Behind the veil

It's always something.

Every week if not every day, there is another story out about the Republican party's opposition to improved legislation for women. Today, the conservatives in congress are trying to fight the Violence Against Women Act, a 1994 legislation that was largely bipartisan once upon a time. And now Republicans are claiming that the bill is too broad and unnecessarily expands immigration. It seems like they would oppose just about anything that remotely promotes women's rights for any reason at all.

But if those members of congress would just take a moment and step behind the veil of ignorance before they consider whether they should support this legislation or any other, they would realize why it is so important to have such laws in place. If they knew that they could be that battered Mexican (but illegal) immigrant who was taken advantage of by the people who helped her into this country, and she was only trying to escape situations such as these anyway when she came here, then they would not hesitate to pass this bill because it is not strict enough for their tastes. They would stamp that sucker faster than you could say "feminism."

The Republicans have every right to their opinions and to voice them vociferously so. But they should stop and think about why they really have a problem with legislation like the Violence Against Women Act, and they should ask themselves what they would want if they were the women who were being beaten and abused by the men in their lives. Compromise is possible and necessary, but it takes cooperation on both sides.