It seems like, of late, it is not a good time to be a woman.

Here in the US, one of the two major parties has quite simply disavowed the precepts of basic biology when it comes to the female sex and their lady parts. The Republican party seems to not understand how women work on a fundamental, biological level.

Richard Moudock, who's running for Senate in Indiana, said that he's opposed to abortion in cases of rape because a pregnancy resulting from rape is "something God intended to happen." In Mr. Mourdock's theology, the physical trauma and emotional scars of rape are all part of God's plan. Note that no verses were cited, and that God Himself is deafeningly silent when it comes to agreeing with this idiocy.

Todd Akin, the Missouri Senate candidate, thinks that if it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down.”

Mr. Mourdock should really get his terrifying theology in line with Todd Akin's idiotic biology. Either God's planning these rape pregnancies, or they're biologically impossible.

In the meantime, millions of women are screaming "How about if we educate our boys that rape is never acceptable and to respect women?" Is it too much to ask that people running for Senate know a little something about 50% of their voters? For a party that claims to get government out of citizen's lives, these guys sure are interested in telling women how they should react to the most horrifying thing that could happen to them.

It's not too great a leap to look at how religion and ignorance combine in America and project it onto how religion and ignorance combine in Afghanistan. Different religion. Same ignorance.

Malala Yousafzai, age 15, was shot in the face just for trying to attend school. Amazingly, the girls of her region, in defiance of the Taliban, are continuing to go to school and further their educations.

For courage, these Afghan girls are far more on the side of the angels than the Mourdocks and Akins and Talibans of the world.

Freud famously asked, "What do women want?" Around the world, that answer seems abundantly clear. Education, to fight the ignorance. Self-determination, to fight the theocracy. Dignity, to fight the wave of ridiculous drivel that's directed their way. Safety, to be who they wish to be without fear of attack.