Elect a Progressive to Prevent Attacks on Women’s Rights Overseas

While many American right wingers value women who are silent and subservient, progressives have a different kind of moral values. We think that the right thing to do is to establish societies in which women are regarded under the law as the equals of men, able to enjoy the same freedoms as men.

Therefore, we progressives are disturbed to discover that, as a result of the Iraq War started by American right wingers, women in Iraq have experienced a substantial degradation in their freedoms. One Iraqi woman, describing the new attempts to restrict the rights of women in Iraq, explains, “I try to avoid leaving my home, and when I do, I always cover my face. Several of my friends have been threatened or beaten by these Shia militias who insist we stay home and never show our faces.”

In 2008, in 2012 and looking forward to 2016, it cannot be enough to vote for a woman candidate because she is herself a woman, presuming that she will, therefore, act to protect women’s rights around the world. We deserve a President who won’t support wars that result in the degradation of the rights of women. The Iraq War’s tragic impact on the lives of Iraqi women shows that we cannot trust Republicans and pro-war Democrats in this regard. Sadly, Hillary Clinton was among the pro-war Democrats who have helped to create the conditions under which the rights of Iraqi women have been harshly reduced.

This year, next year and in all the years to come, we need a real progressive who won’t just be a poster image of rights for all. We need a President who will actually do what it takes to promote rights for all human beings around the world.