Should men create laws for women’s reproductive rights?

The fight for reproductive freedoms has always been an intense matter for everyone. It appears that most of the US state laws banning or restricting access to abortions have been voted on by male politicians. Should men have the right to rule on an issue that impacts women so intimately? Do men lawmakers care about protecting human rights or is it about controlling women?

Do men have the emotional connection of addressing the matters concerning reproductive rights for women? Can they provide other options of birth control to women and be prepared to offer more services for women with a pregnancy they were not prepared for? This could include assistance with finding and accessing affordable childcare or supporting maternity leave that does not penalize women for taking time from work. Some men lawmakers could be offering new processes while introducing problems without solutions, leaving women in the middle with fewer and fewer options. It is proven that the consequences of sexual relations between women and men have double standards. Men are celebrated for having multiple sex partners, but women are called sluts. More often than not women are left to care for the child or children and the man is more often free to create a new life without this lifetime responsibility. It is believed that men lawmakers and some religious affiliations stereotype women for using contraceptives, birth control, “the pill” as “sluts,” or “easy,” who will hook up with anyone because they don’t need to worry about a potential pregnancy. On the other hand, you hear people saying, no man whatsoever has a right to tell a woman what is right for her body. But if he is an elected official isn’t that part of

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‘A Political View’ By Sherry Holliman SHERRY HOLLIMAN (cont.)

his job? Do you think that certain matters should be addressed by gender only?

Is the role of men only to advocate for the rights and dignity of all men only?

Society believes that women trust women and that a woman should absolutely have a say over her body. Reproductive rights are issues that impacts everyone and will require all to engage if we want to create a society where all are free to pursue the life, they envision for themselves and their family.

To believe that this is solely a woman's issue misses the point of it being much larger than that. It's a human rights issue. To not expect a man, to have an opinion could be a dangerous attitude for people to have, because the idea that all men do not care or understand human rights is insulting. In addition to believing that all female representation is passionate or concerned with reproductive rights is bias and misleading. What do voters expect when issues concerning reproductive rights must be addressed by men that they elected to represent them? The same woman that voted for a male representative to handle political matters will be the first to communicate, “We do not control men's bodies so why should they control ours!” No issue should be handled by all women, men, blacks, whites, or same political parties'. Any decision about an issue concerning men or women should be addressed by both sexes.

Would women have a problem with men lawmakers if they agreed to agree with

Sherry Holliman is a concerned citizen of Crittenden County and has some views on a variety of topics that she wants to share with her neighbors.