If you watched Ann Romney's speech--you know, the one that was supposed to make Mitt look more human and likable--you heard that line from Ann; "I love women."
Well, let me tell you a little about what Ann actually telegraphed to those women she claims to love through my open letter, below.
First of all, Ann, you spoke about moms. Married moms and single moms. You mentioned single dads. You did NOT speak about women.
In your world, all women are supposed to be moms. That is what you were taught and what you teach in Sunday School, Ann. That's what YOU did. Not all of we women chose that road. Some of us couldn't chose that road biologically. One in five American women end their reproductive years childless and that rate has been growing (Pew) since at least 1976.
In case you don't do math, Ann, that is 20% of the women in this country that you just ignored. Nice going.
Secondly, this is extremely insulting, Ann:
It's the moms who always have to work a little harder, to make everything right.
It's the moms of this nation — single, married, widowed — who really hold this country together. We're the mothers, we're the wives, we're the grandmothers, we're the big sisters, we're the little sisters, we're the daughters.
Let me point out to you, Ann, that we women (and men) who are not moms (or dads) pay for schools, K-12 and through universities, that YOUR children attend. We support scholarships and grants through our taxes, just like you, for other people's children. We vote for higher taxes to make those institutions better for YOUR children. Many of us have step children or are supporting children in our own extended families.
Many of us teach YOUR children, or drive their school bus. We serve as crosswalk guards and school monitors. We're the school secretary. We're the school nurse. We tutor or work in after school programs. We teach special education. We work in day care and after school care. We teach your kids piano, swimming and horseback riding. We teach your kids gymnastics and coach their soccer teams. We buy the trinkets they sell at the door to help the local PTA. We help them with their sick animals. We set money aside for them in our trusts and wills.
Yet, we don't exist because we aren't moms. We are invisible.
Thirdly, Ann, single women (and men), have parents. Many take care of their parents:
You know what those late night phone calls with an elderly parent are like and the long weekend drives just to see how they're doing. You know the fastest route to the local emergency room and which doctors actually answer the phone when you call at night.
Late night calls? How about 15 calls a day. How about those of us who are single and have no other family who take/took care of our parents because the system we have in the US doesn't and who had to quit our jobs and deplete our life savings to help our parents. You know, Ann, those of us who live/lived in near poverty to do so by ourselves. Those of us who struggle, alone, at a job that is harder than hell.
We don't exist in your two-Cadillac world, Ann. We drive our 10 year-old cars until they won't go anymore and then fret about how we're going to get our elderly parents to the doctor.
We're the single and married childless, women, Ann, that get cancer and MS just like you. We're cancer survivors, just like you (in fact I am one).
No, Ann. You don't love us. You don't even see us. You are blind to anything not in your own preferential universe.
And you've made it pretty damn obvious, Ann, that you have no respect for us.
We got the message, Ann. Loud and clear, we got the message.