Due to the evolution of women’s rights in America, the modern woman is permitted a place in the workforce, church, university and polling booth. First-wave feminists of the 19th Century would marvel at these advancements; they focused on tearing down the officially mandated inequalities between men and women and desired to bring awareness to the capability of a woman’s mind. Unfortunately, modern feminism and its obsession with reproductive “rights” has once again reduced women to nothing more than walking uteruses, and college girls are perhaps most susceptible to these troublesome ideals.

Some young women have been brainwashed into believing that their vital “rights” are those involving their bodies. Some fight for the ability to terminate their pregnancies at 32-weeks gestation, and many are adamant about their “right” to a lifetime supply of free birth control, which allows them to be objectified by men who won’t even chip in for contraception. Is this really all our young women aspire to in life, and do they honestly believe it makes them powerful, independent feminists?

I would argue that modern feminism has been on the wrong track for years, but it went down in flames when Sandra Fluke became its poster child. Fluke is a 32-year-old college student who believes religious institutions and employers should be forced to supply health insurance that covers birth control, regardless of the fact that some religions do not condone the use of contraceptives.

Fluke’s activism tramples on the first amendment rights of others and portrays women as imbeciles that cannot possibly take care of their own bodies without help. I dare say the original first-wave feminists would be horrified as they built their platform on equal opportunity and rights for everyone, and they desired to give women the means to live independently and provide for themselves. It is unfortunate that Fluke is considered a “hero” and ideal role model for our generation.

I’m here to say that the daughters of our nation are worth so much more than politicians and activists who want to shove a bottle of birth control down their throats and send them on their way. Young women need to forget what they’ve been taught and get back to the root of feminism, which is equality.

A first-wave feminist desired the same job and education opportunities as her male counterpart, but she did not want her rights to impede on those of any other group, including the religious and unborn. She did not believe in entitlement, but she sought the privilege to provide for herself through hard work. In short, she thought with her mind rather than her uterus.

Women of the past spent years trying to convince society that a lady is more than a baby-making machine; we are individuals with minds that need to be fed, hands capable of work and voices that must be acknowledged. Modern feminism is single-handedly regressing years of advancement in women’s rights by putting the spotlight on a woman’s body instead of her capability, and it is a movement young women should flee from.