An Advanced Society Can Be Defined By How it Honors Human rights and How It Treats Women

Many nations are attempting to reach a level of advanced civilization and western acceptance in the world today.  The United States of America should be a standard for those human rights perceived as necessary to attain such status.  Interestingly, if one reviews multiple societies around the world and identifies those qualities that separate those societies considered modern from those considered primitive, two values seem to emerge.  An advanced society can be defined by How It Honors Human Rights and How It Treats Women.

Today, in some African nations, we still witness female genital mutilation as an acceptable custom for teenage girls reaching puberty.  In other parts of the world women are being systematically raped and then blamed for provoking their own rapist.  Some women are being killed if they are deemed to have shamed their family.  While others are forced to cover all exposed parts of their body because it is considered flirtatious and punishable by law.  Some countries do not allow women to drive and even their male children have more rights than they have. Education is also something withheld from many women and punishable if they attempt to enrich their own knowledge.  Moreover, when some women are beaten by their husband, they find themselves defending their own actions that instigated his behavior.

Even some religions treat women with less than equal stature, limiting their participation in religious observances, ceremonies, learning, and rituals.  Many times relegating them to the role of servers or preparers of food and drink for male participants or excluding them entirely.

Even in many modern nations, women find themselves limited in the workplace to secondary positions, paid less for the same work, and rarely attain higher leadership positions simply because of their gender alone.  Many of these examples still occur in America and other western nations, but it is far more rampant and endemic throughout the rest of the world.

Most recently in the United States, we witnessed the removal of certain health coverage for related to women’s reproductive services in the new health care reform bill.  The weakening of guidelines for mammograms and pap smears for women was utilized in order to save money. Treating a women’s right to choose as an elective procedure, such as cosmetic surgery, is even more absurd yet many in congress stood silent while this injustice occurred.

It is imperative that the United States not falter in its deliberations with foreign nations and demand human rights for all individuals and equal rights for women worldwide.  To do less may be perceived as not caring or the acceptance of these behaviors.

We live in difficult times, and we are attempting to create difficult working relationships with some of these repressive societies.  However, we cannot sacrifice our values in order to do so.

The United States Congress must uphold the dignity of all its citizens, including minorities, give equal treatment to its people and, most of all, protect the rights of our Mothers, Daughters and Sisters.  We should never waiver from this position, under any circumstances . . .

Ben Graber For Congress, Fl-19

VIDEO - Ben Graber For Women's Rights