Women’s Rights are Human Rights

Women’s Rights are Human Rights

September 1, 2025

In our nation’s long journey toward a more perfect union, the right to vote was never voluntarily protected. It had to be demanded, defended, and won – often at great personal cost. At our founding, only wealthy, white, land-owning men were allowed to cast a ballot. Every expansion of the franchise came through struggle and sacrifice. Women, after generations of exclusion, secured the vote in one of the hardest-fought victories of all.

Each year on August 26, we honor the certification of the 19th Amendment on Women’s Equality Day. This was a watershed moment, an affirmation that women’s voices belong in our democracy. Yet the promise was incomplete in 1920. Many women of color, Indigenous women, immigrant women, and others continued to face legal and structural barriers that kept them from the ballot box for decades. The 19th Amendment opened a door, but the struggle for full enfranchisement – and equal participation in shaping our nation – was far from over.

For much of our country’s history, women were largely invisible before the law, defined by their relationships to fathers, brothers, or husbands. Policies shaping healthcare, education, childcare, safety, and financial security were made without their voices. Securing the vote gave women the power to influence elections and laws, reshaping the very foundations of political life. 

But history reminds us that progress is never guaranteed. Rights once won can be challenged. Recently, prominent political and faith leaders have openly suggested that women should not have the right to vote, arguing that a household should speak with only one voice: the man’s. This ideology seeks to silence women. 

This is why we must affirm a fundamental truth: women of every background are central to a strong, vibrant political system. Their voices, perspectives, and leadership enrich our communities and strengthen democracy. Yet they continue to face attempts to undermine their health, safety, autonomy, and influence. Protecting their rights is not only a women’s issue; it is a human rights imperative. Our nation’s ongoing journey toward a more perfect union depends on expanding the promise of representation, not limiting it.

And so, the work continues. Just as generations before us demanded inclusion in the democratic process, it is now our responsibility to protect and expand it. A future of dignity, equality, and belonging will not happen by chance. It will be built by all of us, together.