GOP Continues Its War On Women

I don't know whether it's to distract the public from the mess they made of the economy or because they really believe women shouldn't have the same rights as men, but whatever the reason, Republicans have definitely declared war on the women of America. They seem determined to make sure women have only a second-class citizenship status (in spite of constitutional guarantee of equal rights for all).

They have passed bill after bill to infringe upon a woman's right to choice (and have control over her own body). They have opposed giving free and easy access to contraceptives to all women. They have blocked the re-approval of the Violence Against Women Act (because it included protection for same-sex couples and immigrant women). Now they are again attacking a woman's right to equal pay.

It is a fact that women, on average, make only 77 cents for each dollar a man makes, even when the work they do is the same. This has become even more important in this recession, when many women have been forced to become the primary breadwinner or a dual-earner to support their families. It is estimated that the average woman loses enough in pay in her lifetime, due to the inequality, to feed a family of four for 37 years.

It just makes sense that Congress should do something about the inequity in pay. After all, to pay people differently for doing an equal amount of work is not just unfair, it is immoral and stinks of greed. That is why the Democrats in the Senate again tried to bring the Paycheck Fairness Act to the floor of the Senate for a vote. But before they could bring the bill to a vote, a Republican filibuster would have to be stopped -- and that required 60 senate votes.

The cloture motion to stop the GOP filibuster failed on a 52 to 47 vote. All 52 votes to stop the filibuster were cast by Democrats and Independents, while all 47 votes to continue the filibuster and block a vote on the bill were by Republicans (including sadly, all of the female Republican senators). The Republicans have again shown they don't care that women are paid less and treated unequally.

I am once again compelled to ask -- why would any woman, or any man who loves the women in his life, ever vote Republican?