I am a woman. I live in America. I did not attend a women’s march over the weekend, but I know people who did. These marches made front page news all across America and sparked lively debates on social media. It’s obvious that women in this country have vastly different beliefs and convictions. I don’t presume to speak for all women in America. I speak only for myself. But at the same time, I know I’m not the only woman who feels this way. So with that in mind, I have some apologies to make.
To the women of China, I’m sorry that we here in America are fighting for the right to abort our children while you yearn for the freedom to have as many children as you wish.
Women of Saudi Arabia, I’m sorry we push for equal rights while ignoring the fact that you have none of the freedoms we take for granted. You are told how to dress, forbidden from driving, disallowed to pursue an education, and basically treated as property.
To women in underdeveloped countries, I’m sorry that we are pushing for free health care, including abortion on demand, while you struggle to feed your families and find clean water to drink and have limited or no access to good health care.
To those women who are trafficked and abused, I’m sorry that we have ignored your plight also. You are sold into drug and sex trafficking or are victims of domestic abuse. Your rights are the ones we need to be fighting for.
Men, I’m sorry that we have disrespected you while demanding you respect us. We continually mock you on TV shows, movies, and commercials, making you out to be the idiotic male who could never survive without the help of a woman. I’m sorry that we have insisted you support our reproductive rights unconditionally, including the right to terminate your own child without your consent. I apologize for the double standard we support, finding no irony in the fact that while a woman can abort your child without your knowledge, many doctors require you to have a signed consent from your female counterpart to undergo a vasectomy. Yet if you, as a male, dare protest any of this, you are labeled a sexist, and an intolerant one, at that. I’m sorry we’ve put you in that position.
To the children in America(*), I’m sorry we are setting a poor example for you. On Friday you saw the images of protesters throwing rocks, yelling obscenities, and screaming, while you are told not to throw temper tantrums. Then the following day, images of crude costumes and signs (some of which I would consider pornographic) were displayed as part of the Women’s Marches, coupled with colorful speeches from characters like Madonna who dropped the F bomb multiple times and claimed she’d thought about blowing up the White House.
To those who marched or supported the recent marches, I understand that all of you did so for your own reasons. I dare not place all you in one blanket category. Some of you marched in protest of President Trump’s former comments about women and his views on various topics. Some of you wholeheartedly agreed with Madonna’s statements, while others were uncomfortable with them. Some of you marched for LGBT rights. Perhaps some of you marching were doing so in support of abused and victimized women, hoping to give them a voice. Some of you consider yourselves feminists; others do not. There are some of you who are pushing not only for equality, but superiority over men. Some of you carried vulgar signs and dressed up in descriptive outfits depicting female body parts. I’m sorry if any of you think I’m judging you or that I don’t care to listen to your opinion. I’m sorry if you feel undervalued by society at large or by those in your life. You are worthy of love and respect, and not just because you’re a woman, but because you are a human being.
We may be separated by language and culture barriers in this world, by our beliefs, by our own stubbornness and sinful pride, but there is one thing that unites us all- we are all created by God, and that’s what gives us worth. It is never God’s will that we hurt or mistreat one another. Unfortunately, there will always be inequality in this sinful world, and we should each do what we can to work toward basic human rights for all, especially those who cannot fight for themselves. But even amidst the chaos of this world, I know a critical truth- my most important freedom has already been won. Jesus has freed me from sin. You- yes, you– are so valuable that Jesus died for you. No matter what you’ve done in the past, no matter what your current situation, Jesus’ love and forgiveness are there for you. That’s the message of hope and healing I want to spread. And I make no apologies for that.
TruthNotes 
January 26, 2017 at 3:56 pm
I appreciate what most of the commenters I have been reading are saying. However, what the author is saying is that, although the majority of the march was, indeed, peaceful and everything went just as planned, a small minority caused a big problem and, thus, became the focus of attention.
As they became the focus of attention with the rioting and such, the whole image of the march was changed, thus making it appear much worse than it was. It was a case of ‘the squeaky wheel gets all of the attention.’ The author was saying this small group of people who represented their cause poorly did no good for said cause and actually did more damage than good and this is not the image she wants represented as an example of what womanhood should be.
The author was not comparing our easy lives in this country with the difficult, often life threatening lives of women in other countries. She was stating that she hopes and prays we will strive to work harder to gain some of the rights we already enjoy for these women.
The author is not saying in any way that she thinks women’s reproductive parts are vulgar or the many other speeches were not worthy of mentioning. There were, indeed, many speeches that were excellent and had valid points which needed to be said and heard. They were not relevant to this article, however.
Throughout America’s history, women have organized themselves and have also had peaceful marches in order to obtain certain rights which we still enjoy today. This has been an effective way for a group to be heard. It is always sad when a small group insists on ruining it for everyone else. Perhaps there were enough peaceful voices that the obnoxious voices will be crowded out soon.
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January 27, 2017 at 12:33 am
Unfortunately, no, that is not what she was saying. I wish this author had taken the time to see the hundreds of marches that happened worldwide, or any of the signs held by individuals marching in solidarity for the women in the exact situations she describes. What the author wrote was belittling and offensive to the women who marched for women’s rights, which was every single person. No where in this world is an individual who identifies as female considered or treated equal to her male counterparts. These marches were about solidarity, and if the author knew anything of the word or truly felt the need to help these exact women she discussed, she would have marched in honor and in solidarity for all women. And also, I don’t think the vagina or vulva or clitoris or uterus is vulgar, and I’m sorry to the author for being forced by society to view her own beautiful body parts in such a manner. But she was raised in a society by men, who she also felt obligated to apologise for, and I am also sorry for that. Solidarity; unity; harmony. That was the point of marching, and we missed you out there. Thank you for caring about these women, but join us in caring about all women (including us because that’s not selfish) and we can fight for gender equality, everywhere, together.
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January 27, 2017 at 7:31 am
When I heard that women dressed in outfits resembling women’s genitalia marched for gender equality, the image oF a man dressed as a giant penis came to mind…absolutely meaningless on both counts. A giant brain perhaps, or a large heart, or a huge purse for equal pay for equal work would have been my choice. I am immensely more than a vagina, a clitoris, or a uterus, and I already have complete freedom of choice over my body. I have the right to choose whatever form of birth control I desire to prevent a pregnancy without terminating (euphemism for killing) a growing, living child.
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January 27, 2017 at 8:05 am
I agree.. it is sad that some are still misinterpreting the point of the women’s march and why we have done this throughout our history. If individuals are still confused by this act then please review your history books and understand why we are here today as we stand. We stand for all women and rights including those that are still stifled, have no voice and living in societies that are unjust and mistreat women. Again , that is exactly why we do this and we will continue to fight for our daughter’s futures to have and protect and keep those same rights that we as a collective throughout our American history have fought so hard for. This will be a lifelong battle that we will hand the torch down to our daughters and sons to teach them that rights are not always just given to you and there will always be those that still want to suppress and oppress.
P.S. There is no need to apologize to our men. I think they ( for the most of them) love and equally respect us as we do them and whole heartedly support us.
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January 27, 2017 at 8:47 am
The vagina suits and vulgar comments from the platform in front of children, we’re enough for me to discount this event. Let alone the agendas of many of its leaders. But then what do I know I’m just a man.
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January 27, 2017 at 10:16 am
I agree with the author. It is sad that our media would show the world how out of control people are in this country. If the march was civil the media didn’t show it.
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January 27, 2017 at 12:35 pm
PREACH!
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January 27, 2017 at 12:40 pm
Preach! Thank you! One thing is our fault however, and that is it’s becoming more and more clear that people don’t know what we were marching for. We need to find a way to show that we are in fact inclusive, and that these marches are not just about getting “abortions on demand.” And this crap that everyone was dressed as vaginas? My god, they were hats shaped as cats. Why is everyone in uproar about this?! To your point though, you’re 100% right. IF she cared about all of those other women, she should have been at the march! There were marches worldwide, NOT just in our country. Our country just happened to spark this. And, just because things are worse somewhere else, doesn’t make inequality ok here. That’s giving up on progress because it could be worse. Thank you for standing up, thank you for marching, thank for continuing on in the cause for women, environment, and equality for all people.
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January 27, 2017 at 1:14 pm
First of all you should really tried to not have so many grammatical errors in your reply, second in my opinion it is outright stupidity to assume that there isn’t equality among sexes. I can show you thousands of occupations where the man is considered last in line for a promotion based solely on his gender as I am sure there are promotions that are given to men and not women based on gender. The reality is you get out of life what you put in. There are much better things for women to focus their attention on and being productive. This is 2017 give me a break women are not discriminated against any more than men are. I get so sick of genders and races doing nothing but focusing on protest. I mean really, life is so bad that you feel compelled to waste everyone’s time by protesting. The problem is people in America feel so entitled that all they do is look for negativity. Grow the freak up and work for what you want in life. Opportunity is there, stop waiting for someone to knock on your door and hand you something.
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January 27, 2017 at 1:19 pm
I don’t offend often, It is quite difficult to offend me, but I take offence at your words. “No where in this world is an individual who identifies as female considered or treated equal to her male counterparts.” For this statement is wrong. When you enter my house you will find my wife treated as an equal, her role in our life together is just as important as mine. Her say in where our money is spent and the value of hobbies, interests, bills holds as much sway (or more) than mine. My trust in her is unquestioning. I treat her as an equal, she is not their to serve me, we are there to build up each other, to encourage and aid one another. We both believe this and try our darndest to live it.
My three daughters have a value that is immeasurable. When my oldest wants to do ballet one day and the next wants to help me with my RC car we don’t stop her, we try to enable her to be capable of doing what she desires. I would treat a son no different.
I don’t know about you and yours, but in my house we are all equal and respected and loved unconditionally.
Your assertion that my house undervalue’s women, that my house puts men first, that my house treats my wife as less than me, or my daughters as less than a son would be is wrong, and it is an affront to EVERY home where the wife, mother, sister, daughter, husband, father, brother, or son is going against the grain of society. Where women and men are only different because of their biology. Where people are put into roles by their skills and abilities, not their perceived roles due to their gender.
The most belittling I have seen is your disregard of those that have accomplished what you fight for. Words like yours again cause me to be distrustful of organizations striving to bring “Equality” to women. For again it sounds like you strive for Superiority when you ignore the progress that has been made.
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January 27, 2017 at 1:25 pm
I did not find her remarks belittling or offensive to anyone what any real sense of right and wrong. I definitely feel “considered and equal” to the male counterparts in my life (changed ‘or’ to ‘and’to make correct grammar in my sentence. I feel marcher and protesters as they were seen by the media coverage are belittling to womanhood. Not much of what was shown on TV made me feel proud to be a women. On the contrary, it made me ashamed of the way my fellow American women behave. If we want to be treated equal, and I feel we have less rights and equality since the women’s movement started, we need to ask like we are equal. All this protesting comes across as wanting to be superior. I would also be willing to wager that the majority of American women do not agree with what happened during this march. We just tend to prefer looking like a lady, and, yes, I mean that they way it sounds.
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January 27, 2017 at 2:44 pm
kparkos, a beautifully written response. I fully agree, thank you!!
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January 27, 2017 at 6:33 pm
Well said
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January 28, 2017 at 7:55 am
“Nowhere in this world is an individual who identifies as female considered or treated equal to her male counterparts.”
I am. My female colleagues who work in education are. My eldest daughter is, & my youngest daughter is actually noticing that being female is putting her ahead of her male counterparts in both education & business.
“Nowhere” is the type of sweeping generalization that caused the march to lose its unified purpose.
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January 28, 2017 at 9:27 am
The author did not apologise FOR men, she apologised TO men on behalf of the 3rd wave feminist trolls who belittle the male gender at every opportunity whilst hiding behind the faux veil of “equality”.
The author apologised on behalf of women for this minority that causes so much more harm than good.
No equality nor positive result can ever come from oppressing another gender. The equality debate is now void in the western world thanks to the hard work and dedication of the pioneers from the feminist movement’s first and second waves. This third wave is completely ridiculous and has no outcomes to achieve other than dominance. Equality was already achieved by the end of the second wave of feminism.
I am sorry that men have been treated so poorly by the newest wave of feminists being told they are “mansplaining” and being belittled, oppressed and abused purely because of their different chromosomes.
I am sorry that men have to live with this rapidly growing movement targeting them and their very being in an attempt to oppress men retrospectively for the centuries gone by where women were not permitted to vote, be educated, dress certain ways, make choices for themselves, gain employment etc.
I am also sorry that this rapidly growing movement of third wave feminism is so blinded by their own propaganda that they cannot realise they are doing only harm.
BUT,
I am not sorry that these third wave feminists have been abandoned by god.
I am not sorry that he has chosen no longer to guide them.
I am not sorry they no longer feel god’s love.
These women are living lives rife with sin and no matter how many followers they manage to rally and how many young girls they manage to brainwash. God will be waiting and one day he will serve justice.
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January 28, 2017 at 10:28 am
My thoughts exactly, kparkos.
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January 28, 2017 at 11:53 am
“No where in this world is an individual who identifies as female considered or treated equal to her male counterparts.”
If you actually believe this to be true, then you are both naive and part of the problem.
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January 28, 2017 at 1:32 pm
Thank you for responding with such truth and in such an articulate manner.
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January 29, 2017 at 3:37 pm
You are absolutely full of it! If all of the women that marched would have donated the money they spent on getting to the march and the money spent to support themselves while at the march to various organizations like the homeless, abused women shelters, adoptions for couples who so desperately want a child but can’t afford the cost, soup kitchens, families of fallen law enforcement, and the list goes on; can you imagine how much more that would have made a difference in this world than all those women marching!
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January 29, 2017 at 5:19 pm
I don’t fully agree, for one thing, I did not see it as her apologizing “for” anyone, but to the groups for any insensitivity to their plights! I do agree with most of what she said.
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January 29, 2017 at 6:02 pm
“No where in this world is an individual who identifies as female considered or treated equal to her male counterparts.” This is either hyperbole or a comment rooted in gross ignorance. My wife works in a US government job with offices across the nation. The entire organization is run by a woman. In her local office, there are as many female supervisors as male supervisors. Every individual’s pay is the same, based on time in service and pay grade. Her success is based on her hard work. Places like this do exist. They are also an inconvenient truth for those who makes statements such as the one I quoted.
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February 11, 2017 at 9:51 am
So if a man walked down a street dressed as a penis, or testicles, it wouldn’t be vulgar? The body parts are not in and of themselves vulgar, but displaying exaggerated versions of them in public, a public which includes children, most certainly is.
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January 27, 2017 at 6:14 am
What she and many others fail to realize by the example below is these are two sides to the same coin. The issue is government control of our reproductive choices. If you are anti-choice, the government can decide to prohibit or enforce abortions, as China does. “To the women of China, I’m sorry that we here in America are fighting for the right to abort our children while you yearn for the freedom to have as many children as you wish.”
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January 27, 2017 at 6:35 am
I don’t think it is a matter of the government having control of our reproductive “choices.” God is the supreme control. I understand many of you choose not to believe that. But be aware that you will at some point stand before the Supreme Being of the universe and be responsible for your “choices.”
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January 27, 2017 at 7:32 am
I already have the right to choose whatever form of birth control I desire to prevent a pregnancy without terminating (euphemism for killing) a growing, living child.
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January 27, 2017 at 8:17 am
Control of reproductive choices occur with you prior to sex. ACCOUNTABILITY! Yes I know that birth control is not 100%. Of course there is always the option of abstinence…shocker. It’s not the governments responsibilty to bail out everyone at every level for poor judgment. The exception would be rape(and should be given options strictly in my opinion). Which can be accomplished immediately after conception. I understand that some still consider this a life…and I truly get that. You can kill your child but if a pregnant woman is murdered it’s a double homicide!!!!!!SMH
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January 27, 2017 at 2:04 pm
I agree with you 100%. This was solidarity for the hard fought rights that we have and her comments sound submissive as if we have no right to our own choices. Hopefully this will help women all over the world stand up. We fought to be recognized and maybe it will inspire other woman to do the same. Government and religion are separate and when you bring Jesus into the conversation you are abandoning that line. This country is made up of people that do not believe exactly as you do and none of us has the right to use that as an argument for women’s rights. This March was for women all over the world and how no matter what we believe, we must all support each other.
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January 27, 2017 at 6:30 am
“There were, indeed, many speeches that were excellent and had valid points which needed to be said and heard. They were not relevant to this article, however.”
Of course those speeches “were not relevant” to you because if you acknowledged their relevance, both you and the author of this piece would have to acknowledge that the Women’s March was about MUCH more than abortion. And indeed, it was. The march was about the fact that women of color in THIS country can’t take freedom or their safety for granted like privileged white women (let the record show that I am one of those privileged white women and that, unlike the privileged white women who oppose the march or consider many of the speeches made there irrelevant, I am well aware that acknowledging my privilege does NOT mean I am racist… it means I am acknowledging a very real problem so that I can help fix it, which is anything but racist). The march was also about the fact that women of ALL races and nationalities don’t want self-entitled, over-privileged men to feel free to grab them by their genitals… much less grab them by their genitals then brag about it while half the country essentially slaps him on the back in congratulations and elects him to the most powerful office in the world, sending the message to the world that such heinous behavior is okay.
And by the way, it IS possible to stand up for women in other countries who face horrific injustices and atrocities (no woman who marched would disagree or try to tell you you shouldn’t) and still support women in your own country who are fighting to make sure our illustrious new POTUS’ bigoted and misogynistic views don’t become the norm. The two are NOT mutually exclusive! And finally, please understand that faulting women for protesting to gain and/or insure basic human rights for all women in this country, while suggesting we protest atrocities against women in other countries, is at least a little bit hypocritical.
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January 27, 2017 at 10:34 am
But you were okay with the heinous behavior of Hillary Clinton? There was not a cohesive message in any of these speeches. They were here, there and everywhere!!
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January 27, 2017 at 11:23 pm
I’m so confused by your post. First you say one thing and then another that is contradictory. Maybe it was typos but definitely confusion as to what your point is. They are they aren’t, we do we don’t, they do they don’t, it is it isn’t. Madre’
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January 27, 2017 at 10:37 am
Thanks for letting us know what YOU THINK the author was saying, however, I completely disagree with your take. Your reply is purely opinion and should be positioned as such.
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January 27, 2017 at 11:57 am
Yes indeed. I appreciate the tone of the column, and of your rely.
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January 27, 2017 at 2:27 pm
If you recall, it only that one bad apple (the minority marchers who created chaos and unnecessary rioting) to spoil the barrel. Food for thought, don’t you think?
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January 28, 2017 at 11:50 am
This author and you who weren’t at the march have no right to apologize for any of us- we were not rioting in Friday night- many of the marchers were not even in town Friday night. We were marching to protect women and children in this country. We were are not the hypocrites who want children born but not cared for- or who allow men to condemn and make laws for us because of our sex-we are not the ones banning religions while yelling about being Christian and caring about people.
Wake up sisters -you are the ones we need to apologize for -you are the ones we need to point out to our children of how not to act if you are a Christian.
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January 29, 2017 at 6:07 pm
Nearly 5 million people around the WORLD marched on January 21st. Four arrests were made in the US. 21 cities, MILLIONS of marchers. Four arrests. Stop getting your “news” from your biased Facebook feed.
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January 30, 2017 at 3:48 pm
I wholeheartedly agree with Angela M. Sapp!!!!!!!! It only takes one bad apple to spoil the others in the barrel!!!!!
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January 26, 2017 at 4:22 pm
Hello, Here is the list of what the purpose of the march was: https://www.womensmarch.com/principles/
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January 27, 2017 at 6:31 am
Thanks for the link. I, personally, do not agree with many of the stated purposes of the march. Perhaps that is why I did not march. I agree with the apologies set forth in the blog. We American women have much to apologize to the women of the world for. We are spoiled and have no real reasons to “march.” If we had to endure the pain and suffering so many thousands of women across the world do, we would realize just how selfish and privileged we are. For goodness sake, get real and take a good, long, hard look at just how wonderful we, as women, have it in America.
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January 27, 2017 at 10:07 am
Amen, you and the blog said it perfectly !!! I have 5 daughters and I raised them to work hard, stand strong, and respect themselves as well as others … I have 3 of them on birth control as soon as they started menstrating, if they get pregnant unless it’s rape or something is wrong with the baby Congrats your a mother !!!
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January 27, 2017 at 1:54 pm
Crickett – What if, God forbid, your daughter was raped and conceived a child?
Also…it’s ‘you’re’ not ‘your’
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January 27, 2017 at 4:51 pm
No one denies that rape is a terrible crime and does irreparable damage to a woman. I can’t even comprehend one of my daughters being violated in such a manner, and I pray it never happens. But let me tell you about a real-life rape baby. His mother was raped as a teenager. Reprehensible. And understandably she never bonded with the child. So from the moment he was born, his grandmother took him in and raised him as her own. I spoke to this grandmother at length, and she’s one of the strongest women I know. She’s raising four of her grandchildren and has had to deal with the death of another grandchild. She was formerly in an abusive relationship and once got beaten so badly she now walks with a limp. But in regards to her grandchild who was the result of rape, he is a normal, happy kid with the most infectious smile you could ever imagine. Had his mother chosen abortion, he would not be alive right now. In the grandmother’s own words, “I mean, it’s not his fault, you know?”
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January 27, 2017 at 2:52 pm
I do not see myself as selfish nor privileged. I have had a hard life [my biological father wanted my mother to abort me; she wanted to give me up for adoption–wished that she had done so instead of listening to others who thought once my biological father laid eyes on me, he would change his mind about my existence and reconcile with my mother–what a pipe dream–she has, many times, made my life intolerable with her intolerance of me–I suspect that she resented me every time she looked at me–reportedly my facial image is his facial image–had the authorities been told how she physically and emotionally abused me, she would have found herself underneath the jailhouse]. I have had to work HARD AND LONG ALL OF MY LIFE!!!! And I have little to show for it. Yes, I am blessed with the Almighty Lord’s love and forgiveness. Until I realized that, I found myself unlovable which created a myriad of emotional problems–I have spent 1/2 of my life in personal, marriage, and child-parent counseling. Privileged? By whose standards? My mother assaulted me during one of her many temper tantrums, and when all was said and done, I found myself living on the streets in my car for over a year! I finally realized that she (my role model for womanhood, motherhood, etc.) would never become the mother I needed her to be (AND THAT IS OKAY), and I will never be “THE PERFECT DAUGHTER” she demands I become (AND THAT IS OKAY, TOO). I now live a solitary life (because of major trust issues), and have few, if any, wants or needs. My quiet existence and hermit-like behavior is not always welcomed by others, AND THAT IS OKAY!!! But to group all American women as being spoiled and take advantage and are privileged is NOT OKAY WITH ME!!!!! Just wanted to give you my $0.02 cents regarding your statements! Thank you for your thoughtfulness/kindness in receiving my remarks in response to yours. It is and continues to be not my intent to insult or ruffle anyone’s feathers. Just don’t generalize and group all of us women and attempt to place us square parts into a round hole — all of us are different, and the world would be a better place in which to live if all of us, including the men, would/could be motivated to be tolerant of others.
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January 27, 2017 at 4:39 pm
Thank you for sharing your story. I am so glad that despite such a difficult upbringing, you know you are “blessed with the Almighty Lord’s love and forgiveness.” Only in Him is there true peace. God bless you.
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January 27, 2017 at 4:00 pm
You may have it all fine and dandy, but there are women in this country who experience horrendous things from abuse to being trafficked against their will in the sex trade to simply being paid 54% of what a man makes to do the same work. Time to wake up that not everyone is as blessed as you and that it is your Christian duty to help your neighbor who is less fortunate than you, even if she is a woman or God forbid a minority. Stop pointing fingers, instead lend a hand.
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January 29, 2017 at 5:28 pm
Thank you! Yes, i agree, we women (all races) have had struggles, but for the most part we are mostly, to some extent, “spoiled” in America!
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January 30, 2017 at 10:20 pm
What a purely privileged point of view you have… clearly lots of women disagree and feel there is. We have plenty to march for. Open your eyes or perhaps more accurately… lower your view from high in your castle. Ridiculous.
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February 6, 2017 at 2:14 pm
You go Eve!!!! Bring it on!!!!!
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February 6, 2017 at 1:22 pm
We are marching to keep those rights and we are marching for those who do not have these rights. We are marching to oppose a President who demeans and disrespects women. I respect your right to disagree with the march. Thanks.
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February 6, 2017 at 1:29 pm
Regarding the Apology from the Woman who didn’t March:
To the Women of China. I am sorry your government regulates how many children you can have and does not give you control of what you do with your own body. I feel you; our government is trying to that too. I am sorry that some women settle for less and accept the scraps that have been given to us. That we had to fight for every step of the way (thank you so much for giving us the right to vote in 1920- 113 years after white men).
To the Women of Saudi Arabia am sorry that you have less freedom than we have. Never stop fighting. We women in the USA continue to fight and we still don’t have equal rights. Lately even the President is trying to tell women how to dress. And in this country if you are raped, there are citizens who blame it on what a woman was wearing. Never give up Saudi women. We won’t either.
To women in underdeveloped countries, I’m sorry you struggle to feed your families and have limited access to good health care. We too still have women in this country that struggle too. We were coming close to ensuring that all Americans had quality and affordable health care. But that may be ending soon. I am sorry that things are going backwards.
To those women who are trafficked and abused, or experience domestic violence. We are not ignoring your plight. There are more programs, shelters and task forces out there uniting with police, churches and community agencies to help you. We are making progress in this area. However, with the new President and his “Team” the Violence Against Women Act funding is in serious jeopardy. Again I apologize for that.
Men. I am sorry if women have disrespected you by mocking you on TV and in movies. But I am grateful that the majority of us are not raping you or molesting your children or making sexually inappropriate comments to you (approximately 1 out of every 6 American women have been raped attempted to be raped). If that has happened to you by anyone. I sincerely am sorry. No one deserves that.
To the To the children in America I am sorry you had to see protestors throwing rocks, that is unacceptable. But I hope you were able to see the thousands of men and women walking together for a common cause to make sure everyone’s rights are protected. Some people think making America great again is making it white. But children the good ole days that they are talking about had Jim Crow laws and there was a lot more violence. In fact peaceful protestors got beaten up. And sometimes killed because of the color of their skin. White people also got killed if they supported civil rights. Children. We do not want this to happen again. Let’s all not throw rocks. But children. We must stand up for the rights of all Americans. And we must keep in mind the history of our country and not forget that when we are marching for women and minorities.
And finally to the author I am responding to. I am sorry you see the world as sinful. However regardless of how you see the world as long as there is complacency there will be inequality. As Ruth Bader Ginsberg has said “People ask me sometimes, when — when do you think it will it be enough? When will there be enough women on the court? And my answer is when there are nine.”
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February 7, 2017 at 10:09 am
Thank you for this response. Clearly, we have differing views on certain topics, but some common concerns as well. I completely agree with you that complacency is very dangerous. And I would be lying if I claimed not to struggle with complacency myself. The discussions on this article have been a good motivation for me to do more for the causes I believe in. Regarding your comment about sin, yes, I do believe there is sin in the world. But that’s not the end of the story! God wasn’t complacent about our sins. He didn’t leave us alone. Jesus came to take our sins away. I’m eternally grateful for that!
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January 30, 2017 at 3:49 pm
Many thanks for sharing, Maya!!!!
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February 6, 2017 at 3:21 pm
Maya, thanks for the suggestion! I appreciate you!!!!
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January 26, 2017 at 4:46 pm
Ruth I would like to thank you for taking the time to write from your heart as you did about the March. I so much appreciate it and I agree with all the other ladies and men who said you were speaking for many of us who didn’t have the right words to say either out of embarrassment for America or reasons they can’t say.
I would like for you to keep one thing in mind, as the comments are coming in they are marching on your blog . You cannot change their minds but you have planted a seed and that is all God expects from us. You don’t need to justify what you have written to any of them. And by continuing to try to reason or explain or stand up for what you believe in, you and all of the rest are just entertaining those who don’t get it.
God doesn’t want us to entertain, argue, or March he simply wants us to spread seeds for his love as you are doing and to be grateful for what we have because our perfect world waits ahead for us when we leave this sinful one.
God bless and I pray you continue to feel the peace that you have spread to each of us in your blog today.
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January 26, 2017 at 10:37 pm
Thank you for taking the time to write an encouraging response. God bless you as well!
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January 27, 2017 at 9:05 am
I MARCHED IN DC. I DID IT…
…for the future of my children and my grandchildren.
…for all the qualified women who get paid less because they are women.
…for all the women who are assaulted then told they really enjoyed it or they deserved it.
…for all the children, women and men who cannot afford health insurance and so go without care
…for those who do not receive the same respect I enjoy because their skin is a different color.
…for all the children of illegal immigrants who have the same dreams my children have but now live in fear of being sent to a country they know nothing about.
…for those mistreated because of the way they worship God.
…for those discriminated against because of who they love.
…for women who may lose the right to choices that seriously affect their bodies and their lives.
…for all of those who are ridiculed or belittled because they suffer with a disability.
I marched with thousands of others (women AND men) not just in DC or the US but all over the world.
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January 27, 2017 at 11:28 am
Ruth, I’d like to ask you to never apologize to me or for another person again. It is not your place to put your cross on a shield and then attack people and their actions with passive-aggressive ‘apologies’. You are entitled to your opinion and I respect that, but your piece was assumptive, baseless, and obtuse. God does not give me worth, nor does believing in God. I choose to believe that my actions and how I treat people during my brief time on this planet is where my value is derived.
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January 27, 2017 at 6:40 am
God does ask us to stand up for the most vulnerable in our midst. That is what many of us who marched were doing. I didn’t march for myself. I marched for my muslim-american niece, my mothers God Son who is gay, my dear friend who grew up in the a socially disadvantaged family and feels threatened by this administration for many reasons. God absolutely
asks us to march.
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January 27, 2017 at 1:56 pm
Katherine!
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January 27, 2017 at 3:00 pm
I wholeheartily agree with your remarks! Thank you for sharing!
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January 28, 2017 at 6:24 am
Trump has a poor way of communicating, unlike Obama, so watch what he does more listening to what he says.
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January 27, 2017 at 10:44 am
I work hard in my little corner of the world to make life better for all people that I am surrounded by. At no time have I felt threatened, diminished, degraded or fearful regarding my “rights.” If each of us would just take care of our corner of the world, Christ will take care of our rights, not marchers. They are powerless!!
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January 29, 2017 at 5:34 pm
Thank you, warmintentions for your encouragement to our author!
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January 26, 2017 at 4:49 pm
Most people have covered some variant of the responses I already have to this, and I must say I quite respect your writing style, but two things I didn’t see that I’ll comment on:
You say “[o]n Friday you saw the images of protesters throwing rocks, yelling obscenities, and screaming, while you are told not to throw temper tantrums.” In my opinion some so called temper tantrums are just. That would be a terrible thing to teach a child that they must never be angry or upset and/or that they must never show it. There are times to sit down and shut up. There are times to be angry. Is it not a healthy lesson to teach children that sometimes it’s right to be angry? A lot of people at that March had every right to their anger and to express it, even if you disagree. Why would you apologise for that?
I also think it would be helpful when writing an article like this to say what people CAN do. You mention subjugated women in Saudia Arabia, starving children in foreign countries, women who are trafficked and abused. These are all incredibly important issues. And if these are the real issues we should be caring about, then how do we get involved, how do we help, and how do we change these things? That would be a far better closing paragraph. I don’t know if you are actively engaged in improving those areas of women’s lives, but one would assume that if you are apologising to them then you have some kind of relationship to their plight. One would also assume this as you are raising their pain and struggles as issues we should care about more than the ones presented at the Women’s March. To be totally frank: without some kind of action-step or telling us ways we can actively focus on what you say we should actually be focusing on, you come off sounding a bit hollow. And yes, the reader could look these things up themselves on Google. The point is more that you show us that you know, and are actively involved, and not just using other women’s terrible situations to try and prove your disagreement with the Women’s March.
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January 26, 2017 at 11:23 pm
I applaud your post, Lost Girl!!!
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January 27, 2017 at 2:37 am
When there is a fair and lawful election held,we must teach our children that just because our team did not win, we must play by the rules. W
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January 29, 2017 at 5:38 pm
Just as with any election, yes tammy, I agree.
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January 27, 2017 at 3:17 am
i agree with this
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January 27, 2017 at 10:56 am
But did you actually accomplish anything? This is the question I keep trying to answer so I could possibly understand. And, today, are you helping just one of these women that have such horrible lives? I don’t recall any woman’s rights being threatened by our government leaders. Can you give me concrete examples of laws that will be made to abolish your rights?
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January 27, 2017 at 3:05 pm
Bring it on, Lost Girl. I totally agree with your remarks. Well done!!!!
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January 26, 2017 at 5:28 pm
She’s just submitting to the patriarchy and reversing the progressive actions that women are trying to make in this world. Yes, many Americans are self absorbed and unaware of the atrocities that happen to women in foreign countries but just because we’re fighting for equality and justice in the states, doesn’t mean that we’re not fighting for justice and equality for every woman on earth. More women are mocked and paraded than men… have you seen the miss universe pageant or any pageant in general? It’s all sexist and degrading to women. Most shows and mass media have sexist values.. you can’t be a reporter or a journalist if you’re not a good looking woman. We live in a world that praises men, and women are slaves to men without their own knowing, they don’t even know because its so normal to them and its what they were raised with. The signs are everywhere, this lady needs to wake up.
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January 26, 2017 at 8:18 pm
Correct me if I’m wrong .. but to my knowledge no woman is ever forced to be in a beauty pageant. That is a choice. If it’s degrading, they did it to themselves. Male models only wish they had the same chance.
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January 27, 2017 at 7:51 am
Good for you.
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January 27, 2017 at 3:11 pm
I hate to break it to you, but most of these pageants are organized, established, etc., by entities (AND THAT INCLUDES SOME WOMEN) where the mother is the instigator for a daughter’s participation in same when the young daughter needs to be associating with peers, and living their lives free of intolerance instead of being forced, by their mothers, who are living their life via their young daughters. Shame on you — for some, these daughters weren’t given a choice!!!!! Just wanted to give my 2 cents to your remarks.
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January 29, 2017 at 5:42 pm
I agree, Marie, exactly what I was thinking. A few mamas do push their little girls into it, but it is mostly choice. Some daddies push their boys into sports too.
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January 26, 2017 at 9:11 pm
And yet here you are devaluing her opinion in an effort to degrade and humiliate her while ‘womansplaining’ why she is wrong. And you aren’t even a man.
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January 27, 2017 at 7:51 am
Good for you. That is the truth.
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January 27, 2017 at 3:14 pm
Excuse me; I am confused by your remarks. What is ‘womansplaining” — never heard that word before, and it is not in the Webster’s dictionary!
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January 27, 2017 at 6:31 am
All beauty contestants willingly participate. No one is forcing them to parade theirselves. They freely worship at the alter of beauty on display.
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January 27, 2017 at 3:18 pm
I disagree — young daughters of mothers are not given the opportunity to make an informed decision about participation in pageants. These women/mothers are living vicariously via their daughters. In these cases, these youngsters are not freely worshiping at the altar of beauty on display — that attitude is a “learned” attitude at the hands of their mothers’ needs.
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January 27, 2017 at 8:48 am
Should the women who participate in these pageants not have the “choice” to do so? Why would any woman participate if they felt degraded? Are they forced to do this?
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January 27, 2017 at 3:21 pm
If their pageant history commenced while the daughter was a youngster — then it was forced on them by their mothers’ emotional needs.
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January 27, 2017 at 11:01 am
And some women choose this lifestyle, happily being slaves to men, not needing or wanting you to fight for them. Did you make just one woman’s life better by marching – if you did? The women of pageants do this willingly.
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January 27, 2017 at 3:22 pm
Pleaseeeeeee . . . Give me a break!!!!!
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January 26, 2017 at 6:47 pm
Have read every comment to this article. It was easy to identify the political preference for each person who commented. I promise you this: God uses who he will to accomplish his plan. One can deny his existence if they like but be guaranteed, we will all stand before him and give an account one day. We are commanded to love but he will judge us all based on our actions here. Love covers many sins. Just one woman’s thoughts and beliefs. Prayers for all.
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January 27, 2017 at 6:41 am
Thank you, Shirley Hensley. You have expressed my thoughts and beliefs better than I did.
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January 27, 2017 at 7:52 am
We will all stand before the Lord. Romans. God bless you.
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January 27, 2017 at 3:23 pm
AMEN, AMEN, AMEN, SISTA!!!!!
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January 29, 2017 at 5:44 pm
YES, Shirley!
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January 26, 2017 at 6:52 pm
I marched in support of basic human rights, equality, respect, common decency and love. Not for hate, racism, the abuse and denigration of women, the handicapped, or any minority group or class of people who may look different or have different beliefs. We make America Great by inclusion not by exclusion. Mr. Trump has not demonstrated to me that he understands those values. So while my protest may not get thru to him I am hoping that the largest single gathering of protesters in history will get the attention of other more astute elected officials and convey to them that all those men and women who showed up to march have a Vote and plan on standing up for one another.
Oh and for the planet. Climate change is real and pretending it doesn’t exist so we can drill for more coal and oil and put more money in the pockets of the big oil and coal companies at the risk of clean air, clean water and the survival of all God’s marvelous creatures , including mankind, that’s why I marched!
I marched in Austin, Tx with 50k people of all ages, races, sexual preferences, with men and women, father and mothers, seniors and college students, with members of the armed forces and people with disabilities. Aside from a few “Via La VJay-Jay” signs I saw signs in support of education, equal pay for equal work, affordable healthcare, for black lives, for immigrants, for peace, pro-choice and pro-life, Term Limits for Congress, better gun control, no nukes, No More War and Save the Planet. Build Bridges not Walls, Women’s Rights are Human Rights and Love Trumps Hate!
There was lots of singing old protest songs like Woody Guthrie’s “This Land” and “We Shall Overcome”. I saw people hugging Policemen and thanking them for being there and lots of guys with signs that said I’m With Her and This is What a Feminist Looks Like. Yes there were signs suggesting Trump is Putin’s Bitch and a variety suggesting he keep his tiny hands off our bodies and our rights. Safe to say our right to Free Speech was fully exercised that day.
But there was NO VIOLENCE! No arrests were made, no incidents were reported. I did not witness nor were there any reports of ugliness, name calling or abuse of any kind.
It was actually a very heart-warming and uplifting experience. All those strangers coming together in Love to exercise their rights without judgement. You know I really believe that God was marching with us, because we were standing up for the rights of all of his people.
So I am suggesting you not judge everything by a 5 minute piece that you see on the nightly news that doesn’t report the whole story. And yes Madonna is tactless and stupid and was going for the shock value and publicity like she always has. Sorry she was the primary story that day but she certainly wasn’t representative.
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January 26, 2017 at 11:55 pm
So very well said! I didn’t March on Saturday but I wanted to. I am a single Mom, with one daughter and two sons. We talk about the issues discussed in this post and many others almost daily. I am so proud of every single person who marched that day!
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January 27, 2017 at 6:43 am
And I am so embarrassed by the many marchers. And, sorry, I don’t believe in “climate change”. But then I believe God has total control over the Universe, including our “climate change”. And the climate has been changing since God created our planet.
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January 27, 2017 at 3:53 am
This is wonderful. Please don’t handpick what you want from the March, Ruth, especially if you weren’t there. Right now, you give the impression of someone who sat behind her desk and made all the assumptions and conclusions you wanted based on your own opinions. You saw what you wanted to see. I hope, in your time, you can apologize to the women of the world for using their plight to justify your opinion. The fact that you can bring up their pain and still ignore the injustice in foreign countries AND here in America by remaining complacent behind your computer screen is quite terrifying.
The March was not just about abortion. Feminism is not just about women. You mentioned the other things the people marched for, but it was as if it was an Abortion March to you, with other freedoms sprinkled on the side. Don’t, I plead, handpick your lot and throw out the rest.
Jesus freed all of us from sin, and we are all beautifully made by Him, Amen. This doesn’t mean we are allowed to sit and blog about how a march that allowed a black woman to still feel like she belongs in America shouldn’t have happened because you don’t see what the fuss is about. Jesus loves the meek and needy. Those who don’t have a voice. Yes, people marched for women’s reproductive rights (which doesn’t just include abortion, please note) as well, but they also marched for so much more. We marched for immigrants, for people of color, for people who are hated (LGBT), and for our mothers and daughters and sisters and you. All God’s beautiful people. It doesn’t matter if you think you needed or wanted it or not, we marched for you because we believe all basic rights are human rights and… we showed it.
Love is action. Love is NOT a blog, that was written by someone who wasn’t even at the march. Love does not remain in your room and on a conputer screen. You tell me Jesus loves me… and I only have your word for it. Nothing to show God’s love through you, just a few words. There aren’t exactly cyber missions trips, are there? Love is action. Love is understanding. Love is empathy. Love is stepping in the shoes of others, and at the very least walking with those who hurt to see if there really is something to march for. Walk with the angry, the heartbroken, the needy, the weak, and understand them first. Then make a conclusion. If you still don’t understand why MILLIONS Marched, keep walking with them until you do. Millions of people didn’t march only because they have a different political opinion than you. Millions of CHRISTIANS marched. Why? Walk with them. Do not explain a world you have not learned yet. Do not dismiss the single mother living in the ghettos of America because a mother in India surely has it worse. You, a white woman, will surely always have it better. Use your power as a white woman to give voice to the meek and the needy for they will inherit the land, as God said. Moses gave a voice to God’s people but surely the Egyptians did not think they had anything to complain about. Do not be the Egyptian woman, who is content with her life and fails to see why a Jewish woman should even try to argue there is injustice.
Jesus would march with those black, hispanic, homeless, gay, disabled, ill, Muslim women. He GOES to the needy. How will you follow Him?
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January 27, 2017 at 8:40 am
“Jesus would march with those black, hispanic, homeless, gay, disabled, ill, Muslim women.”
We need to be very careful when asserting our opinions of what Jesus would do. Would He attend a march? Maybe. You’re right- He did go to the needy, in a shining example that none of us can live up to, no matter how hard we try. But He would not have marched in support of abortion rights or same-sex marriages. He did not condone sin. He ate with the tax collectors and sinners, but not to show he “tolerated” their sin, but to turn them from it. When He forgave the woman caught in adultery, He told her to “go and sin no more.” (John 8:11) His ultimate goal was far loftier than social justice- He came to save the entire world from their sins. This is evidenced by His actions. The only march Jesus ever took part in was the march to His cross.
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January 27, 2017 at 8:56 am
“He GOES to the needy. How will you follow Him?”
You are correct- Jesus DID reach out to the needy. But He isn’t a social Savior, coming to right the injustices of the world. He stated His own purpose: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:11) That was His ultimate goal. Yes, He healed people. Yes, He cared for the needy. But He wasn’t just a humanitarian example to follow. He Himself told His disciples, “The poor you will always have with you.” (Matthew 26:11) This isn’t an excuse to ignore their plight, but a statement of fact. Even if any one of us was to devote our entire life to fighting poverty, it would still exist. Jesus wasn’t giving us an excuse to “be the Egyptian woman,” to use your example. But fighting poverty wasn’t the reason He came. He came to call sinners to repentance and to save them from their sins. And when He ascended into heaven, what were His final instructions to His disciples? “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19) That was His “last will and testament,” in a sense. That’s what was most important to Him. I don’t want to turn any of the comments on this blog into a “Look at what I’m doing to improve the world. Go me,” sort of thing. Each of us has convictions on what is important to fight for. Should we be volunteering, giving money, praying, etc, in support of charities and organizations we believe in? Absolutely. But beyond that, it is also my duty as a Christian to “go into all the world and make disciples.” I can do that right here in my own community, reaching out to those who do not know the Lord, and yes, I can even do it behind a computer screen. Many people have read my words about Jesus; people I would otherwise never meet. God can use anything- even words on a screen- to reach others with His love.
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January 27, 2017 at 6:02 am
So now you have a personal experience of how the mainstream media show repeatedly only what is exploitive or salacious leaving out the whole story…consider that possibility with President Trump as the subject rather than the March and it may give you a different perspective on him and his heart.
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January 29, 2017 at 5:48 pm
Great reply Gen Bachelor!
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January 27, 2017 at 11:08 am
You say you have saw signs in support of education, equal pay, affordable healthcare, etc. What does that mean? This march was quite nonspecific, just a laundry list of imagined abuse. What is your solution to all of these grievances? What are you doing today to help?
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January 26, 2017 at 7:01 pm
So will you still be apologizing to all those women when your president deports them?? You’re such a phony
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January 27, 2017 at 2:58 am
AMEN!
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January 27, 2017 at 6:46 am
Illegal aliens who came here without the proper methods are the ones he is referring to when they speak of deportation. If you sneak into another country and ask the government to give you food and money and health care, they want proof of who you are and why your there. Why is this such a huge issue for people livin in America? Immigrants are welcome when they follow the necessary rules to enter. No one is saying they can’t come here and live and be a part of the working world here. The issue is those who come illegally, and some are here to harm us and many are here to take from us. Enter legally and be a productive citizen.
The writer makes many very good and valid points. I agree with her statement. Many women marched peacefully, in fact most were peaceful. However, their real reasons of marching were covered up by the culver actions and comments of others. That many people marched all over the country yet the majority of the public couldn’t tell you why. The images and terrible attitudes thatbeas shared with us through the media is sadly what is remembered.
People want want want. Why not people give and do so graciously? We have much to give. Concentrate on others and not ourselves. We are selfish sinners who want want want. The real issues in the world that need compassion and help have nothing to do with what the media chose to share.
It’s the evil of this world that has brought so many issues. Self absorbed, sinful, vain people have made the world so hurtful. People with no conscience, or love in them treat others terrible and hurtful. The real reason for all this harm in the world is because it’s missing the very key necessary for peace… it’s missing God.
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January 26, 2017 at 7:46 pm
Kudos to you for posting a blog about YOUR thoughts for and tolerating the insensitivity of people who have a problem for every solution. Some just do not understand that you are entitled to speak your convictions without explaining one thing about it. This IS an actual freedom you have been afforded living in this country. Do not be disheartened by the ignorance. Ignorance can be educated and you have begun igniting that spark. It is up to those who choose to read this to do something with it. Let me give you an apology too; an apology from a woman who has marched to improve equality for all human beings, not just a part of the human race. I did not march on Washington but I march everyday to fight for individuals and their rights and will keep marching no matter race, gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, religion or political beliefs. God Bless you and your family.
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January 26, 2017 at 9:50 pm
Thank you!
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January 27, 2017 at 7:59 am
Good for you. There are destructors and Ruth is not one of them.
She spoke the truth as she sees it (as many other women see it too) and she should not be denigrated for her honesty.
Thank you.
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January 26, 2017 at 8:25 pm
Thank you Ruth for your commentary shared on FB. Your apologetic post appear to limit the women and men marchers to pro- abortion while st the end admitting that there were many reasons for the marchers. I advocated and prayed for the safety of the marchers. While many would like to make the efforts of the women and men marchers not in just this nation but all over the world insignificant, disrespectful, and more to the point pro-abortion rioters, please let’s give them a little more respect for standing.
The apology to abused women, victims of trafficking, and drug abuse as if the marchers did not include these victims, using possibly the only voice they could. Why does advocating for healthcare and other human rights always become reduced to requests for abortion rights? It boggles the mind that pleas for basic healthcare afforded in civilized societies are camouflaged in abortion speaking points ” sorry that we are pushing for free health care, including abortion on demand”. From one Sister in Christ to another, I’m saddened and disappointed in the lack of truth and would like you to consider this point. As a healthcare professional I would like everyone to know that birth control measures afford women other health related treatments, i.e. treatment of ovarian and uterine dysfunctions, it’s a broad brush.
There are many stories right here in the USA like a 40 y/o died of colon cancer because in spite of working in construction full time he was not afforded healthcare insurance while the business he worked for profited. When he was diagnosed in an emergency department it was too late. He was not afforded human rights of protection to live a long life and was my baby brother. The response of compassion to say we live in a sinful world and we should do our personal best for those who can’t fight for themselves. Maybe that’s what many thought they were doing. Can we not cry out for the born AND unborn without demeaning one another?
Maybe some were marching for the men you apologized to but didn’t include the African American men dying young due to gun violence, cancers, and other causes recently highlighted now silent.
I mean no disrespect and thank you for speaking your truth and I admit that I do not speak for all women but feel strongly that regardless of the vulgarities and disrespect shown by some, these women had stories and maybe it felt good to not feel alone in telling them.
An apology to our children, you are correct, the unfortunate display by some was a disservice to our children as well can be said when our newly elected president’s picture is displayed in schools along with internet and conversations in his own words, heard especially by our daughters. We speak from a very narrow and personal lens and unintentionally I feel that you unfairly reduced the marchers to simply one voice, that of pro-abortion. I love you and appreciate your words sister. Yes, this is an awesome country but if the flaws are not acknowledged we will not grow into a better country.
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January 26, 2017 at 8:49 pm
You are so closed minded. This woman did nothing to attack anyone, yet all you do is criticize instead of even trying to understand another point of view. You support a march that is organized by a woman who believes in Sharia law (cuz you know of course how much sharia law recognizes the rights of women lol) Women there were fashioning hijabs out of the American flag during that march. what do THINK that signifies? Stop eating and regurgitating what the media tells you to think and say and start opening up your mind and using your own brain to find out what is really said, meant and done by someone. The president has made it clear the only people he plans to deport are illegal immigrants and Terrorists. If you have a problem with that then there is truly something wrong with the way your brain functions. Illegals are here illegally. Terrorists want to kill you. Wake up and get your head out of your …
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January 27, 2017 at 8:01 am
Agree with you.
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January 26, 2017 at 11:16 pm
Thank you for your time and thoughtfulness… Your thoughts are very much like mine, so I took the time to share this article on Facebook. I do support all of the women’s right to march… but I will admit while I was watching the march that I didn’t quite understand what they were marching for. From what I can see right now in America, woman have all the same rights as men, and as you pointed out even more. That’s not to say that the choices of some women may keep them beholding to men… but I support that choice as well. We are very lucky to be American women because we have more rights than most women in the world. I appreciate your Christian sentiments… It is my faith and God’s love for me that gives me the ability to see beyond people’s idiosyncrasies… Even Mr. Trumps. I think many women were protesting him… Yes he is gruff… and often arrogant… but… I believe he loves our Country and wants to make things better for ALL Americans… inspite of himself! We must pray for him and all the leaders of our great Country. We are ALL ones, and need to support each other!
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January 27, 2017 at 8:03 am
I agree with you. God bless.
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January 26, 2017 at 11:17 pm
I don’t know about everyone else, but. Your marches mean nothing and I mean nothing in regards to your agenda. What people will remember about these marches is the trouble they caused. Traffic issues of people trying to go about their day and the marches caused delays. And not to even mention the trash you nasty, disrespectful people leave behind. Your marches are remembered as a nuisance. The point you are making is over shadowed by the disruption and mess you cause. So keep on with your marches at least with all the walking you’ll get healthy.
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January 27, 2017 at 8:03 am
True.
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January 26, 2017 at 11:31 pm
Thank you for a truly heartfelt blog. And I must say the women who are so indignant about Mr Trump degrading women, is it because many of them want to do their own degrading such as Madonna and Miley Cyrus? And exactly how does Hilary respect women? Is it by advocating for equal pay while not paying equally. Or maybe accepting money from countries that horrifically mistreat and disrespect women. Also, if you were on a plane and didn’t like the pilot, would you hope he crashed? What are we teaching our children, not only with temper tantrums at marches but with destructive talk at the table. I’m sure every child throwing a temper tantrum thinks it’s with good reason. Why not teach children how to constructively disagree and how to handle anger. And should we even be angry at our choice candidate losing the race? And focus on getting Hilary to fix the pay inequality of the Clinton foundation for the sake of credibility.
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January 27, 2017 at 7:03 am
Carolyn, a march is not a temper tantrum. It is a way to voice our concerns and beliefs in our democratic society. Just as in the pro-life march. The overwhelming feeling of those who marched was one of peace and civility.
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January 27, 2017 at 11:30 am
I wasn’t saying the march was a temper tantrum. Honestly I guess I was not clear with how I said that … sorry. In a previous post some of the activities were referred to as that and a reply was to the effect that it (at least to some extent) warranted tantrums. Can’t go back and recheck now, and I probably should but, I believe it was in relation to the example to our children. We shouldn’t stifle our feelings or any part of our lives but I, at least, feel as kids we should have hopefully learned, and passed/are passing on to our children, how to handle these issues with other methods. Lead by example. We all do for better or worse, probably (myself) most offen a combination.
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January 27, 2017 at 8:04 am
True.
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January 26, 2017 at 11:52 pm
How sad, I just can’t imagine where these people came from. I know where they should go! What about a one way ticket to the Middle East! Make Madonna th leader, along with Ashley Judd, and invite all th other Hillary people also…. that way th children and men of America would not have to be messed up with all this. I would be ashamed to have been there, looked at all th money wasted on airfares, hotels, and alcohol. And nothing was accomplished! I would guess at least half of you are sorry you wasted all that money, vacations etc. and you have to be embarrassed at all th profanity, vulgarity, and ignorance of soooo many of those you rubbed elbows with. Not to speak of all the rioting, destroying property, and lowering your standards to such a nothing March. I will pray for you people, and maybe you will get on your knees and pray also. Can you not see that the President is doing everything he can to help all those who give him a chanc. He’s tried so hard to help Americans. You did not even give him a chance. Boo hoo!
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January 27, 2017 at 8:05 am
Good.
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January 27, 2017 at 3:06 am
Are you going to apologize to all the women that Trump has insulted and molested? To the ex-wives he has humiliated and the daughter that he strongly implied he would sleep with, “if she wasn’t my daughter”? Are you going to apologize to the little girls and young women who heard him say that because he is famous he can grab them by their private parts with impunity? Or would you feel honored if the Groper-in-Chief showed such lurid attention to your daughter? Are you going to apologize to all the brilliant, qualified, conservative women who could have served in the white male dominated cabinet of your Misogynist-in-Chief? Of course I could go on and on and on…
I am a man and I am a feminist, and in a patriarchal society I don’t need or want your apology. I want my fellow men to start respecting the rights of women as equal citizens.
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January 27, 2017 at 6:58 am
thank you Jeffery.
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January 27, 2017 at 11:17 am
How many marched against Bill Clinton and all the disrespectful things he did to women??? So because President Trump is a “Republican” and it is NOT who you wanted to win, you will claim that you marched because of the horrible way he treats women…. Well I call BS, if that was the case you would have marched against President Clinton as well.
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January 30, 2017 at 10:33 pm
Thank you Jeffery!!!!!
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January 27, 2017 at 5:14 am
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January 27, 2017 at 6:47 am
Ruth, are you apologizing for me and others who support this march or for yourself?? If you are apologizing for me, please don’t. That feels belittling.
Thank you for your prayers. I support the march for many of the reasons you mentioned. God asks us to stand up for the most vulnerable in our midst. (LGBT, immigrants, muslim-americans, women in abusive relationships).
I too will pray for you that by being strong enough to write and express your thoughts and feelings you will open your heart to the thoughts of others that may see things from a different perspective. That is how we learn and grow and become a better nation. Peace.
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January 27, 2017 at 6:54 am
I agree with what you wrote. God Bless you. Wonderful 🙂
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January 27, 2017 at 10:00 am
To many religious undertones in your article for me to take serious or respect.
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January 27, 2017 at 11:02 am
Thank you for your words. Very well said. It is a shame that you have to put disclaimers on your article so not to “offend” those that were involved in the women’s march. Those that were involved need to get a thicker skin.
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January 27, 2017 at 11:07 am
This….
Women marched for different reasons. A woman I don’t know but who gave permission for her reasons to be reposted shares the following:
by Rachel Roberts
“It seems there’s a lot of confusion as to what the Women’s March was all about. Nearly 3 million people got together around the world for some reason. I’ve watched and read all sorts of misconceptions about the why. So I woke up this morning hoping to explain a little better…
I’m not a Democrat, but I marched
I don’t think minimum wage should be $15, but I marched
Pink vagina signs make me uncomfortable, but I marched
I am against abortion, but I marched
Blessings beyond words fill my life, but I marched
I don’t believe in handouts, but I marched
I am a married, heterosexual woman, but I marched
There are too many government-funded programs, but I marched
Employment is not a human right, but I marched
I don’t believe in free college tuition, but I marched
My 2nd Amendment rights are very important to me, but I marched
Obama was really awful at some things, but I marched…
Because Obama was great at some things
Because Trump is awful at everything so far
Because no government should be reaching for more power
Because cabinet members should at the very least be qualified
Because term limits may or may not be a good idea
Because gerrymandering has always been wrong
Because we require freedom of the press in a democratic republic
Because our environment needs protection one way or another
Because pipelines are not the right answer
Because disabilities are a strength, not a problem
Because Mrs. Bailey is worried she sees Hitler all over again
Because my daughters need to be paid the same as my sons
Because my Muslim friends are being harassed and live in fear
Because some Native American reservations have no running water
Because our veterans need our care and our utmost respect
Because not all feminists are “femi-Nazis”
Because immigrant mothers need a better route to citizenship
Because Brock Turner got away with it
Because Kalief Browder had to wait 3 years in prison for the trial that finally exonerated him, and it killed him
Because black lives matter just as much as blue ones
Because I believe in being unified against evil
Because women around the world need to know they too can rise up.”
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January 27, 2017 at 12:02 pm
I find this article to be supremely arrogant. First of all, you stereotype every woman who marched. You don’t know them and you have no idea what they marched for. http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5883d396e4b0e3a735698a12
So how dare you essentially apologize on their behalf. They were marching for what they believe in, like people in a democracy should when they want to see change. I would also disagree with you that this was a march solely for women’s rights in the United States. Women all over the world marched, which is part of why this event was such a beautiful thing. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/01/21/world/womens-march-pictures.html?_r=0
This march was for women all over the world- past, present, and future. And you are right, women in the US are not the women who are most affected by a lack of rights, but for women to rally all over the world, for ALL women in general, shows those women who do not have the same rights that we enjoy, that they are not alone, and that there are places out there where women are demanding the respect that they deserve, well that might give them hope and strength, and wow wouldn’t that be amazing? And while you make the point that we are much better off here, we still have room for improvement, and I think it would be wrong to settle for anything less than equality. That’s not a lesson I would want to teach my daughter: settle for pretty good, that’s good enough. No, she will be the equal of any man, and the world should treat her as such. Additionally, I think with the reinstatement of the global gag rule, this march was especially important for those women you mentioned in your article, The women who live in developing countries and who are victims of illegal sex trafficking. Those women who live in developing countries, who have families, and who might have to sell their bodies to make money because their government is so corrupt, their country so poor, and jobs in such short supply. They did not ask to be born into that country, under those circumstances, but nonetheless have a family to take care of. Those women deserve access to safe abortions. Those women who are victims of sex trafficking who have been raped over and over again deserve access to safe abortions. Those women who have been forced into child marriages deserve access to safe abortions. The gag rule will not change the amount of abortions in the world, just the amount of women who survive them. I think this march was for those women and against a man who doesn’t understand the consequences of his actions. It is for those women out there who still can’t vote, do not have access to any or equal education, or to equal career opportunities. This was for all women, past, present, and future and as you can see from the HuffPost article I attached, for many other worthy causes as well. I am proud, not ashamed, that my fellow women of the world stood up and marched on behalf of so many people, who deserve so much more respect than what they have been shown.
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January 27, 2017 at 12:24 pm
The day will come when everyone who rejects their Redeemer will apologize and pay a heavy price for that rejection; and that includes both men and women.
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January 27, 2017 at 1:11 pm
I would like to see her also apologize to the women in America who are raped and then demonized when she can’t bear to carry the child to term. Sorry to the women of Flint Michigan whose water has knowingly been poisoned all along and they haven’t had clean drinking water since 2014. Sorry to the women that make less money for doing the same job as a man, even if she does it better than him. Sorry to the women who are not pretty enough to get special treatment in life or at their job. Sorry to the women who angry mobs want to hold accountable for an unborn child but who are not willing to do the same for the man that put her in that situation. Sorry to the women who’s drinking water will be put in peril if the Dakota Access Pipeline is allowed to proceed. Sorry to the children who’s parents don’t speak up to stop these atrocities because it hasn’t affected their life so why rock the boat. Sorry to the women who aren’t white that have been verbally & physically abused with taunts of “go back to your country” when they were born right here in the good old US of A. Sorry for the women who are judged by good “Christian” folks even though Luke 6:37 says “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” And sorry to the women, who other women don’t stand up for when they can’t do it for themselves.
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January 28, 2017 at 1:17 am
Beautiful rejoinder, Amen, Preach it Sister!! Thank You for holding Christians accountable.
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January 27, 2017 at 2:01 pm
Asinine, self-righteous, simplistic. It is these sorts of superficial comments that make me embarrassed to admit I’m a Christian. As co-leader of Citizens Climate Lobby in my town, people, knowing well that I am Christian, are so shocked when they hear me sharing well-researched, well-considered statements. If you want to evangelize, get out into the world and share some real thought with unbelievers. Not this pap. Jesus has got to be rolling his eyes.
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January 27, 2017 at 4:35 pm
Many of my comments have clearly spoken of Jesus and His saving work for mankind. Literally thousands of people have read this, all over the world; people I otherwise would not have met. Can God not use modern technology to spread His Word as well?
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January 27, 2017 at 4:57 pm
It was refreshing reading your apology. You are a great writer by the way. It was a powerful moment for this man.
I thought it might be good for a father to say some words too many daughter out there who are hurting. I too watched the updates of the marches online and my heart was broken seeing the images and hurt that so many women still carry from the hands of bad men and fathers who didn’t know or weren’t present in their daughters lives.
So I stand with you and apologize for all of the men and fathers who have hurt you and not given you what you have so needed and desired. I have learned that there is only one Father who can heal and repair our stories. He sent His Son over two thousand years ago and said, “I love you and sent my Son to let you know.” Those words change my story and gave me hope that I could one day be the kind of man my wife needs and the kind of father that lays down their life for their kids. I know that God sees your hurt and is calling all men to stand up and be the kind of men, husbands and fathers that daughters dreamed their dads would be, and their sons would learn to love, serve and lay down their lives for the girls in their stories. This is my prayer and mission…. I am also praying for all of you who still hurt and deserve to be heard, respected and loved…..
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January 27, 2017 at 7:56 pm
Thank you, sir, for your fine words and the example you are to your daughters. They are blessed to have a godly father as a role model. God bless you and your family, my brother in Christ!
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January 27, 2017 at 6:33 pm
Ruth, the last paragraph of your article….the “message of hope and healing” that you wish to spread. Do you believe you’ve succeeded?
The condescension and finger wagging in the remainder of your article…do you believe that embodies the radical love of Jesus?
Do you think your words brought people closer to Him, or helped them close the door?
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January 27, 2017 at 8:32 pm
It is not my intent to finger wag or be condescending. And I’m not sure what exactly you mean when you refer to the “radical” love of Jesus. That can be taken many ways. Jesus’ love is unfathomable, of that I am certain. So much so that He died for the sins of the entire world. He even prayed for the people who were mocking Him and nailing Him to the cross. There will always be those who scoff at the very thought of Jesus, because “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18) God’s power was shown in seemingly the weakest and most vulnerable moment- a crude wooden cross, on which hung a man who was beaten, bleeding, and gasping for air. Jesus humiliated Himself on that cross for my sins and for yours. And in doing so, He won salvation for those who will believe in Him. I can only pray that God will work in the heart of someone out there reading these words to point to Jesus, in whom alone is life and salvation.
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January 27, 2017 at 9:13 pm
You nailed we ceertainly live in a sick uncaring world ,but GOD DIED FOR THEM AS WELL. hope they see the light as well before it’s to late.we are worned not to be wise in ur own eye’s
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January 28, 2017 at 1:31 am
I am from a developing world but now live here. It is obvious that people in the US have no idea about the problems of over population is — coming from India, another true democracy, until a few decades ago, women lacked access to affordable reproductive health services. They had too many children and it was a strain on the community and the country in terms of infrastructure and resources. It is hard for people who don’t live in an over populated country to understand how important it is for a women to have a choice to have the number of children she wants and how many she can afford. In a patriarchal society like in India, they had little choice. Today, the scenario is very different, the government has given free access to women (in most places), easy access to contraception—although ironically, they may not have access to clean water. Reproductive rights are important to women everywhere, sorry, but USA is marching backwards towards the last century in this aspect. Usually, women don’t take a choice like abortion lightly–it is made with helplessness, fear, and circumstances and one should respect that.
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January 30, 2017 at 10:37 pm
Thank you punyakoti!!!
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January 28, 2017 at 8:05 am
I’d just like to say that I enjoyed reading this. It was well put. I’m sorry you had to deal with so many negative responses, which I did not read to avoid feeling angry or mortified. It saddens me how people read so far between the lines that they miss the simple message right before their eyes.
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January 28, 2017 at 8:31 am
Thank you! Blessings on your day!
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January 28, 2017 at 12:42 pm
I want to start with I respect your opinion and admire your writing, but, on the other hand it saddens me how narrow minded you are. Those marches were to open the eyes of people like you, those who only see black and white and don’t dare set foot into the grey area because “God”. Women, of all shapes and sizes and color got together and marched, peacefully, about whatever voice they felt needed to be heard. They marched in unity, and let me ask you something, when is the last time you remember the American people getting together PEACEFULLY in the masses that we saw on the 21st?
I do feel terribly for the women and children of Syria, I feel awful for those women sold into sex slavery, and terrible for the women in China who can’t have as many children as they want. Here is reality, Trump (who I’m sure you voted for) is calling to shut down those sanctuary cites that the women and children of Syria could find a safe haven, overpopulation is REALLLLLL and they should probably start capping the amount of children we have here in the states because if we don’t stop there isn’t going to be any place left for us, or for your children or mine or grandkids or great grandkids we will have to find a way to live on Mars…. I’ll touch on abortion really quickly, the defunding of Planned Parenthoods is NOT the defunding of abortions. It is the defunding of HIV/STD Testing, prenatal care, preventative care and yes, abortions (which they only do in certain states and cities) all of this would leave 2.5 million women a year without health care… 2.5 MILLION WOMEN!!!
Men have had their say for long enough in this country, although I did not march I stand with those women, I will continue to sign petitions and call my senator and fight for the rights of all women, including those who get sold into sex slavery, for the poor women of Aleppo, for the children and women in North Korea or china but most importantly I stand with the women who stand next to me right here in America, right here in the Mid-West, I stand with them first.
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January 28, 2017 at 1:10 pm
I share Ruth’s concern about women around the world. Many of them face very limited lives because of where they live. But I don’t think this makes American women’s issues irrelevant or unimportant. Chinese women lack the freedom to control their fertility, and American women are afraid they may also loose that freedom. Saudi Arabian women lack basic respect in their society, and American women are fearful of what our president’s lack of respect may mean for them. Women in undeveloped countries lack access to healthcare, and American women want to make sure that whatever access they have to healthcare is continued. And so on. Nobody disrespected men or children. They were well represented in these marches.
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January 28, 2017 at 1:29 pm
The reply and posts are so interesting and fanatical. I’m truly confused, as I think everyone is, about what the purpose of the marches were really for and why women felt they needed to represent female body parts to get their point across. I just don’t get it. And besides just ignoring issues or doing nothing, what did Obama do for women’s rights? Or what exactly was Hilary going to do, via policy, other than stating “I obviously must be into women’s rights because I’m a woman so vote for me?”. What does she know about women’s rights when she runs with the white privileged men and has every resource afforded to her. It’s all so overly emotional it’s an embarrassment in my opinion. Defunding FREE abortion does not indicate that roe v wade will be over turned. Should we be sending federal aid to Africa to help women stop having 8 children, or let non-profits do their good work? If all the women marching gave $100 dollars of their money every year to provide free abortions, there would be enough money to continue these programs. The point is whether the federal government should be aiding other countries when our own is falling apart “apply your own oxygen mask before assisting others” and whether we should be using government funds to provide abortions when not all taxpayers believe in it. That is where privatized and non profit organizations come into play. All you protestors – donate. I’m not a feminist. I have a phd and worked along side equally respected and paid women for all my career because I worked hard and got the respect and compensation I deserved. I did not have to march for it. I had to study. If I believe in something, I donate to the non profits who are doing great work in the area of my concern. I do not demand that the federal government step in on my behalf.
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January 29, 2017 at 1:07 pm
I’m not sure where you are getting your information and this is exactly the problem. People have no idea what they are talking about when they link federal funds to paying abortions at planned parenthood. Most health insurance doesn’t even cover the procedure!! The uproar is simply the fact that PP offers and performs abortions in their facilities at 3% of all its services, and fed funds go to the other 97% of services. Truly reading up on the issues can go a long way to understanding others point of view on the issue.
Here are some FACTS:
http://www.factcheck.org/2011/04/planned-parenthood/
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January 29, 2017 at 2:46 pm
That is indeed the widely held claim- that only 3% of their services are abortions. However, here is a video that explains how they get that number. In short, say a woman comes in and gets a pregnancy test (which turns out positive), an STD test, a PAP smear, and an abortion. It’s fair to say that if she was the only patient that day that 100% of the patients received an abortion. But since she received four “services,” it’s also not technically untrue to say that only 25% of the services offered that day were abortions. This is how they arrive at the 3%. So at the very least, it is a very misleading statistic.
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January 28, 2017 at 4:52 pm
This is an amazing piece that ignores facts and distorts truth.
The author apologizes to the women of China because their government controls their bodies by limiting the number of children they can have but that is the same issue women are facing in this country: a government that seeks to control what women do with their bodies. The issue isn’t how many children women can or cannot have; the issue is who gets to make that decision – themselves or the government.
The author claims that those of us in the US are ignoring the women of Saudi Arabia and the developing world. Who is ignoring them? Certainly not those of us who supported a candidate for president who has fought for more than 30 years to expand women’s rights around the world. It’s the current occupant of the White House who yesterday signed an order to prohibit refugees who are fleeing war, oppression and grinding poverty from entering this country.
How are we as men being disrespected when we are paid more than women for the same work, occupy more senior management positions in the public and private sector, and when men are elected to public office at a rate higher rate than are women? Were we disrespected when insurance companies covered Viagra before they covered birth control?
Where is the author’s apology to the children of America for the person who is currently sitting in the White House who ogles girls competing in beauty pageants, brags about his ability to grab women’s pussy’s because he’s a celebrity, mocks people with disabilities, brands immigrants from Mexico as rapists and Muslims as being terrorists, and who publically rates women on his attractiveness scale?
Yes, we have a lot to apologize for in this country but those of us who marched last week are at least working every day to make this country live up to its promise to everyone.
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January 28, 2017 at 9:57 pm
Well stated and informative.
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January 28, 2017 at 6:09 pm
I’m confused what the march was protesting. What resolution was the march offering and for what issue? Maybe I’m out of touch. Maybe the message wasn’t clear or concise. I can’t give an opinion either way if I don’t know what the message is.
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January 29, 2017 at 11:37 am
Okay so I´m not a big fan of online politics discussions but this caught my attention and I can’t help myself.
Although I understand there are basic differences between the way misogyny expresses itself in different countries and cultures, there are basic trends which appear to be global. The right for a woman to decide over her own body, specifically her reproductive organs, is the common denominator the author in this article unintentionally brings up, but neglects to address in full.
The line: “I’m sorry that we here in America are fighting for the right to abort our children while you yearn for the freedom to have as many children as you wish.” is not only nonsensical, it also completely invalidates the author´s own point. Both examples demonstrate women´s inability to decide over their own bodies due to governmental interference. The argument also fails to take into account that America and China are two widely different countries, with different values and different political systems. The increased politicisation of biological life is a worrying trend, the support of this, especially by other women, is perhaps just as worrying.
Pointing to inequality in “underdeveloped countries” (a term which is only a tad bit condescending..) does not change the fact that inequality is still present (in varying shapes and sizes) in America as well. Besides, pointing to other countries´problems in order to deny or diminish the scale of a problem in ones own country, or, as seems to be the purpose of this argument, in order to shut up people you don’t agree with, is both ignorant and supremely unhelpful. You can´t capitalise on other countries´ problems when you´re not doing anything to resolve those issues, and are actively arguing against people who ARE trying to make a difference for women in their own countries and worldwide.
Also, the idea that women consider themselves to be superior to men is one that has been used throughout history in order to discredit feminist, suffragettes, and women´s rights activists. Women having to be “classy” in order to be taken seriously as women, again points to old fashioned gender stereotypes we should have moved past by now. What this article calls the “idiotic male who could never survive without the help of a woman” is a product of a patriarchal society in much the same way. Besides, isn´t forcing a woman to carry an unwanted baby to term equally as unethical as terminating it without someone´s consent?
You can´t preach equality and unity, while pitting women against each other in the same breath. This is not a message of hope and healing. It is a message of ignorance and internalised misogyny.
I do not think these women have any reason to be ashamed of standing up against something they (and I) perceive to be threatening and wrong. On the contrary, the fact that there are still this many people still willing to exercise their democratic rights in a peaceful manner is the only thing that keeps me from dismissing all americans as ridiculous for electing an openly misogynistic president. The fact that you are able to post this (admittedly ridiculous) opinion at all is only thanks to the “man hating” “fussy” feminists who stood up for your right to express yourself years before you were even born.
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January 30, 2017 at 10:45 pm
Joy this response is awesome! may I quote you!?
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January 31, 2017 at 9:43 am
Wonderful response. I doubt you will be thanked for sharing your opinion, though. It’s clear that this blogger only thanks the people who made fawning responses that agree with her. Which is her right, of course. Just a little disappointing.
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January 31, 2017 at 11:05 am
Thank you for your response. 🙂 I have in fact replied to many who agree with me but also many who do not, and I have thanked a number of people with differing viewpoints for sharing them in a courteous manner. How can we have an honest conversation if we don’t take the time to hear one another out respectfully? Those who have commented on this post have given me a lot to think about, and I appreciate that.
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February 6, 2017 at 2:19 pm
Thank you, Maureen Topper, for expressing your beliefs and sentiments!!! I greatly appreciate you being so candid!!!!
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January 29, 2017 at 9:28 pm
I love this. I too did not march. I am from Iran and if people want to know if you have rights go there for a week and come back to the amazing United States and they’ll see how great you have it and that you DO have way more rights than anyone! I am a woman and I am equal to men and I am so blessed to live here.
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January 29, 2017 at 9:31 pm
Thank you for your response and your testimony. I’m glad you’re here now. God bless you!
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January 30, 2017 at 1:13 am
Hello! I just wanted to stop by to give you a bunch of support! I am a 23 year-old that vehemently stood against this “Women’s” March. I put that in quotation marks, because it was definitely not marketed as a march for all Women.
It was NOT a march for Pro-Life women. If you happened to be a pro-life woman, you were told that you were not welcome, or if you dared to march anyway, your signs were ripped up, you were spit on, and you were pushed aside.
It was NOT a march for conservative women. In fact, conservative women (and men) were the ones demonized by the march itself.
This was a march to further the echo chamber put forward by self-proclaimed feminists to put on vulva costumes and preach about how it was all love, tolerance, and acceptance, while at the same time putting women who didn’t agree with them aside.
My biggest dream is to be a stay-at-home mother and a loving wife. To give birth to not just one or two, but at least four children. The only group that has been constantly been breathing down my neck about how I am “wasting my life and talents” and “taking women’s rights back 50 years” and am a “traitor to my own gender for not supporting abortion” and how I should “strive to be more than a Suzy Homemaker and a baby factory” have been these feminists that support and turn out to these marches in droves.
I am also Catholic, and have made the choice to stay a virgin until marriage. The only people that have told me that I am “wasting my youth” and “allowing the Church to control my sexuality” have been the feminists that dress like vaginas and scream on and on about how their p****es grab back and that they demand free birth control and abortion.
I will never allow these women to speak for me. But you, Ruth, have written something that has spoken to me deeply. Thank you for this inspiring piece! Blessings!
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January 30, 2017 at 10:22 am
Thank you for your reply. And good for you for your desire to be a stay at home mom. I’m a SAHM with five kids, and yes, it is very challenging at times. But it is NOT a waste of a career or your talents. What greater honor is there than to mold and shape the next generation? God bless you and your family!
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February 6, 2017 at 2:24 pm
The most challenging yet best job/career on this plant is as a SAHM. Not doubt in my book!!!
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January 30, 2017 at 10:42 pm
I’m curious if you’re an apologist. When you participate in a Komen 5k, do you apologize to the heart disease organizations? Similarly, if you “go red” do you pen a note to Komen or some other cancer organization?
As a wise person once said, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. No matter how small. How dare you apologize for those who will stand up for themselves just because you don’t believe as they do.
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January 31, 2017 at 11:34 am
Wonderfully said! And I am so relieved and grateful to find someone who feels as I do. I had over 100 people read my post yesterday and only 2 of them shared the same view (or were brave enough to confess it). It’s so wonderful to know that others out there feel this way too. Thank you. I’m all for protesting, but there is a right and wrong way to go about it, and as you said I feel terrible that they are fighting to abort their babies while others would give anything just to have one. It’s so very sad.
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