I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME ROAR,
IN NUMBERS TOO BIG TO IGNORE.

– Helen Reddy

By Bettina Duval, Founder, The CALIFORNIA LIST

The reggae tunes “The Strength of a Woman,” and “Thank You Momma” opened almost each of Portia Simpson Miller’s rallies, and “It’s Woman Time Now,” became her unofficial motto during her successful bid to become the first woman Prime Minister of Jamaica in last week’s election. While the rest of the world is celebrating the progress of women, our country is singing a different tune.Does anyone even remember the words to Helen Reddy’s song “I am woman”?

In the United States, the declining and even stagnant number of women willing to participate in political life is a big concern. Specifically in California, we stand to lose two-thirds of our elected women by 2008. In 2006, 15 experienced lawmakers must leave office because of term limits; in 2008, another eight will be forced out of office.

To make matters worse, South Dakota, a small rural state, ranked number 46 in the country with a population of 771,000, has decided to ban abortions. Other small states including Tennessee, Missouri and Georgia are also debating similar legislation. We cannot sit back and let these states dictate our social and moral policies.

Living in California we feel protected. But our rights are not insulated by state boundaries. When the South Dakota law goes to the George Bush appointed Supreme Court, as it more than likely will, the threat to overturn Roe v. Wade will be very real. Not only has South Dakota challenged a woman’s individual freedom, it has opened the door to contest state versus federal jurisdiction—an issue at the core of this debate.

While some have proactively worked to strip away our rights, we are ready for the challenge. I believe electing pro-choice Democratic women is our first line of defense.

It is a fact that women legislators are far more likely than their male colleagues to introduce legislation that supports women and their families. As an example, the women featured in this newsletter have consistently protected the rights of women and children:

  • As an Assemblywoman Jenny Oropeza chaired the Assembly Select Committee on Title IX, working to ensure the bill’s 30-year legacy does not taper in California.
  • Assemblywoman Judy Chu introduced and passed legislation that declared April Sexual Assault Awareness Month; by raising attention to the prevalence of domestic and sexual violence against women, she has brought the concerns of women into the public spotlight.
  • Assemblywoman Cindy Montañez authored a bill to implement mandatory prevention programs throughout California schools to address teen dating violence.
  • Assemblywoman Gloria Negrete McLeod established the California Victims of Sexual Violence service fund that allows tax payers to designate money to help sexual violence survivors.
  • Assemblywoman Patricia Wiggins proposed successful legislation that made it a hate-crime to vandalize abortion clinics so that as a result they were not eligible to lose their insurance.

As Helen Reddy said, “You can bend but never break me ’cause it only serves to make me. More determined to achieve my final goal and I come back even stronger. Not a novice any longer ’cause you’ve deepened the conviction in my soul.”

If you believe in independence, individual responsibility, individual rights and the ability to guarantee opportunities, not outcomes, I encourage you to support The CALIFORNIA LIST and our endorsed candidates.

Somewhere along the way the lyrics “I am woman, hear me roar” were silenced. As a mother of four, I personally understand that the demands of everyday life have intensified so much that we are left with little spare time. I also understand that as a Democrat we have been demoralized by the emboldened religious right, who has been disassembling all of the policies we hold near and dear to our hearts. It is time for us to roar. We do not want to find ourselves asking, “What happened?” like we did at the conclusion of the last Presidential election. We must not allow ourselves to be stuck in a moment. If music is a mirror to society, what does Green Day’s “American Idiot” say about ours?

Last year The CALIFORNIA LIST profiled all of the Democratic women running for California State government. As the election nears, we are profiling each candidate’s campaign. Last month we featured the non-incumbent Democratic women running for the Assembly. This month we are featuring the pro-choice women running for California Board of Equalization and State Senate in order of their district. Please support these candidates and The CALIFORNIA LIST.