In one of the more dramatic moments from Iowa Senate Democrats on Thursday, Sen. Joe Bolkcom made a pretty brutal claim about his Republican colleagues.
“If you all have your way, Taliban women will have more reproductive freedom and control over their bodies than freedom-loving American women.”
There are countless examples of the lack of freedom women have under the rule of the Taliban. One article from The Guardian mentions a girl who barely left home for five years under the Taliban’s harsh rules.
When Kabul was seized in 1996, women were barred from schools and most work. They were forced to wear the all-enveloping burqa when they left home.
The Guardian told a story about two relatives who forgot to wear burqas while shopping. One was lashed so much she did 20 days later. The other has lived with mental problems for the last 19 years.
Bolkcom’s comparison is off base and inappropriate. He has been in the Senate for decades. Surely at one time or another, he promoted civility. There’s nothing civil about this statement.
