Women at the forefront of our nation’s leadership are ready to “shatter the glass,” as Governor Sarah Palin proclaimed today when she was chosen by John McCain to be his running mate on the Republican Presidential ticket for 2008. Senator Hillary Clinton made history when she garnered 18 million votes for her unsuccessful Democratic Presidential bid, but today women are alive and well in politics – and Sarah Palin demonstrates a new breed of women.
That new breed of women are first and foremost devoted to their families, devoted to life, and most interested in changing the way things have seemingly always been done. Alaska Governor Palin is married to a strong, handsome, successful and devoted husband of twenty years today. She states “together we have shared many blessings.”
Those blessings include five children, the latest of which was born in April with Downs Syndrome. When the Palins discovered their son’s disability in utero, they made a choice to protect him and care for him. When asked about this choice for life in difficult circumstances, Gov. Palin answered, “I am blessed that God would trust me with such a responsibility.” That’s a woman who understands the authenticity of motherhood – the choice of life, and the duty toward responsibility. Reproductive rights ring void of meaning in such a context. The oldest Palin child is about to be deployed to Iraq after he volunteered for the U.S. Army on September 11 of 2007. In light of the character statements made with these two children, many wait with great anticipation to discover the hopes and dreams about the Palin daughters!
Authentic women are mission minded with a plan to make a difference. That plan starts with marriage, surges to family and children, and overflows to society. Like Governor Palin, women are reformers who are driven to make a difference in the lives of real people. Whether that means that the glass ceiling will be shattered by an historic Vice Presidency will be exciting to watch play out over the fall of 2008.
Professor Kohm has written about women and authenticity previously in her article The New Paradigm for the Feminine Mystique: The Authentic Women’s Perspective, 2 Liberty, Life & Family 259 (June 1996).
* Click here to read the full story, "John McCain Selects Pro-Life Champion Sarah Palin for VP" from LifeNews.com.
Working with the Center for Global Justice: 3L Reflections
-
By Anne Darby Keating 3L Reflections Working with the Center of Global
Justice during my time at Regent University School of Law has been such a
blessing...
I agree that these are exciting times. It is especially exiting to be enthusiastic as a woman for a woman being in a political position who adheres to a high moral standard and shows (not just says) that her family matters.
ReplyDelete