Women’s freedom

To the Editor:

Some men half-joke, “Women should be uneducated, barefoot, and pregnant.” Weak men need complete control, with women as their obedient slaves. Strong men want strong partners!

Women have been fighting for equality for years. Before 1970, most women couldn’t support themselves. Often, women had no choice but to stay trapped in destructive marriages. Divorce was shameful, and women’s jobs were low-pay.

Reproductive freedom gives women the ability to chart their life’s path. Women want education, careers, good-paying jobs, and, for many, children — when they’re ready. Contraception and sex education were huge steps forward, but contraception doesn’t always work, and there’s date rape, incest, and violent attackers who rape women. Years ago, women had children in their teens, while still children themselves. Now, many choose to wait until they’re more settled and mature.

Bringing a child into this world is a huge responsibility. I’ve never met a woman who takes this decision lightly. Sometimes, an orphaned child is adopted by a wonderful foster family, but often children in foster care grow up without love — with physical and sexual abuse — and end up in prison. Sometimes a teenager, accidently pregnant, gets forced into a shotgun marriage. Some work out; most don’t. Sometimes, the right answer is an abortion. Personally, I would only bring a child into this world if I can provide a safe, loving environment.

The right to privacy is the basis for Roe v. Wade and many other rights. Without the right to privacy, liberty is dead. Personal freedom is dead. The government can intrude on anything. The right to privacy gives a woman personal freedom. It gives her the right to choose the place and time, when she will bring a child into this world. This decision is highly personal — between a woman and her creator.

Stand up! Protect women’s rights!

Marvin Keshner

Sonora