by Menley Brennan

Let’s take a look at history. When did women start to become powerful? Was it when we took jobs during WWII? Maybe it was when the Nineteenth Amendment was passed and we were finally able to vote. When we look at the stereotypical “Leave it to Beaver” mom from the 50s and where we are now, women have come a long way. Some might even say that we have become the superior sex.

Let’s face it, women are powerful. So why, after working so hard and coming so far, would we give up what we’ve gained? You might have heard on the news about Missouri’s Republican Senate candidate, Todd Akin, and his pro-life views. Look, Akin can think whatever he wants about rape and abortion and according to our Constitution, he has the right to talk about it too. The reason we should be angry, upset and even sad is that WOMEN are allowing MEN to dictate our lives.

Look how far we have come! There have been women running for vice president, there are women in the President’s cabinet, and there have been women in Congress for years. With someone like Todd Akin speaking about our rights, all of the ground we’ve covered crumbles under our feet. Once again, we are the bland, ignorant homemaker while our “hubby” takes care of all the important things.

Todd Akin represents what our government has become: a testosterone-filled system that tries to control our rights. According to the Eagleton Institute of Politics, there are a total of 90 women in the U.S. Congress. That’s 90 out of 535 seats, which is a total of 16.8 percent. How can we allow 83.2 percent of men in our legislative branch to create laws about women’s bodies? It’s like our entire family is fighting over what we should wear on our first day of college. We need to stand up and say NO; these are our bodies and WE will decide what happens to them.

Women and men are different beings emotionally, physically and mentally. How can men relate to anything that happens to us? The truth is, they can’t. Let’s flip the situation to where women are in charge of men’s bodies. It’s like we are telling them when and where they can have a vasectomy without giving them the option to say yes or no. I think we can all agree that is not right. So why do they continually try to control our bodies? The solution is actually quite simple. We just need to unite.

Across the country, thousands of women are pulling together to prove that they DO have a voice and that they WILL take control over their own bodies. Refusing to remain under male politicians’ grip, women will finally unite. That has a nice ring to it, and it is exactly what we need to do in order to put the ball in our court. Women are powerful and we will not give up that power so easily. Whether it is protesting at the White House or taking the more peaceful approach of writing a Bill, women will never give up. Men can do whatever they want to their bodies, as long as we have complete power over ours. Just like the famous WWII poster of a woman flexing her arm once said, “ We Can Do It!”