On a cold winter night, a public bus sped through the dark streets of New Delhi, India.  Curiously, the bus passed through several checkpoints without stopping at any of them including those guarded by the police.  Unknown to the outsiders, a grave crime was taking place on the bus.  Six men used iron bars to attack and furiously beat a young man senseless.  The same six men then proceeded to beat the man’s 23-year-old female friend and gang raped her mercilessly.

Far from being a tale of fiction, the events actually took place on the night of Sunday, December 16, 2012.  After ruthlessly beating the young couple and raping the young woman, the perpetrators threw their naked, half-dead bodies on the cold streets of New Delhi.  The woman suffered multiple injuries that required several surgeries and she now remains in critical condition fighting for her life.

The crime led to a backlash from the public and protestors swarmed the streets to demand justice for the young woman.  In response, the police used tear gas, batons, and water cannons in an effort to disperse the crowd away from the government buildings, injuring several people in the process.  Women were a good majority of those injured during the protest but police continued the onslaught in hopes of controlling the protest.  Only after days of protest, the government of India finally decided to become involved in the case.

The young woman needs prayers and support to make it through the horrific trauma she must be suffering now, but her trials are only just beginning.  If she recovers, she must consider what awaits her in the wake of this tragedy.

In India, family and friends could easily ostracize a rape victim.  The odds of her getting any justice are remote.  Consider, for example, there are approximately 40,000 rape cases in India that remain unresolved as of today.  Women in India remain at the mercy of laws that hardly give them any protection.  For example, the current laws have no provisions to protect women from sexual harassment at work.  Even today, India’s Marriage Act does not make provisions for women to have equal property rights.  Whether the government of India actually carries out its promises of dishing out justice in favor of the victim of the New Delhi rape case is something only time will show, but the incident gives one pause to reflect on the plight of women in America.

The contrast between the circumstances of women in India and America are incredible.  To be sure, tragedies occur in the United States as well but the portrayal of women’s issues in America needs reconsideration.  Modern feminists who screamed about the “War on Women” during the 2012 national election have much to learn about women’s rights.  The liberators who threw such tantrums against the “inhumanity” of unavailable free birth control from the government must consider how fortunate they are to live in a nation that allows them the freedom to voice their opinions.  Imagine what would become of them if they lived in a country that afforded them no protection against brutal attacks as the one experienced by the woman in New Delhi.

What makes the situation worse for a rape victim in India compared to one in America is the disinterest expressed by the Indian government to have laws in place which help women in their everyday struggles.  In comparison, the laws of the United States actively protect women’s rights and provide them with opportunities to advance in life.  In the United States, even the poorest girl has the opportunity to attend college, start a business, become a politician, practice law or medicine, and join the military.  In short, women in America have a chance to make a difference in the world.  The poor women in India are fortunate if they can find their next meal.

Yet, in their quest to fight for women’s rights, feminists in America have destroyed the essence of what it means to be a woman.  Today, feminists hold dedicated wives and mothers in contempt but young women demanding free birth control earn a top spot on the cover of Time magazine.  In their rush to gain “equality” for women, these feminists have destroyed the American family.  For those claiming to preach that women such as Abigail Adams, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Sojourner Truth were all feminists, rest assured they were dedicated wives and mothers before they became activists.  Even as activists, they did not pursue their own ambitions at the expense of their families.

The best lesson for Americans must include improving things in America for everyone.  Yes, this includes men, women, and children.  Emasculating men and alienating children in hopes of gaining greater “freedom” for women only hurts everyone involved.  By ignoring the family, feminists have done a disservice to women and actually devalued the role of women in America.  The only thing they have accomplished is to shift their attention from the family to the government.  Unfortunately, forfeiting their liberties to the government has helped make America a nation where the rights of people become secondary to the might of the government.  For what else is government dependence if not servitude?  Is this then the “freedom” these feminists seek?  What freedom is there when the government controls all things, even as it claims to provide for women’s rights?

The feminists in America should be aware that by infringing upon the rights of all people, they have helped create an atmosphere where no one’s rights remain intact, least of all those of women.  The unfortunate tragedy of the young woman in New Delhi should alert every woman in America that the true fight for women’s rights lays further away from our shores.  Perhaps, if we can remove the attention from our makeshift “women’s issues” in America for a moment, we just might be able to help those women who truly need the support.

Photo Credit: naralprochoiceamerica (Creative Commons)