My research assistant Heather Denigan just wrote a short but spot-on piece on her blog about the so-called “War on Women.”  Please read it and pass it along. — RDM

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War on Women?

by Heather Denigan
February 19, 2014

I live in the best possible time and country to be a woman.

I drove myself to the hospital this morning to get blood work for my neurologist. If I lived in Somalia, the phlebotomy technician probably would have refused to see me. If I lived in Somalia, they might have shot me after the first seizure. They value cattle more than human life — especially female life. Would they even trust me to take care of their dog? Would I even have another ten years left to live?

Here I am with a college diploma and a driver’s license. I wear my hair down or up, long or short without endangering my life. My ankles are exposed and my head is uncovered. I’m wearing pearls that my parents gave me last year as a birthday-Christmas gift. This morning I read a Bible in my own language. I heated breakfast in a microwave — no gathering wood for a fire under threat of beatings. My boss pays me for my work — the only forced labor around here is jocular.

I’m grateful for even the lascivious pop songs on the radio. For in a land like Somalia, who would think it worthwhile to write or sing verses about a woman’s eyes?