“A Day without [Some] Women” [Updated]

If you’re like me, your reactions this coming Wednesday’s “Day without a Woman”—the latest radical feminist protest on behalf of “the human rights of women and all gender-oppressed people”—may include one or all of the following:

• Roll your eyes and throw up your hands in disgust.
• Hurl something at the television as you watch yet one more biased news report claiming that all American females staunchly agree with the angry women involved in the so-called “Day without a Woman”.
• Or, last but not least, simply pull the covers over your heads and go back to bed hoping that when you wake up Thursday morning the world will be somewhat back to normal, if that’s even remotely possible.

The main focus of event is to encourage women to walk off their jobs for a variety of reasons, including the promotion of leftist ideals and the continued protest of the election results. Since 1909, according to the United Nations website, March 8^th has been set aside as International Women’s Day; it is meant to mark the contributions of women to society around the globe and “to affirm the principle of equality between women and men.” But apparently, according to the same group that brought us the ranting and raving of the likes of Whoopi, Madonna, and Ashley Judd on January 21^st, this is a day about “rights” including “open access to safe, legal, affordable abortion and birth control for all people” and “our obligation to uplift, expand and protect the rights of our gay, lesbian, bi, queer, trans or gender non-conforming brothers, sisters and siblings. We must have the power to control our bodies and be free from gender norms, expectations and stereotypes.”

In other words, it’s another way to promote radical feminist causes, which always include abortion-on-demand and birth control at the top of that “rights” list.

So it is certainly understandable to have an exasperated or even angry response to what should be called “Day without Politically-Correct Women”. But there are several better ways to not only respond to the latest extreme lefty shenanigans.  The fact is, there have been some concrete, positive efforts by many real, positive women who believe that their authentic feminine identity is not wrapped up or directly tied to abortion, birth control, “gender issues”, or hatred for particular political leaders.

They are women who don’t want to take their concerns out on their employers or their children by abandoning their responsibilities for a day.  They are women who believe in the sanctity of life from conception until natural death.  They are women who believe in the dignity of all people and respect the variety of roles women serve in both the home and the world.

Here are two very constructive and dignified ways to speak up this week about true feminism and womanhood:

• Women Speak for Themselves Gatherings: This wonderful movement is the brainchild of law professor and Vatican consultant Helen Alvare. The organization was established a few years ago as a response to the Health and Human Services mandate imposed on religious institutions and Christian business owners under the Obama administration—a mandate that many of these entities are still fighting in the courts.  The small group WSFT gatherings are designed to bring together women in a comfortable and non-threatening home setting to spread the truth about what Christ and his Church really teach and say about issues such as abortion, contraception, and marriage.  The idea is to speak the truth in love; it is based on the knowledge that many people don’t really know what the Church teaches, having often formed their opinions and reactions through media reports and secular accounts. WSFT even provides topics, questions, and recipes.  So, while others are  grabbing their protest signs and taking to the streets in defiance, grab some friends and a bottle of vino and engage in fruitful discussions.

• Lady Day: “Pure Goodness at Work!”: Catholic blogger Colette Zimmermann came up with the idea of using the day to honor the Blessed Mother as well as to counter the upcoming feminist strike.  In a press release she raises some great questions that too many who are drinking the March 8^th Madness Kool-Aid are choosing to ignore:

“But how many women can really skip work?  What about mothers?  What about nurses or any woman who works in society to help others?  We can’t skip work!  And furthermore, we don’t want to. Lady Day is a positive response, a day for us to celebrate God’s plan for women as pure and good.”

Suggestions for “Lady Day” include dressing up fashionably but modestly and heading out the door for tea with friends and then sharing thoughts and pictures of your tea time experience on Facebook and Twitter.

If you have another idea on how to productively spend National Woman’s Day, pass it on.  Perhaps you’re going to take your Mom out to lunch or visit women in a nursing home.  Maybe it’s a day to volunteer at the local pregnancy resource center or to pray outside a local abortion facility.  Speaking of abortion facilities, I wonder how many women will be walking off those jobs on Wednesday?

Whatever you do to counter the very destructive messages being promoted by radical feminists this week, remember St. Peter’s exhortation defend your faith in Christ with “gentleness and reverence” (1 Pet 3:15), and St. Francis de Sales’ reminder that we catch a lot more flies with honey than vinegar—or, as the case might be, with wine, cheese, and a good cup of hot tea.

Update (March 7, 2017): Some ways you can participate in celebrating the true dignity of all women:

• Use hashtag #RealWomenDontQuit on Wed. March 8th on Twitter and on other social media outlets.
• Send Teresa Tomeo peaceful, dignified ways to promote women by commenting on her blog or Facebook page.
• Tag Teresa Tomeo or direct message her your ideas on Facebook or Twitter.
• Forward this Email to your friends and family.
• Retweet #RealWomenDontQuit Tweets on Twitter.
• Post & Share your thoughts about #RealWomenDontQuit on Facebook.
• Pin the #RealWomenDontQuit image above on Pinterest and include the hashtag.
• Post the #RealWomenDontQuit image above on Instagram including the hashtag.