Yesterday in the San Francisco Chronicle, there was this article about the increasing number of so-called "honor killings" of women in Pakistan. Women are sometimes killed by their family members for perceived loss of honor, for such heinous infractions such as dating, being a bad cook, or, heaven forbid, being raped. Think about the incident of a couple of months ago, of the girl that was gang-raped as a punishment for her brother dating. I guess now she could be murdered by that same brother for being raped.
They're not sure if it's only due to increased reporting of incidents, or an increase in the incidents themselves. Back somewhere between 1995 and 1997, when I first got on the web, one of the first e-mails I received was about the plight of women in Afghanistan, and how their rights were being stripped from them - the right to work to support their family, the right to an education, etc. Recently, I read about how that should have been a warning sign to the world, because often the repression of women is the beginning of "trouble". (I don't remember exactly what it said.)
Now, go read this: "Bill would require women to go through a trial before an abortion and obtain death warrant". I have to excuse myself to go curl up in a ball somewhere.
11:13:28 PM 
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