African Americans were not alone in their struggle for equal rights; for generations, women have been fighting to ensure that they were not discriminated against based on their sex. In her essay, Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan says, "So she made the beds, shopped for groceries, matched slipcover material, ate peanut butter sandwiches with her children, chauffeured Cub scouts, and brownies, lay beside her husband at night-she was afraid to ask even to herself the silent question-"Is this all?"(494). Though they remained silent for many years, American women worldwide had these same feelings of entrapment.
             The women's rights movement began back in 1848 when Elizabeth Stanton started the fight for her rights and all women's rights. She held a convention to discuss all the areas in which women have been discriminated against. For the next forty years, women followed Stanton's footsteps holding conventions to seek justice. They saw many speakers, lobbyists, and political strategists in their fight until they achieved real results. It was not until 1920 that they finally received the right to vote, but this was not the end.
             Critics of the women's rights movement often reminded these women that they have the right to decline marriage and sex. Yet, the social pressure that comes along with this conformity is truly unfair. In the 1980's violent acts against women who sought abortions became prominent. The government did very little to prevent this and seemed not to care. The problem with abortion has existed for the entire history of this country. Around 1970 the right to abortion became a major issue. There were approximately a million abortions done every year, of which only about ten thousand were done legally. Many of these women had to be hospitalized due to complications. How many thousands died as a result of these illegal abortions; no one really knows.
             The abortion issue brought about the second wave when the National Or...