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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAn Open Letter To Ruth Ginsburg By Madison Kimrey
I would like to offer my thanks to you in the wake of the recent Supreme Court decision in Burwell vs. Hobby Lobby. As a young woman, this decision was especially troubling for me. Its deeply disturbing that a corporation could decide to ignore medical science and make decisions about the healthcare of employees based on falsehoods. What the decision in Hobby Lobbys favor has done is reinforce misconceptions about birth control among those who, for various reasons, want to limit the choices we women have over our health and our own bodies.
I want to thank you for the pro-life stance you took in your dissent. You addressed the fact that women of child-bearing age pay about 68% more than men do in healthcare costs. You addressed the medical necessity of women having access to all FDA approved contraceptive methods. You addressed the fact it would cost up to a months pay at minimum wage to pay for an IUD. I am grateful that you stood up for the proven principles that save womens lives and decrease the number of unplanned and medically unsafe pregnancies.
You also stood up in a big way for religious freedom. You stated that, the exercise of religion is characteristic of natural persons, not artificial legal entities. You defined the difference between religious organizations and companies whose workers come from a variety of backgrounds. You also talked about the dangers of going against the First Amendment and making decisions that favor one religion over another.
Read More: http://www.theeverlastinggopstoppers.com/2014/07/open-letter-ruth-ginsburg-madison-kimrey/
Madison Kimrey can't vote yet. However we can, she and those like her are our future.
BE HEARD 2014... This should be our new rallying cry for 2014, let's be heard.
joshcryer
(62,276 posts)She may be President one day.
sheshe2
(83,791 posts)I guess I should have posted some background. What an amazing girl/woman.
She certainly could become President one day. Articulate and Bright, and she is 12 years old in that video. Far brighter than most of congress.
joshcryer
(62,276 posts)She's quite awesome. That sort of civics-oriented personality is sorely lacking these days. The next two generations are going to be quite different politically (social media, etc).
ladym55
(2,577 posts)There are house plants smarter than many members of Congress ... bags of hammers, too.
That young girl is incredibly impressive. I loved reading what she wrote.
sheshe2
(83,791 posts)She's quite impressive. Glad to have her on our team.
littlemissmartypants
(22,692 posts)Madison. She is my hero.
sheshe2
(83,791 posts)I have been paying attention to her for some time, she is part of our future.
You are so lucky to have marched with her, littlemissmartypants .
littlemissmartypants
(22,692 posts)You will find me there. She was my inspiration for starting my voter drives. Right before our kids lost their rights. I adore her as if she were my child.
sheshe2
(83,791 posts)I signed up once when PBO was going be on twitter. It went way to fast for me.
I deleted my earlier question to you~ however
littlemissmartypants
(22,692 posts)I love questions.
littlemissmartypants
(22,692 posts)Cha
(297,317 posts)She schooled Phyllis Schiafly on feminism and now she's brilliantly thanking Justice Ginsburg for all of us.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/22/madison-kimrey-phyllis-schlafly_n_5192278.html
Mahalo, she
sheshe2
(83,791 posts)Thanks for the link to Madison schooling Phyllis. I had read the letter before, and it was awesome.
I heard she will be here too.
Cha
(297,317 posts)littlemissmartypants
(22,692 posts)sheshe2
(83,791 posts)Bickle
(109 posts)"Justice Ginsberg, you need to retire immediately so that the extreme likelihood of the GOP getting to put as many as three judges in does not give them a supermajority to mouth thrifuh their criminal and abusive activity willy hilly"
prairierose
(2,145 posts)Congressional approval? I think that is why Justice Ginsberg is hanging on. We must elect a Dem in 2016 to save the country from the USSC.
MadrasT
(7,237 posts)Thank you... I am pretty discouraged right now and people like her give me a small ray of hope.
BootinUp
(47,165 posts)whttevrr
(2,345 posts)When I first heard her speak I was very impressed and quite embarrassed about my choices at twelve. I was kind of a jerk at twelve.
But now that I have read her open letter to Schafly...? Wow...
Dear Ms. Schlafly,
Im a teenage girl who has been reading about you quite a bit in the news lately. It seems to me that you have absolutely no idea what women of my generation are all about. I can understand that because I often deal with older people who think that their generation is superior and my generation is the worst thing ever just because were different. Really though, I think since you want to be all up in the public eye, it would really do you a lot of good to understand things from the perspective of one of the young women who will be taking over this country soon.
Ive been thinking about how I can explain what feminism means to my generation in a way you might not have thought of before. I wanted to try to work from something we have in common, and its been kind of hard to find something I have in common with you. Then, it came to me. I bet you wear a bra.
I was reading recently about a company called Yellowberry that was started by a young woman because she took her younger sister bra shopping and her sister didnt like any of the choices. None of the bras fit her, and she felt the selections were too sexual. So she started a line of bras so that girls would have more options. As for myself, I shop at Victorias Secret. Its not because I want to be sexy or have any grand delusions of looking like one of their models. I shop there because they have different styles of bras so I can find something I think is pretty that fits me. I dont know where you shop for your bras, but I bet you have a favorite one. I bet you have that one bra thats comfortable and goes with just about everything. I bet the last thing you were thinking about when you bought that bra was what a man would think about it.
Well, making choices in our lives as young women is kind of like finding that favorite bra. Not all of us are going to fit into the same kind and not all of us are going to find the same style attractive. We all deserve to have as many choices as possible, and as women, we shouldnt be judging the choices made by other women. Choosing a bra is a very personal choice and is none of anyone elses business. We should be, as women, looking for ways we can expand the choices both for ourselves and other women, just as Megan Grassell did when she started Yellowberry. Equality doesnt mean women will all make the same choice. It means women will be treated the same no matter what choices they make.
This brings us to the idea you have that women shouldnt have equal pay because it will make it more difficult for them to find husbands. What youre doing is attempting to limit my choices, and I dont appreciate that. Lets get one thing straight here. When Im thinking about what kind of career I want to have, its a lot like shopping for a bra. I want to find something that fits me and appeals to me, and Im not thinking about pleasing a man. Anyone who wants to be my partner in life is going to have to truly respect me, appreciate me for who I am, and honor the choices I make.
What youre doing, Ms. Schlafly, is contributing to something very disturbing I see happening with some of the teenage girls I know. At a time in their lives when they should be free, independent, and exploring and preparing for the possibilities they have in the future, many of them are worried about getting or keeping a boyfriend. There are young women my age who are extremely smart but they hide it because they get messages from women like you that if they are too smart or successful, boys wont like them. They get messages from women like you that pleasing a man should be their number one goal. Youre contributing to making young women uncomfortable when they go bra shopping because theyve learned to analyze every choice based on what other people will think instead of having the freedom and confidence to choose whats best for them.
Im going to continue the work my mother and my grandmothers started, the work you have fought so hard against. Im going to work to help get the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) ratified in my lifetime. Once this is done, its going to take some time to undo a lot of the damage women like you have caused. Its going to take time for society to evolve once women finally have the equality we deserve. But I believe that my daughters will look at history and see women like you the same way I see women who tried to prevent us from getting the right to vote. I believe that bra shopping is going to be a lot easier for my daughters than it is for girls today.
Sincerely,
Madison Kimrey
I remember hearing adults and talking heads on TV talking about the ERA, and thought it was silly not to pass such a thing. I saw no reason to deny women of equal rights... but I did not think there was anything I could do.
This young person is amazing in her clarity of purpose. I hope she realizes her dreams. This world wil be a better place because of her strength.
niyad
(113,343 posts)sheshe2
(83,791 posts)WillyT
(72,631 posts)rhett o rick
(55,981 posts)sheshe2
(83,791 posts)Dawson Leery
(19,348 posts)Drew Richards
(1,558 posts)ladyVet
(1,587 posts)Please, please, please, please, please, please let the young women like Madison take over the world soon.
Praise be to Thy noodly appendages.
Ramen.