Since I became old enough to read, and understand what I read, it has bothered me how women have at least for hundreds of years been treated like second-class citizens.

In 1914, Speaker of the House Champ Clark announced his support for what became the 19th Amendment. Which became law in 1920 guaranteeing all citizens the right to vote. Until that law was signed into law, women had no guaranteed right to vote.

Until the 1800s women had virtually no right of land ownership. Laws varied by country but the object was to keep women suppressed. The list is almost infinite.

On Aug. 29, the GOP adapted a party platform at its national convention that would ban all abortions and gay marriages, reshape Medicare into a voucher-like program and cut taxes to energize the economy and create jobs.

No. 1, if elected Mitt Romney will push to keep the Bush tax cuts in place and for good reason. Romney is worth some $200 million and had an income of $42 million for the two years of 2010 and 2011, which gave him under the Bush tax plan a $3.5 million tax cut.

By the way how much did you get? Still think it’s OK to continue that tax break for the wealthy?

No. 2, the GOP abortion law would not allow for rape, incest or even if the mother’s life is in danger. There are no exceptions. Romney has no daughters; Paul Ryan has a 10-year-old daughter. He needs to think about it.

Now if only men could get pregnant, abortions would never become a topic for discussion. I personally believe that men need to leave women issues to the women to decide. We have enough problems in this country without wasting time putting women’s rights back to the middle ages.

This should also concern every man who is married to a woman of child-bearing age or those with a daughter. If either were pregnant and needed an abortion to save their life, the GOP would let them die. Just another nail in the coffin of women’s rights.

Donald E. Hill
Clarkesville