Compliance » Men Bad At Writing Laws To Protect Women

Men Bad At Writing Laws To Protect Women

February 8, 2016

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Statutes protecting women from “the embarrassment of hearing filthy evidence” as a member of a jury, or from having to work nights as pharmacists (but allowing them to continue low-wage janitorial work), or from working as bartenders (but not barring cocktail waitressing): all of these misguided statutes are examples of men writing legislation meant to shield women. The statutes were pointed out by historians in a Brandeis brief to the Supreme Court in Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerdtedt, in which the authors urge the justices to examine the intent of Texas legislators who say they approved new restrictions on abortion providers as health safeguards for women having the procedure. “Any new law that claims to protect women’s health and safety should be scrutinized carefully to assess whether the ostensibly protective function actually serves to deny liberty and equal citizenship to women,” the 16 historians wrote.

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