Dear Editor,
This is an open letter to any woman (or man) who still cannot decide who to vote for in this November’s presidential election.
The topic? Upholding a woman’s right to determine her own destiny.
Women got the right to vote in 1920. They could finally obtain birth control in 1960. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 brought some promise, but it has not yet been realized. It was not until 1974 that a woman, on her own, could buy a house or a car, open a bank account, and get a credit card or a bank loan.
The Republican ticket? Trump’s documented acts of misogyny are epic. He has been convicted of sexual assault in civil court. We heard him on the Access Hollywood tape. He says that women seeking an abortion should have some “punishment.” He brags that it was he alone who overturned Roe v Wade. Project 2025 policies require government monitoring of a woman’s healthcare activities.
This is a small government?
In a podcast, Trump’s vice-presidential running mate, J.D. Vance, repeatedly offered a dark vision of the lives of women who prioritized their professional careers, saying they are “miserable and unhappy.” He mocks “childless cat women.” He said parents should have more power at the polls because those without children “have no stake in our country.” His answer to affordable daycare for working moms is to ask the grandparents to babysit.
This is crazy. We cannot go backward.
For women who are not old enough to remember pre-1974, take heed. For those of us who have had a career and children (or not), it is not the place of these men to tell us how we will live our lives. We support Kamala Harris, and – for the sake of your mother, daughter, sister, and our country – you should, too.
So vote as your rights depend on it.
V. Johnson, A. Koppelmann, D. Norton, B. Gilkison, L. McLeod, C. Hamilton, of Greensboro