On July 27, the Utah Supreme Court overturned Warren Jeffs’ conviction of accomplice to rape. Jeffs, the so-called “prophet” and leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), had been convicted of accomplice to rape when he orchestrated the marriage of 14-year-old Elissa Wall to her first cousin, 19-year-old Allen Steed.
There’s been a lot of yammering recently about the death of feminism, how feminists are all old upper-middle class white women, and how women have achieved equality and need to stop whining about sexism because it’s a personal problem.
So, you’re committed to the cause and fired up for feminist activism. What now? How do you get informed on issues and decide what direction to take?
Where does one start with the whole Shirley Sherrod debacle? Let’s start with the positives. Through this right-wing attack, we were introduced to an amazing woman who handled the controversy and the public spotlight with dignity and integrity. We can learn a lot from Sherrod, if we can resist getting caught up in the spectacle of it all.
Curiously, the omission of contraceptive coverage also flies in the face of the government’s own data on the return on investment shown within the longstanding Medicaid program. Of women who use Medicaid, every dollar that has been spent helping them avoid unwanted pregnancies has saved $3.74 on medical expenses that would have been needed.
