Guest AuthorLast week, news events added fuel to the growing fire that suggests a continued war on women.
Marlise Munoz, a Texas woman found unconscious by her husband in November, was kept alive against the wishes of her family so that a deformed fetus could be carried to term. A Texas judge finally ordered the woman removed from life support, but for several more days, the hospital did not comply. Right-to-life proponents took to the streets, and airwaves, intruding on a private, family tragedy to score political points.
Meanwhile, former Arkansas governor and current Fox News pundit Mike Huckabee insulted women, saying they’ve been brainwashed into thinking “they are helpless without Uncle Sugar coming in and providing for them a prescription each month for birth control because they cannot control their libido or their reproductive system without the help of government.”
Huckabee clearly doesn’t understand libidos and how they work. This adds a whole new level to the sympathy I feel for his wife.
Pundits and politicians exploit fear and insecurity to increase political power. Who are they railing against? Not just women. They’re against progress, change, and enlightenment. Whether conservatives rally to prevent gay marriage, environmental destruction, immigration reform, or women’s rights, pay close attention.
Conservatives purport to care about and represent a constituency they have been failing for years. So-called leaders stoke the fire, but never do anything real. Now that constituency is angry and going to extremes to find leaders who do more than talk.
Voters are guided by the hope that life, both in general and very specifically, will improve for them.
Those of us in the progressive camp know better. When women, and others, are misrepresented and used as scapegoats, nothing significant improves. Sure, the right enjoys energized members and increased contributions. The left gets the same. But for most everyone else, this atmosphere is dysfunctional and depressing.
Conservative leaders take advantage of voters’ lack of education and awareness. Progressive leaders dismiss these same people as ignorant. It’s easy to see them as too busy praying, cooking, or mesmerized by Justin Bieber’s antics to be concerned with real issues. In reality, they’re working to put food on the table and spending time with their kids.
What about educated, enlightened, and empowered Republican women? Where are they on this issue? Surely they cannot be happy with Huckabee’s comments.
CNN had Cosmopolitan Magazine and Miley Cyrus weigh in. They aren’t true representations of all women, but no one else is talking. I can’t help thinking what Republican women really need is a saucy liberal to help them organize and cultivate leaders who truly represent the best their party has to offer.
Otherwise, the extremes will get more powerful. Some might be happy to see the right wing make itself irrelevant. But real women’s lives hang in the balance. They deserve better.
On Sunday, the Texas hospital abided by the judge’s order and Marlise Munoz’s family, taking her off life support. She and her baby are finally at peace. Too bad the same cannot be said for the rest of us.
