Women (still) speaking for themselves

I really dislike posting things on these issues, but there seem to be so many misconceptions--and the timing is so critical--that I feel obliged to make at least some contribution to getting other voices heard.
 
You can also read--and sign--the open letter to President Obama and HHS Secretary Sebilius.

The first part of the video includes the sound bite that started all the rhetoric about a "war on women" being waged, presumably, by those who are opposed to forcing employers to pay the coverage for free birth control, sterilizations and abortifacients when these violate the employers' religious principles [keep in mind that there is no minimum age for access to these "services," either]. As Mary Hallan FioRito pointed out last week, there actually were women scheduled to speak out agains the HHS mandate when Congresswoman Maloney asked "Where are the women?" (Rep. Maloney walked out of the hearing before those women's turn to speak.)

Here's an employer who is not a woman--or a big Catholic hospital or university, but who provides extremely generous healthcare benefits to his employees (whom he calls "associates"); he, too, is directly affected by the HHS mandate that was signed into effect in February.

 

 Malala Yousafzai knows of a
very different "War on Women"

(Our friends at Spirit Juice Studios (the same company Sr Helena is working with on our documentary film) produced both of the above videos.)

 Speaking of the so-called "War on Women" while at the Theology of the Body seminar I went around buttonholing my fellow participants on the subject. Here are Sara and Paul:
 
One of the other participants was from Sierra Leone; listen to what she has to say about "war" and "women":