FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 27, 2007
U.S. Servicewomen and Rape. Can the military change the attitude toward servicewomen and sexual assault? On this Week’s Edition of
PBS’ To the Contrary with Bonnie Erbé
As Congress and the White House battle over whether and when to pull US troops out of Iraq another debate about the sexual assault of female
US troops is emerging. According to U. S. Representative Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) about 19 percent of the troops in
Iraq now are women and at least one-third of them will be sexually assaulted. Sanchez also said service women who report sexual assault are shunned by colleagues and could endanger themselves in a combat zone. Can the military change the attitude toward servicewomen? And are media reports accurate of sexual assault figures?
A military command structure can get soldiers to do whatever is necessary. Protecting women from predators within their own ranks doesn’t yet qualify.
~Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, (D)
Washington, DC~
It’s unbelievable, it’s astounding, it’s hideous, and if it is correct, women in the military should go on strike and every woman inAmerica should stand behind them.
~Dr. Bernadine Healy,
U.S. News and World Report~
To find out how other panelists responded to the discussion, watch this week’s To the Contrary. Veteran journalist Bonnie Erbé hosts PBS’ To the Contrary—a news analysis forum, discussing pertinent, hard-hitting issues, uniquely, from diverse perspectives. Each week a diverse panel of influential women debate demographic and cultural trends, politics, and events that impact viewers’ lives. To the Contrary is a 30-minute program nationally broadcast every weekend on 240 + PBS stations. For more information, visit us at our website, www.pbs.org/ttc.
Contact: Danielle Brinkley, 202-973-2066; dbrinkley@tothecontrary.org
