Kay Bailey Hutchison: “I did want to take this opportunity, though, during morning business to mention a bill that passed last night. It is a…”

“I did want to take this opportunity, though, during morning business to mention a bill that passed last night. It is a bill that was cosponsored by every woman in the Senate. There are 13 women in the Senate. All of us cosponsored this bill. It is to make sure that the Congress speaks on the priorities that we believe are imperative as we give aid to Afghanistan, that women be included in that aid. As so many of us know, the Taliban treated women especially cruelly, not allowing them access to health care. Not allowing a male doctor to see a woman effectively kept women out of the system because women are not allowed to work, and therefore female doctors are not allowed to practice under the Taliban. In addition, women have not been able to go outside their homes without a male escort, so many times a widow would not be able to get the food necessary to feed her children or the health care for her children. Women were not allowed to be educated under the Taliban, so we see 5- and 6-year-old girls who have had no education whatsoever because they have lived under the Taliban regime.”