Women have been at the forefront in advocating for women rights in particular and human rights in general. We examine a few figures in history. Betty Friedan founded the National Organization for Women(NOW) and the National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (NARAL).She argued that the decision to abort or not should be left entirely to the woman and acting in the affirmative should not be labelled criminal. She advocated for better education, employment and opportunities for women even in the political arena through the National Women's Political Caucus (Blau, 10). Margaret Sanger founded the American birth control league to educate women on matters birth control andpregnancy.She was a major promoter of hormonal contraception research.Critics howevercompared her Planned Parenthood campaign to Adolf Hitler’s strategy of exterminating Jews, a point she strongly defended herself against (Sanger, 3). Eleanor Roosevelt was a writer and humanitarian who was fearless in expressing her thoughts. She stepped up on her husband (President Roosevelt), speaking on human rights, children causes and women’s issues.At the time of the bombing of Port harbor her sincerity and loyalty inspired heads of state and service men in World War 2. She is considered a pioneer in the fight for human rights and speaking for women to work in factories and for them to help in efforts to curb the war. In 1946 she was the chair on the United Nations commission for human rights (Roosevelt, 13). Francis Perkin once labor secretary created the Civilian Conservation Corps and Social Security Act, programs that provided aid to the unemployed, the poor, and the elderly (Perkins, 770). Earlier as New York commissioner of labor she created laws thatsafeguarded workers welfare.
Work cited
Blau, Justine. Betty Friedan. New York: Chelsea House. p.10. (1990). Print
Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique. New York: W.W. Norton, 1963. Print.
Roosevelt, Eleanor. The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt. (p.13). New York: Harper & Brothers, 1961. Print.
Perkins, Frances. "Unemployment and Relief". American Journal of Sociology. Vol.39, No.6 (May, 1934), pp.768-775. The University of Chicago Press.
Sanger, Margaret. Margaret Sanger. Woodbridge, Conn: Research Publications, 1988. Print.
