Lindsay Sabadosa: Women must shift power structure

Like many, I awoke angry last Friday. The House of Representatives was scheduled to vote on health care and, it was clear, women’s health care was being decimated.

Congressmen were asking why men should pay for insurance that covered women’s health care, and the GOP offered to eliminate maternity care coverage as a bargaining chip to gain votes. Then there was the infamous photo of the all-white, all-male congressional meeting to discuss women’s health.

Ultimately, the bill failed, but it underlines what we already knew: women are under attack. The 2016 election highlighted rampant sexism and reminded us that, even though we have made progress, we are not yet equal. Our society continues to hold women to a different, higher and unachievable standard.

Voters heard Trump denigrate women and openly admit to sexual assault. Post-election, every day brings renewed calls to defund Planned Parenthood, pass legislation to restrict and/or ban abortion and take away protections, like the Violence Against Women Act, that provide women with basic human rights.

As a child, I watched Anita Hill testify about her sexual harassment before an all-white, all-male committee. I wondered why no one trusted her. Twenty-six years later, I am still asking myself the same question: why don’t we trust women? What is it going to take?

With the Women’s March, millions of people, but mostly women, took to the streets to demand that this country trust us. We are going to have to keep repeating this demand and, to achieve it, we need equitable representation.

Women, especially women of color, must run for office and gain positions of power. Nothing is going to change until we shift the power structure. It’s an imposing goal, but a worthy one. Until then, we must keep fighting, resisting and marching.

Lindsay Sabadosa

Florence