Julius Katanga
I would like to start by extending my gratitude to Luke Joe (Mpwa), the architect of Vijimambo blog. I’m so proud of your extraordinary efforts to defying the odds, day in and day out in terms of educating, informing, entertaining, and uniting Tanzanians residing in diaspora free of charge. Congratulations for the upcoming 2nd anniversary, looking forward to seeing all blog beneficiaries not only joining, but also supporting you to celebrating such a milestone event.
I would also like to convey my belated best wishes to all women out there for celebrating their international day, week before last. I believe that civilized men should always appreciate women’s contribution in different aspects of life, particularly, in a sacred gift of creation.
Obama-care passage couple of years ago spearheaded conservative’s rationale through tea partiers around the country. The far right wing of the Republican Party realized that their political air was seeping out of the balloon, hence coined together and succeeded to retake the Congress, but fumbled on the Senate. The movement also cemented victories in several gubernatorial elections and states senates, promised to repeal and replace Obama-care. They also promised a momentous creation of jobs in both Federal and State levels.
On the contrary, the elected Republican officials hit the ground running with a strategic calculation of their political dirty trick in turning back the clock to 1960s on women’s health. You may have noted that contraception and an invasive, medically-unnecessary vaginal probe have hyper-ventilated the mass media. States of Virginia and Texas have orchestrated too extreme piece legislations, ordering mandatory trans-vaginal ultrasound for women seeking abortion even from rape, incest, and diagnostic life threatening diseases. When asked to explain why discriminating against women, governors of the two namely states fabricated senseless lines of vague explanations, trying to make lemon from lemonade, which by the way, had already jeopardized their vice presidential consideration from Romney, to my opinion.
Struggling to level the playing field, some women legislatures in Ohio have tried, although unsuccessful, to introduce a bill that would require men seeking Viagra to show notarized statements of consent from their sexual partners. The bill intended to convey a clear message to their male counterparts, whose eyeballs were stunningly popping out just like deer got caught into headlights, that what is good for the goose is also good for the gander. In response, male legislatures who outnumbered them, furiously voted down the bill, and issued discriminatory sound bites like “women are pet projects”. By condemning Obama-care as a government intrusion to Americans’ freedom, at the same time, enacting laws that would physically intrude in women’s reproductive organs, Republicans have demonstrated the highest level of hypocrisy. Probably they have a different definition of the word “intrusion”.
Turning into African side of the pond, an Egyptian law that requires arrested women to undergo a clinically unproven virginity test was found to be the most notorious one in the continent. Just imagine what will happen in the US if a woman drives along the inner loop of capital beltway, gets pulled over by a male state trooper who eventually establishes probable cause for an arrest and possibly a warrantless search, then asks her to expose her ‘sanctuary’ for a virginity spot check. To make things worse, imagine if an officer appears white while a female suspect is black. I bet we will experience an earthquake of 9.5 magnitudes and at least a week of Federal holyday. Egyptian women have been disrespected and humiliated for years, but thanks to Secretary Clinton who succeeded in stopping such a despicable law December last year.
The list of women’s discriminatory laws goes on and on. The reason for this article is to create an awareness that women are not out of the woods yet when it comes to their rights. They are still facing a steep mountain to climb before breaking the glass ceiling. No matter what obstacles and setbacks they face, they are too happy to worry about where their footprints are coming from, but what will be their next stepping stone.
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