Women in Governmental Offices

Entering a new millennium we certainly have more women in high governmental positions, however, the number is certainly nowhere near the actual representation of women in the United States. The number of women in the US congress has gone up from 3% in 1979 to 15% in 2006. While this 12% increase is a big change in the past 27 years 15% is still a long ways a way from the equal representation of 50%. Currently there are 14 female senators (out of 100) in the US Senate, which is 14%, 2 of which are from the state of California. Each state elects 2 senators, which means 100% of the Senators from California are female. Currently there are 67 congresswomen in the House (out of 435) which is 15.4%. California elects 53 people to the House of Representatives; of those seats 18 are women, which is 34%. The one representative for the Redlands area is Jerry Lewis, a male, which of course means 0% of women hold that office. It is also a know fact that none of the US presidents have been women, so that is also an office that has 0% for women. These percentages are for female held governmental offices of the US government.

Let’s take a look at the California State Senate and California State Assembly, as well as current state Governor positions held by women. Currently 8 women hold positions of state governors (out of 50), which is 16%. California has never had a female governor, which is 0%. Currently in the California State Senate there are 40 positions, 11 of which are held by women, which is 27.5%. The California State Assembly houses 80 representatives 25 of which are female, which is 31.25%.

These positions are only elected positions, these percentages are not of any appointed governmental positions, such as the courts, however the numbers speak for themselves. While on average the State of California itself has higher percentages of women in higher governmental offices there is still a significant amount of change that needs to happen in order for equal representation to occur. If you talk to people who believe there is equal representation of women and men in elected offices please direct them to this site or any of the sites cited in order to better educate everyone on the need to elect more women to office.

Sites Used:
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml
http://www.senate.ca.gov/~newsen/senators/senators.htp
http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/acsframeset7text.htm
http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~cawp/Facts.html

Timeline

2001 Hillary Rodham Clinton became the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from New York, the only First Lady ever elected to public office. She won an open seat in a general election.

2001 Condoleezza Rice became the first woman to hold the post of National Security Advisory (formally known as Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs) when she was appointed by President George W. Bush.

2001 Elaine Chao became the first Asian-American woman to serve in a presidential cabinet when she was appointed Secretary of Labor by President George W.Bush.

2001 Gale Norton became the first woman to serve as Secretary of the Interior, appointed by President George W. Bush. Norton was the first woman elected as Colorado's Attorney General and served that position for two terms.

2001 Ann Veneman was appointed by President George W. Bush to be the first female Secretary of Agriculture. She had previously been the first woman to serve as Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

2001 Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey became the first female former governor to serve in a presidential cabinet-level position when she was appointed administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency by President Bush. She had been the first woman elected governor in New Jersey and served two terms in that position.

2001 Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) became the first woman to hold the position of vice-chair of the Senate Republican Conference during the 107th Congress (2001-2003).
2001 Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) became the first woman to serve as chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

2001 Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was elected by her colleagues as House Democratic Whip, the highest-ranking woman in the history of the U.S. Congress.

2001 Representative Nita Lowey (D-NY) became the first woman to chair the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. She also served as House Minority Whip-at-Large.

2001 Sila Calderon (Popular Democratic Party), former mayor of San Juan, became the first woman governor of Puerto Rico.

2002 Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) became the first woman to head her party in Congress when she was elected by her colleagues as House Democratic Leader.

2002 The election to Congress of Linda Sanchez (D-CA) meant that for the first time, two sisters served together in the House. Representative Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) was first elected to the House in 1996.

2003 Arizona became the first state where a woman governor succeeded another woman governor. Jane Dee Hull (R) was succeeded by Janet Napolitano (D).

2005 Washington state became the first state to have both a woman governor (Christine Gregoire, D) and two women serving in the U.S. Senate (Patty Murray, D and Maria Cantwell, D).

Since 2000 the idea of women in politics has grown to a new level. Women are now taking governor positions in states and continuing to pass their reign onto women.
Even though women as a whole in America are still aren't regarded as equal to men, especially in the realm of politics, it looks like times are slowly changing and helping women for the better. Sisters are now serving in congress together, Washington state politics is dominated by women (governor and both senators). This is advancement for all women across America, of every color, shape, size and ethnicity. Some think it is sad that women are still having firsts in politics, firsts that men do not have any more and have longer surpassed. Personally, I think it is truly beautiful that women are becoming more involved in the politically arena. We can not change the advancement of men from the past, we can only change the future for women and for us all.

South Dakota law bans nearly all abortions

This article was recently published:

Legislation sets up court challenge

PIERRE, South Dakota (AP) -- Gov. Mike Rounds signed legislation Monday banning nearly all abortions in South Dakota, setting up a court fight aimed at challenging the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion.

The bill would make it a crime for doctors to perform an abortion unless the procedure was necessary to save the woman's life. It would make no exception for cases of rape or incest.

Planned Parenthood, which operates the state's only abortion clinic, in Sioux Falls, has pledged to challenge the measure in court. (Read the text of the law)

Rounds issued a written statement saying he expects the law will be tied up in court for years and will not take effect unless the Supreme Court upholds it.

"In the history of the world, the true test of a civilization is how well people treat the most vulnerable and most helpless in their society. The sponsors and supporters of this bill believe that abortion is wrong because unborn children are the most vulnerable and most helpless persons in our society. I agree with them," Rounds said in the statement.

The governor declined all media requests for interviews Monday.

The Legislature passed the bill last month after supporters argued that the recent appointment of conservative justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito have made the Supreme Court more likely to overturn Roe v. Wade.

South Dakota's abortion ban is to take effect July 1, but a federal judge is likely to suspend it during a legal challenge.

Rounds has said abortion opponents already are offering money to help the state pay legal bills for the anticipated court challenge. Lawmakers said an anonymous donor has pledged $1 million to defend the ban, and the Legislature set up a special account to accept donations for legal fees.

Under the new law, doctors could get up to five years in prison for performing an illegal abortion.

Rounds previously issued a technical veto of a similar bill passed two years ago because it would have wiped out all existing restrictions on abortion while the bill was tied up for years in a court challenge.

The statement he issued Monday noted that this year's bill was written to make sure existing restrictions will be enforced during the legal battle. Current state law sets increasingly stringent restrictions on abortions as pregnancy progresses. After the 24th week, the procedure is allowed only to protect the woman's health and safety.

About 800 abortions are performed each year in South Dakota. Planned Parenthood has said other women cross state lines to reach clinics.

Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/03/06/sd.abortionban.ap

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Since 1973 women have had the constitional right to have an abortion, during their first trimester in all 50 states. These abortions were regardless of circumstances and could be performed all over the United States. The second and third trimesters were left up to each individual state to make laws regarding them. The right to choose was established in '73 with Roe v. Wade. Roe was a woman who lived in Texas and wanted to have an abortion, however since this was not out of medical necessity it was illegal. She took the case all the way to the Supreme Court who sided with her and who decided that a woman's right to abort fell under the right to privacy in the 14th amendment. This privacy was established by Griswold v. Conneticut 1965 which allowed married couples to use condoms as a contraceptive device.
It is shocking to think that in 1965 it was illegal in Conneticut to use or learn about condoms. Wow, has our world widened along with our view points. A woman's right to choose has been supported by the courts through the years, and to think that one governor thinks he has the power to change the lives of all women in America is shocking and scary all at once.
Mike Rounds is trying to take the American judicial system by the throat and challenge the precedent that was set. Mr. Rounds is quite intelligent to know that the new conservative justices on the court will most likely side with his point of view. What does this mean for American women? By taking this case to the Supreme Court, since this law has already been challenged by several groups is an ideal way to have Roe v. Wade looked over again. It is not uncommon for justices to look over cases from the past and overturn them. Overturning cases is what the judicial system is based off of. If Roe v. Wade is over ruled American women will have no other choice but to take abortion into their own hands.
Back alley, natual abortions and women throwing themselves down staircases will no longer be unheard of. Women will be forced to revert back to these primal methods of abortion. If Mike Rounds thinks that this piece of legislation will lead to a verdict by the supreme court that is favorable to him; that this decision will stop abortions, he has another thing coming to him. He must think about the other options that women are left with: abortion or adoption, leaving their babies at hospital drop offs, suicide.
As women we need to protect ourselves and one another. Continue to rally together for pro choice and start looking into methods of abortions that do not need to take place in a clinic. We need to write our congress representatives and express our whole hearted position on pro choice and id they do not vote pro choice they will no longer have our vote when it comes to reelection. As for the Supreme Court, there is nothing that we can do directly. They are supposed to be unbiased individuals who interpret the constitution, we can not threaten to not reelect them, because they are justices for life. I implore all women who are pro choice to take a minute out of their day, write their representative, together we can form a pro choice movement!!