The risky, rocky road for women's rights
The origins of “Women’s Lib” in our nation date back to Revolutionary times, in that era focused on property rights and voting rights. During the 19th and early 20th centuries these issues were resolved in favor of freedom and equality, despite the foot-dragging of the bunch of old white guys who then dominated Washington. Why? Because most Americans became aware that it was the right thing to do. We as a nation became WOKE to women’s issues.
From the 1930s to the 70s, my mom worked as a sewing machine operator in a bra factory, a retail clerk in a women’s wear store, and as a medical secretary. During the era in which I was brought up, those careers, plus being a housemaid, an elementary school teacher, or a nurse, were the only jobs open to women. When I was in college, a gal named Joanne was the only other math major in my class, and Ruby was the only female in the entire School of Engineering. The walls had barely begun to break down. During my 32-year career in systems development for the U.S. military, I witnessed the emergence of women as major contributors to my projects. I believe that most Americans, unlike the Taliban, are aware of the importance of such freedom to society. We are WOKE.
For centuries, the male-dominated medical community largely ignored the importance of “female problems.” Thankfully in recent decades this tendency has diminished sharply — perhaps as a result of women rising to more prominent roles in that community. As a result, my goddaughter has had the freedom to live and enjoy life for over a decade despite the heartbreak of breast cancer at way-to-young an age.
Then there’s the associated issue of reproductive health care. All abortions were illegal in every state in our nation, yet they still took place. A young and healthy relative died of an illegal “botched abortion” in the 1920’s. Her three beautiful young daughters grew up without a mother. My late wife, then a young public health nurse in Harlem, saw vividly the damage caused by self-induced and “back-alley” abortions. We were married adults when in 1965 the sale and use of contraceptive devices was finally legalized in the Supreme Court’s Griswold v Connecticut decision. To her immense relief, the same happened concerning abortions, with the Supreme Court’s 1972 Rowe v Wade decision.
We weren’t at all troubled by subsequent constraints relating to viability of the fetus, because over the following decades the choice for abortion in our country became less frequent and those performed were much safer. We were aware of the pitfalls of governments and law enforcement meddling in health care. Joan and I were WOKE.
Egged on by religious and political zealots, last year the Supreme Court reversed itself, throwing abortion laws back into the hands of the states. Since then, there’s been a rush to see which state can pass the most restrictive laws, with Florida doing quite well in that race.
Contemplating an abortion constitutes a moral and practical dilemma for any woman. I firmly believe she should have the freedom to make that decision herself, in consultation with both her spiritual and medical advisors. I guess that makes me pro-choice. I also believe that our society needs to have mechanisms freely available that encourage women to choose life -- adoption services, affordable medical and early childhood care, etc. I guess that makes me pro-life. Can anyone be both? I'm not sure, but awareness of that dichotomy certainly confirms that I am WOKE.
Vic Berecz is a retired defense systems software engineering manager with homes in Fort Myers Beach and Connecticut.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: The risky, rocky road for women's rights
