer team that won the Women's World Cup in 1999, one assembly member couldn't hide his disdain for Title IX, the federal law most well-known for requiring gender equality in interscholastic athletics.

"We need to be honest about the effects of what I believe are faulty court interpretations or federal enforcement of Title IX, because it has led to the abolition of many male sports across the board in UCs and Cal States," said Assemblyman Chris Norby, R-Fullerton, according to the Associated Press. "And that was never the intention of this, to have numerical equality. It was never the intention to attain equality by reducing opportunities for the men."

The remarks visibly agitated Chastain (who was sitting in the back of the room), the AP reported.
I don't care if you are conservative or liberal.  Women need access to female health care and that includes birth control.  Girls need equity in their ability to play high school and college sports. 

I recall that my oldest niece, some 20 odd years ago, said she didn't care about feminism "because we have all the rights now."  She went to work and told me about 2 years later about issues of equity at her job.  I told her that's why you have to be aware of these issues and not dismiss anything else as just history. 

I don't think this is just about the Republican primary with many conservative views being on display.  I sense something else out there and it worries me. 

But a new generation of women are going to have to step up now or bit by bit, rights hard-fought for will erode.  Moms (and Dads) need to speak up and have a different kind of talk with their daughters.