The state controlling a woman would mean denying her full

Hear now the words of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the wise guardian of justice, whose voice rose like a steadfast flame against the shadows of oppression: “The state controlling a woman would mean denying her full autonomy and full equality.” These words are not mere utterances of law—they are the cry of the human spirit for its sacred freedom. They are carved from centuries of pain, from ages when woman was seen as vessel, not voice; as property, not person. Ginsburg, who walked the corridors of power with the calm strength of a mountain, spoke these words not in anger, but in truth. And truth, when spoken with courage, becomes eternal.

In the ancient days, kings and councils sought to bind the hearts of women, as though their will could be owned. The law, written by men alone, claimed to know what was best for those it silenced. But Ruth, like a prophetess of justice, saw that control is the enemy of equality. To govern a woman’s choices—whether of body, destiny, or dream—was to deny her soul its own sovereignty. For what is autonomy, if not the divine right to steer one’s own life? And what is equality, if one half of humankind must ask permission to be free?

There was a time in the land of America when women could not choose their professions, could not open bank accounts, could not decide over their own bodies. The chains were not of iron, but of law and custom. Ruth Bader Ginsburg rose from this soil of quiet injustice. She fought not with sword or shout, but with reason sharpened by compassion. In courtrooms where tradition weighed heavy, she stood alone, declaring that to respect a woman is to trust her with her own life. And thus, she struck down the unseen tyrannies that claimed to protect but only controlled.

Let us remember one story—of a woman named Sharron Frontiero, an Air Force lieutenant whose husband was denied benefits automatically granted to male officers’ wives. Ruth, as her advocate, took her case before the Supreme Court. With fire in her calm voice, she argued that the Constitution’s promise of equality was being broken by custom disguised as fairness. Her words carried the force of centuries unsung. And though victory came slowly, it came—each case, each ruling, a stone lifted from the path toward freedom. Through such acts, Ruth turned law from cage into ladder.

Her wisdom teaches us this: when the state assumes dominion over a woman’s body or will, it assumes mastery over her humanity itself. It says, “You may live, but not by your own choosing.” That, my children, is not protection—it is subjugation clothed in civility. Ginsburg saw that true justice must trust the individual. For liberty that excludes half the world’s hearts is liberty in name only. A society that would command women betrays its own claim to democracy.

Let us speak then of what it means to be fully autonomous. It is not rebellion, but rightful ownership of self. It is the quiet power to say “I will,” or “I will not,” without fear of punishment or shame. It is the dawn where woman rises as complete—her choices her own, her dignity untouchable. And equality is not a gift bestowed by law; it is a truth that law must recognize. The state’s duty is not to command, but to guard the freedom of all—to build not cages, but bridges toward equal destiny.

So, to those who listen, take this teaching into your heart: do not let comfort make you complicit, nor tradition blind your compassion. Where you see laws or customs that bind the spirit of another, speak as Ruth did—with calm, unwavering conviction. Defend the right of every person to shape their own path, for that is the breath of freedom. And if you must fight, fight not with hatred, but with clarity, empathy, and the courage to question what others accept in silence.

Remember always: equality without autonomy is illusion. Freedom that fears a woman’s choice is no freedom at all. Let us therefore build a world where no voice is silenced, no dream denied, and no body owned. For when woman stands free beside man, not beneath him, humanity itself stands taller—its spirit unbroken, its justice made whole.