One of the most exciting days of my life was the day I finally got to vote. One-hundred years before, I could have been jailed for the simple act of casting my ballot. This week we celebrate the official ratification of the 19th Amendment – the Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that protects the right to vote for both men and women. The ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920 was a huge step forward in our nation in creating a more perfect union.
While the political Left has tried to hijack women for their cause – saying they have to think a certain way or support certain candidates – the 19th Amendment is not about identity politics. The 19th Amendment is about recognizing the dignity and worth of women to our society. Just like the 15th Amendment further worked out the philosophy of the Founders to include all races, the 19th Amendment was a further unveiling of the original ideas of the Founders.
Women have pushed back against the Left’s attempt to hijack us for their cause. Women like Phyllis Schlafly,who stood up against the push to pass the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) that would have eradicated our ability to regulate the abortion industry and erased hard won victories for women. She paved the way for so many women to advocate for their conservative belief systems. While not perfect, God used her to help wake up the church and women all across the nation from their apathy about politics.
But the Left is at it again trying to erase women from the story. Maleness and femaleness are gifts from God and therefore defined by Him. But the Left wants to buck God’s design and re-write truth. They are pushing not only the ERA on a national level but are also working to reverse or stop all state initiatives to protect life and girls’ places in our society. In fact, a major goal of the of the Biden-Harris ticket for 2020 is to stop state laws that protect life.
This is exactly what our state Supreme Court tried to do through its radical abortion ruling in 2019 that took away our ability to regulate the abortion industry for the safety of women and girls in Kansas. While pro-life advocates worked to give Kansans a say in the process, Governor Kelly and the Democrats tried to silence the voices of women and men across our state by blocking Value Them Both – a constitutional amendment to correct what the Court declared.
The wonderful thing is that we have strong female legislators in Kansas that fight for babies in the womb, who advocate for the safety of all women, that will stand up for fairness in sports, and who do not cower when the Left tries to mandate who they have to be, what they have to believe, and what they have to say to be deemed a woman. It is an honor to stand alongside these women to fight for life, religious freedom, and families every day. Together we are a force to be reckoned with as we continue to work to pass Value Them Both this next legislative session.
I am thankful for the opportunities that I have and do not take them for granted. I can only pray, that like Phyllis Schlafly and our female legislators in Kansas, that the work I do leaves a legacy for each woman in Kansas to be free to become who God intended for her to be. May we never take for granted the gift of womanhood or the ability to vote in our country.
For the women of Kansas,
Brittany Jones
Director of Advocacy