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Want to End Poverty? Focus on Women and Girls

by Molly Marsh 09-10-2009 | 1:00pm
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Promoting gender equality is crucial to combating global poverty, a point Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn make in their new book, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, published by Knopf. Millions of women and girls in developing countries die, are killed, or suffer brutal treatment -- simply because they are female. The authors, who share a marriage and a Pulitzer for their reporting for the New York Times, relate stories of horrific abuse -- sex trafficking, honor killings and mass rape, maternal mortality -- but also of terrific courage and resilience. They also provide many ways readers can take action; one key is for conservatives and liberals to look for common ground in their work on these issues.

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Take Action on This Issue

Tell the Senate: Don't Cut International Aid

Please join us in telling the Senate: Protect foreign aid programs that help the poor and the needy. 

Listen here to a portion of their interview with Sojourners -- and look for the print interview in the magazine's December issue.

Molly Marsh is an associate editor of Sojourners.

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by: Lord_Voldemort

09-10-2009 @ 4:22pm

Speaking of focusing on women and girls, Breitbart.com has undercover footage of ACORN employees from Baltimore advising a pimp and one of his prostitutes on the legalities of setting up a brothel. The "pimp" explains that they intend to import underage girls from latin america. ACORN's employees advise the pair to categorize their business as artistic, and suggest that they treat the girls as "dependents" for tax purposes.

One can only hope that the whole thing is a hoax. If it isn't, the leading "community organizer" group has a lot of explaning to do. The footage is truly appalling.

Does Sojo have a "no enemies on the left" policy. If you do, this might be a good time to reconsider.

LV

by: BlueCollarTodd

09-10-2009 @ 11:15pm

When are people going to realize that central to gender equality and addressing woman's poverty is abortion rights absolutism? This is the great hypocrisy of those claiming the Left is not pro-abortion. The feminist blogs I read regularly equate woman's rights with abortion absolutism and with health care. So in order to "end poverty" abortion must be available. Is not over population a problem, and abortion a critical solution to that problem?

by: Lord_Voldemort

09-10-2009 @ 4:22pm

Speaking of focusing on women and girls, Breitbart.com has undercover footage of ACORN employees from Baltimore advising a pimp and one of his prostitutes on the legalities of setting up a brothel. The "pimp" explains that they intend to import underage girls from latin america. ACORN's employees advise the pair to categorize their business as artistic, and suggest that they treat the girls as "dependents" for tax purposes.

One can only hope that the whole thing is a hoax. If it isn't, the leading "community organizer" group has a lot of explaning to do. The footage is truly appalling.

Does Sojo have a "no enemies on the left" policy. If you do, this might be a good time to reconsider.

LV

by: BlueCollarTodd

09-10-2009 @ 9:15pm

When are people going to realize that central to gender equality and addressing woman's poverty is abortion rights absolutism? This is the great hypocrisy of those claiming the Left is not pro-abortion. The feminist blogs I read regularly equate woman's rights with abortion absolutism and with health care. So in order to "end poverty" abortion must be available. Is not over population a problem, and abortion a critical solution to that problem?

by: BlueCollarTodd

09-10-2009 @ 9:15pm

When are people going to realize that central to gender equality and addressing woman's poverty is abortion rights absolutism? This is the great hypocrisy of those claiming the Left is not pro-abortion. The feminist blogs I read regularly equate woman's rights with abortion absolutism and with health care. So in order to "end poverty" abortion must be available. Is not over population a problem, and abortion a critical solution to that problem?

by: BlueCollarTodd

09-10-2009 @ 11:15pm

When are people going to realize that central to gender equality and addressing woman's poverty is abortion rights absolutism? This is the great hypocrisy of those claiming the Left is not pro-abortion. The feminist blogs I read regularly equate woman's rights with abortion absolutism and with health care. So in order to "end poverty" abortion must be available. Is not over population a problem, and abortion a critical solution to that problem?

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by: BlueCollarTodd

09-10-2009 @ 11:15pm

When are people going to realize that central to gender equality and addressing woman's poverty is abortion rights absolutism? This is the great hypocrisy of those claiming the Left is not pro-abortion. The feminist blogs I read regularly equate woman's rights with abortion absolutism and with health care. So in order to "end poverty" abortion must be available. Is not over population a problem, and abortion a critical solution to that problem?

by: Lord_Voldemort

09-10-2009 @ 4:22pm

Speaking of focusing on women and girls, Breitbart.com has undercover footage of ACORN employees from Baltimore advising a pimp and one of his prostitutes on the legalities of setting up a brothel. The "pimp" explains that they intend to import underage girls from latin america. ACORN's employees advise the pair to categorize their business as artistic, and suggest that they treat the girls as "dependents" for tax purposes.

One can only hope that the whole thing is a hoax. If it isn't, the leading "community organizer" group has a lot of explaning to do. The footage is truly appalling.

Does Sojo have a "no enemies on the left" policy. If you do, this might be a good time to reconsider.

LV

by: BlueCollarTodd

09-10-2009 @ 9:15pm

When are people going to realize that central to gender equality and addressing woman's poverty is abortion rights absolutism? This is the great hypocrisy of those claiming the Left is not pro-abortion. The feminist blogs I read regularly equate woman's rights with abortion absolutism and with health care. So in order to "end poverty" abortion must be available. Is not over population a problem, and abortion a critical solution to that problem?

by: BlueCollarTodd

09-10-2009 @ 9:15pm

When are people going to realize that central to gender equality and addressing woman's poverty is abortion rights absolutism? This is the great hypocrisy of those claiming the Left is not pro-abortion. The feminist blogs I read regularly equate woman's rights with abortion absolutism and with health care. So in order to "end poverty" abortion must be available. Is not over population a problem, and abortion a critical solution to that problem?

by: BlueCollarTodd

09-10-2009 @ 11:15pm

When are people going to realize that central to gender equality and addressing woman's poverty is abortion rights absolutism? This is the great hypocrisy of those claiming the Left is not pro-abortion. The feminist blogs I read regularly equate woman's rights with abortion absolutism and with health care. So in order to "end poverty" abortion must be available. Is not over population a problem, and abortion a critical solution to that problem?

by: Lord_Voldemort

09-10-2009 @ 4:22pm

Speaking of focusing on women and girls, Breitbart.com has undercover footage of ACORN employees from Baltimore advising a pimp and one of his prostitutes on the legalities of setting up a brothel. The "pimp" explains that they intend to import underage girls from latin america. ACORN's employees advise the pair to categorize their business as artistic, and suggest that they treat the girls as "dependents" for tax purposes.

One can only hope that the whole thing is a hoax. If it isn't, the leading "community organizer" group has a lot of explaning to do. The footage is truly appalling.

Does Sojo have a "no enemies on the left" policy. If you do, this might be a good time to reconsider.

LV