March 8, 2026 International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day began in the United States and Russia around 1910 to push for suffrage, better working conditions, and economic equality. It spread rapidly throughout the world. Even Afghanistan recognized International Women’s Day in 1965.
As is all too apparent to WoLF supporters, many of the hard won rights for women have been lost or are in jeopardy because of the restriction on women’s reproductive rights by the right and the adoption of gender identity by the left.
One area that the right and the left should agree on is the fact that it’s time to address the risks to pregnant women’s health. The maternal mortality rate in the United States is one of the highest among high-income countries, at 18.6-22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in recent years (2022-2023 data), far exceeding peers like Norway (0), Netherlands (3-4). Low income nations like South Sudan top 600+, but the US lags developed countries in Asia and Europe despite higher healthcare spending. Significant racial disparities exist, with Black women experiencing a maternal mortality rate of 49.5 of 100,000.
80% of all maternal deaths in the United States are preventable with better prenatal and postpartum care.
After we lost the federal constitutional right to an abortion in 2022, women living in states that banned abortion or over-regulated it, have been investigated and sometimes subjected to criminal prosecution for miscarriages. The authorities, alerted by medical personnel, investigate miscarriages to make certain the miscarriage was not intentionally or negligently induced by the woman. 422 women have been subjected to arrest, interrogation, investigation, and sometimes prosecution for having a miscarriage or for post-miscarriage conduct such as failing to properly handle the "remains". One woman in Nevada spent 2 years in jail after being convicted of taking and burying the remains in her backyard. This is cruel and outrageous.
The United States urgently needs to pay attention to this epidemic of inadequate maternal health care and the troubling pattern of criminalizing women who experience pregnancy loss. Addressing maternal mortality, expanding access to quality prenatal and postpartum care, and ensuring that women can seek medical help without fear of investigation must become national priorities. At the same time, the conversation about women’s rights cannot stop at our borders. Around the world, women continue to face severe restrictions on education, mobility, health care, and political participation. In places such as Afghanistan, where women’s rights have been decimated in recent years, the ideals that inspired International Women’s Day remain urgently relevant. Honoring the history of women’s lives means not only remembering past victories but also recommitting ourselves to protecting women’s health, safety, and autonomy everywhere.