As a wife, mother and woman, I am deeply offended by the petition signed by the 150 Wellesley students who protested Mrs. Bush speaking at their commencement because of who her spouse is. To me, this lack of insight into the value of women on the part of the signers of this petition is an excellent example of why the feminist and women’s liberation movement has so miserably failed.

Anyone with any intelligence can see that Mrs. Bush is a valuable human being and contributor to society totally separate from the fact that she is married to the president. She has given of herself tirelessly to such organizations as Literacy Volunteers which encourages millions of Americans to learn to read which in itself can provide a whole new life for those who had been held back by their illiteracy. I’m sure the volunteers who have found pleasure in giving of themselves and their gift of language as well as the recipients of it feel they have much to thank Mrs. Bush for.

In a society where motherhood has become a low-status job, the fact that Mrs. Bush has raised four children (while being married to a politician, no less) may not seem to have much value to these women at Wellesley. However, I believe that motherhood offers women the greatest potential to be the great liberators of our society by the way in which we choose to raise our children. Sons can be taught to respect women and not just admire their appearance or their ability to agree, and daughters can be brought up to assign their own fates and not just be reflections in other’s eyes. Mrs. Bush’s contribution as a mother is a very precious and valuable one and should never be discounted or demeaned.

However, the one aspect of this petition that angers me the most is that it labels not only Mrs. Bush but also all women, and none of our sex can ever be truly liberated until we get past these labels. Yes, women are valuable contributors to their families and others around them, but we also have value in who we are ourselves whether our husbands are wealthy or not, whether we are married or not, whether we have children or not, and whether we have a paycheck or not. Women cannot be respected for their unique contributions until groups like these women at Wellesley can get past labeling members of their own sex. In labeling Mrs. Bush as merely an appendage of her husband, they have, in fact, labeled themselves as not understanding the true meaning of women’s liberation.