Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) defined a woman as the ‘weaker sex’ who came from the ribs of Adam, a biblical reference to the first man.
Greene’s comments were aimed at Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson who declined to define ‘woman’ during her Senate confirmation hearing last month.
She told senators that she is “not a biologist.”
Though scientists, gender law scholars and philosophers of biology commended Jackson for her response, Republicans like Greene were unsatisfied and so she took it upon herself to give her definition of ‘woman’ in a speech at the Georgia Republican Assembly on Saturday.
According to Greene, a woman is weak and is suppose to obey her husband as the Bible commanded.
“Let me tell you right now what is a woman. This is an easy answer. We are a creation of God. We came from Adam’s rib. God created us with his hands. We are – we may be the weaker sex – we are the weaker sex, but we are our partner, our husband’s wife,” Greene said.
Greene was not the only Republican lawmaker who took it upon themselves to define ‘woman.’ Rep. Madison Cawthorn gave a tasteless definition on Monday. According to the North Carolina congressman it’s all about the “tallywacker.”
“I never imagined that one of my sacred duties in this hallowed chamber would be explaining to the House Speaker the difference between a man and a woman,” he said, referencing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). “Take notes, Madame Speaker, I’m about to define what a woman is for you.”
“XX chromosomes, no tallywacker,” Cawthorn said. “It’s so simple. And yet, today, this proclamation of fundamental scientific fact will cause the woke liberals in Silicon Valley to strip you of your voice and ban you until you bow at their altar of falsehoods.”
Scientists agree there is no sufficient way to clearly define what makes someone a woman, and with billions of women on the planet, there is much variation. In fact, some scientist believe that Jackson punting the issue to biologists is a bit misleading given that a competent biologist would not be able to give a simple definition either, according to USA Today.
“I don’t want to see this question punted to biology as if science can offer a simple, definitive answer,” Rebecca Jordan-Young, a scientist and gender studies scholar told the outlet. “The rest of her answer was more interesting and important. She said ‘as a judge, what I do is I address disputes. If there’s a dispute about a definition, people make arguments, and I look at the law, and I decide.’ In other words, she said context matters – which is true in both biology and society. I think that’s a pretty good answer for a judge.”
