The Women of Afghanistan and Us

It’s the women who can make sure Harris Walz win this election. It’s the women. Make sure every single woman in your life is registered to vote. Close to 50 million of us didn’t vote when we could have in the last election. Our futures are at stake here.

New laws in Afghanistan were enacted recently. The Virtue & Vice laws. Please do not think for one second some of the reproductive laws we are facing should Harris not get elected are more than one step removed from these laws the Taliban have enacted.

When a woman is pregnant, she will be monitored to ensure she keeps the pregnancy to term? Project 2025. Months away from being our future should we not get out the vote.

Every single time you watch Vance present his idea of what an American Family should be, we should know the possibilities of what other women across the globe are facing is not that far a reach.

Please make sure the women in your sphere of influence understand what is at stake for our daughter’s futures.

And, remember as you read below, when we left Afghanistan, the Taliban promised they would not do this. And, the women told us they would. And, they were right.

Women in the 70’s versus now in Afghanistan.

The Taliban's "Virtue and Vice" laws in Afghanistan severely restrict women's rights, including: 

• Education

  Women are not allowed to attend secondary school or university, making Afghanistan the only country to prohibit girls from studying beyond the sixth grade. 

• Employment

  Women are not permitted to work in most professions. 

• Movement

  Women are not allowed to leave their homes without a male guardian. They are also not permitted to enter parks, gyms, or beauty salons. 

• Appearance

  Women are required to cover their entire bodies and faces in public. Their clothing must not be thin, short, or tight. 

• Voice

  Women are not allowed to speak or sing in public, even if they are inside their homes and could be heard by strangers outside. 

• Relationships

  Women are not permitted to look at men they are not related to by blood or marriage. 

• Enforcement

  The Taliban's Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice enforces these laws. They can issue warnings, imprison offenders for up to three days, and seize property. 

The UN has called Afghanistan the world's most repressive country for women in 2023. The EU has described the restrictions as "systematic and systemic abuses" that may amount to gender persecution.