KATHERYN GALLANT writes:

I thought you would like to read this article, “Why is Feminism So Afraid to Focus on its Flaws?,” by Deborah Orr in The Guardian. 

I consider myself a pro-life feminist and am a member of Feminists for Life of America. However, I realize that feminism is flawed (like all human endeavors) and cannot be the first priority in a Christian’s life. One comparison that I once read sums up my thoughts vis-a-vis feminism and Christianity: without feminism, I would not be able to walk, but without Christianity, I would not have a soul. (more…)

CHILLINGWORTH writes:

I have been interested to read your thoughts on women in the medical profession and some of the ensuing discussion.

Without wishing to take away from any of what you’ve said, there’s also a different lesson that jumps out at me from this discussion: I think the problems you describe are an excellent argument for getting the federal government out of the business of education. (more…)

LAWRENCE AUSTER writes:

Here again is Susan Burden’s letter to the Times which you quoted:

Female doctors continue to face several hurdles: unequal pay, sexist attitudes from colleagues and most devastatingly from patients, and a ruthless biological clock [emphasis added] that makes childbearing a high priority at a time when doctors are just starting their careers. It is the current system that is broken, and intelligent women should be free to make independent choices for their own well-being.

So, along with the standard oppressions of women that feminists complain about, “unequal pay, sexist attitudes,” there is also that “ruthless biological clock.” That women’s natural child bearing years are limited is not just a normal fact of life; it is something that is being cruelly imposed on women.  (more…)

HERE a commenter explains what radical egalitarianism and its obliteration of respect for natural distinctions has done to medical education and the medical profession in the United States.

James N., a physician, writes:

In the post on the medical profession, the reader “A” said, “Solution? Extremely high standards for admission [to medical school], including demonstrated competence in language, math, science, logic and physical and psychological vigor…”

OK, I agree.

Where are you going to find 18,000 22-year-olds like that, per year? (more…)

FOR MORE THAN 60 years, feminists have equated power with sex. Is it possible that all this has not made men pure and faithful?

Writing in The New York Times, Sara Lipton wonders whether policial figures such as Anthony Weiner, Mark Sanford, Eliot Spitzer and Newt Gingrich are affected by the absence of a code of male honor and even by the culture’s loss of respect for men as providers and protectors. We take it for granted that powerful men are impulsive and reckless, but it was not always so. Lipton writes: (more…)

DIANA writes:

I thought that the letter in The New York Times from the part-time male househusband/doctor was remarkably free of logic and content. Anytime someone resorts to name calling (“sexism,” “patriarchy”) you can be sure that feelings, feelings, feelings are the argument. (more…)

AS I PREDICTED, a piece in this week’s New York Times on the moral and practical implications of the shift toward high numbers of women in medical practice has drawn some vehemently negative responses. Karen S. Sibert, an anesthesiologist, argued that it is immoral for women to become doctors if they are not willing to sacrifice enormous time with their families, as much time as male doctors of the past. Here is one response from a male reader in today’s letters to the editor:

While Dr. Karen S. Sibert’s point about the shortage of doctors entering primary care fields is valid, her proposal to address it by querying women on their future child-rearing plans smacks of patriarchy and sexism. Even if every medical school seat today were filled by a male student, at current rates of matriculation into primary care fields it would do little to mitigate the problem.

I chose to work as a part-time doctor early in my career to be supportive to my full-time physician wife. Being asked about my parenting intentions at any point in the process would have been chilling. (more…)

  THE rate of immigration to Britain is the highest in its history, ten times what it was in the 1980s. The vast majority of this immigration is from Asia and Africa. In an excellent piece in The Express, Leo McKinstry writes that the British government is too "enfeebled" to deport even foreign criminals: What we are witnessing is a grotesque form of assisted national suicide.

GREG J. writes:

I just read and enjoyed your post on manufacturing and the comments following. I was particularly intrigued by Art’s remark: “‘You can’t turn back the clock’ is an old cliché, but it has some truth to it. (more…)

JOHN PURDY writes:

Jesse Powell is spot on in his analysis, as usual, of how large numbers of women in the workforce do not enrich modern nations. However, I think he has overlooked one aspect of the problem. I will accept his assertion that the phenomenon of women in the workforce does not raise national income; this seems self-evident based on supply and demand for labour. What women in the workforce probably does do is increase income tax revenue. Consider a hypothetical case. (more…)

THE EXTREME knitting projects, mentioned here and here, are a radical departure from traditional knitting. Reader Karen I. writes of another form of the craft:

Kendra’s description of the Craft Mafia and their work is disturbing. 

Many women knit for charity, in the privacy of their homes or in small groups. They make things like prayer shawls. (more…)

JAMES N., a physician, writes:

THIS PAINTING by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer depicts Charles Gough, who died in a fall on Helvellyn, a mountain in the Lake District of England, in April 1805. He was accompanied by his dog, who stayed by his side for three months until his body was discovered. Here is Sir Walter Scott’s famous poem on the discovery of Gough’s body and the splendor of his mountain grave: (more…)

KENDRA writes:

I love the photo of the children in hand-made sweaters and hats.

My mother is a wizard at knitting. She can make just about everything, and even speaks the language of knitting. She started when she was very young while she was trying to quit smoking. It kept her hands busy and produced several 10 x 10 foot long afghans. (more…)

THE EUROPEAN UNION’S executive body urged Germany last week to discourage women from being full-time mothers. Due to the demographic crisis caused by low fertility,  German will not be able to meet its pension and social welfare obligations, a European Commission report on the German economy stated. The commission proposed that more married women work, a solution which will only discourage child-rearing and exacerbate future labor shortages.

Germany has resisted feminist change, especially in the upper ranks of business. The European Commission advocated Scandinavian-style egalitarianism with more subsidized day care and tax incentives for dual-earner couples.

Just at a time when Europe should encourage the traditonal family at all costs, it proposes measures that ensure its further decline. (more…)

PAN DORA writes:

I read with interest your response regarding nursing in America. I note you left out discussion of a significant part of the nursing fields, namely the staffing of long-term care facilities. If you believe introducing more men into these institutions is either possible or desirable, I’d suggest you actually try working in one for awhile. (more…)

FORTY-EIGHT percent of the medical degrees awarded in 2010 went to women. Having been encouraged to believe they can – and should – do everything, many of these women hope to work part-time or flexible hours and have families. This unprecedented number of women doctors portends serious declines in patient care. Writing in The New York Times this weekend, a female doctor has the courage to state the obvious:  Women should not become doctors unless they are willing to make the same sacrifices as men. Karen. S. Sibert, an anesthesiologist, writes:

I have great respect for stay-at-home parents, and I think it’s fine if journalists or chefs or lawyers choose to work part time or quit their jobs altogether. But it’s different for doctors. Someone needs to take care of the patients.

The Association of American Medical Colleges estimates that, 15 years from now, with the ranks of insured patients expanding, we will face a shortage of up to 150,000 doctors. As many doctors near retirement and aging baby boomers need more and more medical care, the shortage gets worse each year. (more…)