Defining "Woman"

 

The news last week included a statement under oath by a woman nominated to be a justice on the United States Supreme Court and selected because she was a woman, that she could not define the term “woman” because she was not a biologist. Besides perhaps committing a bit of mild perjury(since an intelligent person whose education went beyond high school probably would know the answer), Judge Jackson made a misstep by referring to biology. As a matter of biology, the answer is clear and well known. A woman is an adult human with two X chromosomes and female sex organs, i.e. the adult female of the species. To be true to the leftist fashions of the moment, she should have said she is not a gender studies professor, since those are the “scholars” relied on by the left to muddy the waters.

Of course there is more going on with this than facts of biology, and Judge Jackson may have to rule on controversies related to some of those things. A person has a right to dress like, behave as, and wish to be seen as a member of the opposite sex. It’s a free country, and a person can claim or pretend to be anything he wants—including a member of the opposite sex. There is no right to demand that anyone else believe or pretend to believe any of one’s opinions, heartfelt delusions included. Other people are free to reach their own conclusions, and attempts to coerce them are wrong. Someone should have asked Judge Jackson if she agrees with that. If anyone did, I missed it.