One Day Is Not Enough

 Today is International Women's Day.

Yet despite the many advances women have made over the years, we now find ourselves going backward. The Republican-majority US Supreme Court overturned legislation (Roe v Wade) that had for 22 years protected a woman's right to a safe abortion. Since then, various states, led by Texas, have seriously limited a woman's right to choose, going so far as to criminalize abortion. Now the Alabama supreme court has declared that frozen embryos are, in fact, children, and destroying them is tantamount to murder.

In Afghanistan, following the return of the Taliban, girls who are allowed to attend school usually stay only 2 years. Afghanistan ranks among the highest for gender-based violence. So-called honor killings, while illegal, are still widely practiced. Women are not allowed to work outside the home or to leave the home unless unaccompanied by a male relative. Females must once again cover their faces in public. Pakistan and several African countries round out the top 10 worst nations for women's rights.

Female Israeli hostages being held by the terrorist group Hamas in Gaza are subjected to not only the tears of being kidnapped, but also the absolute horrors of sexual violence. Far too many women in India are victims of domestic abuse and even gang rapes in public places and on buses.

Women throughout the world have the potential to do great things with their lives. They can be fighter pilots in the armed forces. They can command naval vessels. They can be police officers and neurosurgeons and prime ministers. They can make amazing discoveries and develop new medications to treat fatal diseases. 

One group I really admire is called the Black Mambas, an all female anti-poaching group in South Africa that works to prevent the slaughter of South Africa’s rhinoceros population and other wildlife. These highly trained rangers put their lives on the line every time they go on patrol.

There are many notable female role models in our world: Malala Yousafzai, Jane Goodall, Kamala Harris, Greta Thunberg and Amanda Gorman immediately come to mind. If you're not familiar with these women, please look them up and read about them.

I have been fortunate to have met a couple of female trailblazers. Dr. Ellen Ochoa was the first female Hispanic astronaut. She later became the first Hispanic woman and the second female director of NASA's Johnson Space Center. Ochoa holds a doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford University.

US Air Force Colonel Eileen Collins became the first female pilot and the first woman to command a space shuttle mission. 

Educate yourself, then speak up for women everywhere. Our struggling world is beset by wars on many fronts, by poverty and hunger and disease. We need all of us, not just white men, to work to make this world better for everyone.

Every day should be a day to recognize and honor the world's women. All women, not just those with advanced degrees or celebrity. deserve to be given the chance to follow their dreams and to succeed in whatever life they choose.