Founding Mothers

Women are such a necessary part of life. We often take the women in our lives for granted. Sadly, we aren't aware of their absence until they're no longer doing those things upon which we rely daily. Yesterday, America and the world lost women in more than one way. How can the world ever be the same?

Coretta Scott King, dubbed the first lady of the Civil Rights movement, died yesterday. She was the widow of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the mother of his four childen. She preserved the message of non-violence and tolerance for which her husband was a steadfast advocate. After Dr. King's death, there were many efforts to change the direction of his movement, merging it with militant and nationalist ideals. Mrs. King spoke against such attempts. She remained throughout her life a guardian of the rights of not only ethnic and religious minorities but also a defender of the rights of homosexuals and women. She was a vocal opponent of both military confilcts in Vietnam and Iraq.

Unfortunately, that same morning, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's retirement went into effect, leaving Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg the only woman on the nine-member American high court. It's no secret that the U.S. Supreme Court has been a voice of progress and reason throughout history. In the 1960s, it forced the desegregartion of schools and legalized birth control. In January of 1973, the Supreme Court mandated that abortion be safe and available for American women.

All could change with the President's nominees, both of whom took their seats in about four months of each other. Both of the two new justices are Roman Catholic white males. For the first time in history, more than half of the justices on the highest court in this traditionally Protestant nation are Roman Catholics. Women's reproductive rights are now in jeopardy, along with all causes liberal.

Where are we without our women? I feel lost. With the nation as polarized as ever, women lie at the heart of liberal America. The gender gap is brazenly present in politics. Women are still under-represented in Congress and in most professions. I'm beyond pissed; I'm sad for the nation's children whose dreams do not include megachurches, back-alley abortions, electric chairs, secretly gay husbands, or subservient wives. If this is the "culture of life" for which the Vatican and the Religious Right are lobbying, then it doesn't appear that it's worth living.