WHO SIDES WITH WOMEN?

The eagerness with which Republicans jumped on a careless remark by a minor "Democratic strategist" last week should not be allowed to deflect attention from their broadly anti-feminine platform. It is patently absurd to put forward the argument, on the basis of this remark, that Democrats fail to honor motherhood or the real, daily grind of work demanded of mothers who choose to stay at home and take care of the family.

The rhetoric of the "war on women" is, to my mind, almost equally absurd. What is clear, however, is that Republican positions and policies are antithetical to the interests of women in a number of important ways. Along with opposition to legislation requiring equal pay for equal work, the attack on funding for Planned Parenthood, on a woman's right to make choices for her own well-being and that of her family, and on programs that provide for women's health care are the only most obvious examples. As damaging, though, are the budgetary constraints on the provision of child care for mothers who choose to work, whether or not of their own volition and, for the poor, of food stamps and other safety net programs that affect women more immediately than their male counterparts.

We thought to have settled many of these matters fifty years ago. The reactionary rhetoric and policies of today's Republicans will ring hollow, if not threatening, to the ears of every thoughtful woman voter, and the feminist movement has helped to create generations of thoughtful, well-educated women who can stand up for themselves. Since his early action in signing equal pay legislation, the president has time and again established his credentials as a supporter of gender equality and the basic human rights that women have worked hard to earn in this country, and continue to struggle for in many parts of the world. Much more than his Republican challenger, he has earned the support of independent women voters, and I trust that his respect for them will be returned in November.