By Lisa Catherine Brown

I met Anne in February 2011. Some beautiful eye-candy post of hers caught my attention and we “friended” on Facebook. It didn’t take a day to figure out that not only were we similarly attracted to sensual images but also shared strong opinions regarding the state of governmental policy at home and abroad as well as the same suspect of righteous religious intention.

Before a week had passed strong and suspect to turn into outrage and indignation. I sent Anne a link to an article I read knowing she was working hard to deliver updated information to her readers regarding the intrusive legislation the 112^th Congress was introducing at federal and state levels. This Congress was elected on the promise of creating jobs but had zeroed in on women’s reproductive health!

Anne sent me back a note asking if I would be willing to write about the subject. I accepted and it’s been a fast friendship that sometimes spans weeks at a time before we connect, but always this story – women’s stories, women’s lives, women’s indignation at being treated as if we don’t exist in our own rights, at being denied rights, at losing rights – brings us together and keeps us connected and now we are joined by tens of thousands of American women on April 28, 2012, who are demanding better than the degradations we have been receiving in legislatures across the country from our elected leaders.

Yes! Our elected leaders! What is America thinking? Where and how did we get so far off track from being progressive leaders and innovators to a backward thinking nation that wants to restrain and restrict the rights of the ‘better half’ of its population?

Women outnumber men in the American population by a slim margin and, well, I am angry. Angry at being disenfranchised in my country. Angry at those who will continue the disenfranchisement. I don’t have to devalue them as they devalue themselves by attacking mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers, granddaughters, friends, neighbors, co-workers, business owners, community leaders, school volunteers, the list goes on forever, because women fulfill all roles!

Women l Education and Equal Pay

American women are holding higher educational degrees at a rate that surpasses men, except at the doctorate level which stands about 50-50 but the trend is expected for female doctorate holders to surpass men in just a few short years. In spite of those numbers women earn anywhere between 71-92% less than men depending on their area of employment.

Yet presidential nominee Mitt Romney recently chose not to answer a direct question posed by a reporter on a conference call, “Do you support the Lilly Ledbetter Act?” Moments of silence sear our consciences before an aide answered that the campaign would get back to the question later. Then Mitt dodged the same question again when asked by ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer. Silence and skirting this very important subject speaks for itself.

The war on women is, indeed, ON.

Women l Representation

So if women in the United States are being educated as well or better than men then why are we not pursuing government leadership roles? Why do we so under serve ourselves?

These facts were provided by Joelle Schmitz, a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government and a Fulbright scholar in a USA Today article dated October 2010: Incumbents win more than 90% of the time and 83% of Congressional seats are held by men. Women win open seats as much as men and women are able to raise needed funds for campaigns as well as men so why are we not making gains? Schmitz cites this as “structural disadvantage” meaning women are unlikely to make up the difference in US politics in this lifetime.

Eighty-nine nations have higher representation of women in government than the United States, many of those nations not known for advocating human rights. Some nations that have higher representation for women are those that have instituted mandatory percentage inclusion for women in government.

Will this happen in the US? Not likely. But Ms. Schmitz does suggest a number of ideals to change this fate from encouraging our lawmakers to hire female chiefs-of-staffs, which supplies candidate pools, to changing our gender identifying language in all media platforms through support of non-partisan group efforts like Name It Change It whose mission is to “work to end sexist and misogynistic coverage of women candidates by all members of the press—from bloggers to radio hosts to television pundits.”

A headline banner on the Name It Change It website says, “When you attack one woman, you attack all women.“

Women’s Health And Men Too!

Women live longer than men by about 5 years and yet our unique health care needs including reproductive health, maternity health to cancer screenings and more are being challenged with legislation to restrict contraceptive care, further restrict abortion services, defund clinics that overwhelmingly serve women and families through family planning, health education, cervical and breast cancer screening, pap tests, and more.

You may be surprised to know that the most well-known and under attack of these organizations, Planned Parenthood, also serves men’s health by providing testicular and colon cancer screenings, providing infertility and erectile dysfunction exams, education and even provides examination and treatment for jock itch!

Planned Parenthood provides all this and much more. It is true that PP doesn’t treat the cancers and some other diseases it screens for because they do not have resources or staff expertise. But early detections have saved countless lives. Only 3% of the total of services they proved includes abortion care. Many Planned Parenthood clinics do not provide abortion services at all. They educate and advocate family planning that prevents abortions; they educate and advocate safe sex to prevent sexually transmitted diseases which prevents the need for treatment and lifelong health issues. It is incomprehensible to me the non-logic and downright lies that are being spewed in favor of closing these very important medical services to women and families without offering any alternatives.

Women As Livestock and the Christian Right

I will reasonably state that the unreasonable attacks on women’s choices, that also affects men’s lives in addition to disproportionately affecting the poor and minorities, are fueled by the religious right; led by the seemingly unrepentant Catholic hierarchy and it’s unfathomable resources with evangelical Christians clinging on those vestments.

These are the people who claim religious freedom is being eroded They claim a zygote or unviable fetus should hold as many rights as the breathing and very much alive woman who bears it –with consequence mind you, because no matter what the decision and outcome, women live with the consequences of their reproductive health choices for the rest of their lives.

These same people sing Onward Christian Soldiers while forcing the will of their faith on women to create soldiers for their ungodly wars. These are people who will debase women to be broodmares, heifers and sows.

Jimmy Lawlor by Berussa

Michigan’s Bart Stupak called us incubators. Georgia’s Terry England compared pregnant women to cows and pigs. These humiliating comments in defense of restricting women’s reproductive rights are innumerable to cite for this post as well as thoroughly inconceivable as arguments for their misguided cause.

The War on Women is Real l Join UNITEwomen.org

Here we are today in the United States of America, a country based on inclusiveness. A country in which abortion was legal when it was founded. A country that has taken a lead in combating gender discrimination abroad. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has reached out to developed and developing nations, often to grassroots women leaders.

And here we are, in the United States, organizing grassroots responses to the ridiculous and seemingly endless onslaught of righteous legislation. I joined the Michigan organizing group of UNITEwomen.org and we are planning two events for this Saturday, April 28 – in Lansing, our state capitol, and in Detroit where we will be honored with appearances by Senator Debbie Stabenow and Congressmen Gary Peters and John Conyers. Many other political, community and student leaders and organizations have stepped up to stand up and speak out at both rallies.

Anne is organizing in Pennsylvania with a dynamo team of women posed to make their rally in Harrisburg a success. I’ve seen some of the ideas and believe me, they are a strong, creative force. We are all working, volunteering our time and efforts in addition to maintaining the paces of our ‘real lives’ and the work has not been easy or without distractrions.

Many state groups have had to contend with members whose intentions did not align with the core visions and accusations of misconduct and hurt feelings have been strewn, but this is what happens in newly formed groups as they find their way to strong leadership through balancing egos with tasks at hand.

Cultural Creatives have joined the cause and developed stunning graphics and videos, many unique to their rallies and legislation in their states. UNITEwomen has an inspiring YouTube channel and I urge you to check it out. We organize largely on Facebook. We Twitter. We have become one, UNITED, in a cause that is gaining momentum and recognition each day.

Together we will be joined by tens of thousands of women, men, families across the nation in almost every state plus Washington DC in direct response to the war on women. It is real, friends.

It is real in the United States.

It is real in the 112^th Congress.

It is real in our state legislatures.

It is real in district and county politics and it is alive in our neighborhoods, workplaces, places of worship and educational institutions.

The War on Women IS Personal l My Story

I married young and was a stay at home mom for 15 years. My husband worked skilled trades at GM, we weren’t rich, but we managed a good life with 4 kids. After my divorce I didn’t have a degree and was employable only in the retail sector, which was not enough to support a family. I worked part-time and then full-time and went back to college. I am still paying off student loans 6 years later.

I am a two-time rape survivor, once at age 16 by a stranger and later, about 2 years after my divorce by a predator/stalker who showed up in my classes, began working where I worked, pursued me and enmeshed our lives so greatly that I had little chance of getting away but I tried, every day that I knew him, I tried. I became pregnant from our final encounter when he raped me in my own home. I would have chosen abortion had I not miscarried.

I suffered PTSD and received intensive therapy for over a year through the YWCA domestic abuse and rape counseling services. I couldn’t work during this time and still didn’t have health coverage.

I had serious bouts with uterine bleeding and suffered greatly for years before I had employer provided health insurance and finally was able to have a hysterectomy.

I’ve experienced both the joys and sacrifices of choices women make.

We must embrace and honor who people are, at whatever point in life they are at, and do our best to resist judgment and lend a hand. Education, health care, dignity and respect are all components of a compassionate, civilized society. I can tell you from experience that some days even a smile can make a difference.

Legislating away rights and opportunities for people which disproportionately affects women and children, the poor and minorities, will weaken the fabric of our society.

It is game on and America is rising to stand up, speak out and say ‘Enough is Enough’.

Join us! www.UNITEwomen.org

Click on the map to find an event closet to you or on the 4.28 events tab to get a comprehensive list.

A Global Initiative by Vatican Dark Forces

Twenty years after the UN Earth Summit adopted the Rio Declaration that states that women will contribute in vital roles for a sustainable world future, gender equality principles are being eroded with direct intervention from the Vatican - and so-called ‘advanced’ nations, including the USA are getting on board in stripping language regarding women, sexual and reproductive rights and basic rights to water and sanitation, land tenure… Read here: Reaffirmation of Women’s Rights Key to Rio+20 Success

America, WAKE UP! Pay attention to who is speaking for you – this is frightening across the globe. The desperate patriarchal religious right wants nothing more for women than to be their baby makers and housemaids. As they lose their grip on an enlightened society they push back harder by implementing their goals in some very serious and side winding ways. Do not allow blind followers to speak for you.

Tell your stories. Find that you are not alone. Combine your energies and talents with others to stand up and just say NO!