Respect for Women Begins with Respect by Women - Granite Grok

Respect for Women Begins with Respect by Women

Respect for Women Begins with Respect by Women

Ashley Pratte, Executive Director

In recent weeks there has been discussion around the topic of abortion as well as female objectification when recent sexting scandals were brought to light.

It is important to note that I myself am a single, twenty-four year old woman involved in activism in New Hampshire.  On a regular basis I am subject to constant criticism because of my pro-life views.

I think I speak on behalf of all women when I say enough is enough.  We need to stand up for ourselves and not be degrading to one another. While as females we may hold a variety of different opinions and beliefs there is one thing that binds us all and that is our gender.  If we ever hope to be respected by men we must first respect ourselves.

Last week a known blogger here in the Granite State found it necessary to tweet the following, “@ashpratte @demchairs at least they won’t hit you. Or leer at your boobs. Or call you a “vagina”. They aren’t republican men after all.”  Not only do I find this tweet to be horribly offensive but it depicts the culture that we are living in. Women are constantly the subject of degradation especially those in the political arena.

It is one thing to disagree with one’s beliefs and I understand that not everyone agrees with my pro-life views.  But, I believe that empowering women should always be a priority.  We should empower one another to make informed decisions and never allow ourselves to be treated disrespectfully.

The media attention that was given to Texas State Senator, Wendy Davis in recent weeks has been disappointing.  She was asked in a Weekly Standard interview what she made of polls showing that a majority of women support late-term abortion bans and she went so far as to say, “I again think that a lot of people don’t really understand the landscape of what’s happening in that arena today.” She also claimed she had no idea what happened in the case of abortionist Kermit Gosnell (http://www.lifenews.com/2013/08/05/wendy-davis-pro-life-women-dont-really-understand-abortion/). This type of ignorance from a public figure is unacceptable as well as her claim that women do not understand the abortion issue.  It is important for elected officials and others in public office to realize that just because they might disagree with the opposing views, doesn’t mean that they don’t exist.

Once the details of the horrifying Anthony Weiner sexting scandal broke, another story surfaced—that of a young female intern on the Weiner campaign who divulged information to the media.  Once this inside information was revealed, Weiner’s press secretary was caught using disgusting, obscene, and derogatory language to describe the intern who shared inside information.  Again, when did it become acceptable of women to be degraded, but especially by other females?

The media has become obsessed with the “war on women” and it doesn’t help when we create a war amongst ourselves.  In closing, we need to work to promote a culture of respect in the political arena, where women are not subject to constant degradation.

Cornerstone-Action and Cornerstone Policy Research are non-partisan, non-profit organizations dedicated to preserving New Hampshire’s traditional values, limited government, and free markets through education, information and advocacy. Our vision is to create an environment in which strong families—the foundation of our society—can lead New Hampshire into a new era of prosperity and strength. For more information, please visit nhcornerstone.org.

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