The Problem With Honoring Phyllis Schlafly

By Eric on May 4, 2008

At this year’s commencement ceremony, my school will be honoring Phyllis Schlafly with an honorary doctorate. Schlafly earned two degrees–a BA and a JD–from Washington University before devoting herself to a life-long career of telling women to stay in the kitchen. Now, she’ll be back at WashU for her third degree.

Chancellor Mark Wrighton defended the decision to reward the “graduate and donor” (donor? Hmm… As it turns out, her family is fairly well-off) by claiming that “her contributions have inspired women.” Really? To do what? Inspired women to stay at home? Giving this woman an honorary degree at the same time as the first female surgeon at the med school (Dr. Jessie Ternberg) is like slapping the latter across the face.

Let’s take a look at some of the positions that Washington University will be endorsing and honoring:

“By getting married, the woman has consented to sex, and I don’t think you can call it rape.” — He wants to have sex but you don’t? Sorry ladies, if you wanted to say “No” you should have done it when he proposed. (Sun Journal, March 29, 2007)

“Sex education classes are like in-home sales parties for abortions.” — How many times do we have to tell her that abstinence-only sex ed doesn’t work? (Huffington Post, July 20, 2006)

“Many professors are Marxists or other varieties of radicals who hate America.” — Does that include former chemistry professors who go on to be university chancellors? Does fellow honoree Dr. Ternberg hate America? (Phyllis Schlafly Report, April 2005)

“The atomic bomb is a marvelous gift that was given to our country by a wise God.” — Thank God for making the world a safer place though nuclear proliferation. (New York Times, Sept. 9, 1982; R. Balmer, Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts the Faith and Threatens America, p. 193)

“I suspect that the picture of the woman soldier with a noose around the Iraqi man’s neck will soon show up on the bulletin boards of women’s studies centers and feminist college professors. That picture is the radical feminists’ ultimate fantasy of how they dream of treating men.” — Yes, since a woman tortured a man, feminists be just gushing with joy over the Abu Grahib prison scandal. That’s just the sort of rational thinking that this university encourages. (Human Events, May 18, 2004)

I don’t know about you, but I get sick every time I read just the first quote. I hope that she’s donating a lot of money to the school–I mean a lot of money, like enough to build a campus on the moon–because rewarding a woman who defends men who rape their wives will permanently tarnish this school’s reputation.

Update: Ah, and how could I forget that Schlafly blamed the Virginia Tech killings on the school’s English Department. And we’re supposed to honor her leadership and articulation on political issues?

Tags: anti-feminism, Mark Wrighton, Phyllis Schlafly, rape, Washington University

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