One of the most commonly talked about laws in today’s society is immigration law. Now this pertains to how the government will change the laws in accordance to illegal immigrants that reside in the U.S. today, but this is not what we’re referring to. Sure, it is a law of great importance and its outcome will most likely divide the country when it is finally put into effect, but we recognize this as the only immigration law. People tend to forget the hundreds of laws there for immigration into the U.S. and out of it for residents, citizens, and visitors. Immigration laws pertain to any of these, and there are many and are extremely complicated. Let’s take visitors for instance, there are laws that grand visas to these people and give them a period of time during which they can remain in the country. There are laws stating the things they are eligible to do while in this country, as well as perhaps where they can go, depending on the visa granted. For residents and citizens, they face laws that prevent them from bringing certain things into the country (these also pertain to visitors). The most obvious example is drugs, including both illegal ones and prescription ones that could be considered illegal in the United States. But the laws we’re referring to are those preventing them from bringing certain food products, animals, or plants into the country. The main reason for these is to prevent the spread of disease from one nation to the other. These type of laws differ in context for different nations as well, with certain indications depending what country you’re returning from. There are even immigration laws that determine the type of visa a person can receive, if any, due to the nation they are traveling from (meaning visitors). Immigration laws can be tricky and evolve almost every year.

The most obvious of laws which vary greatly by any jurisdiction are criminal laws. Criminal laws are set to determine what actions are considered or found to be a crime committed. The content and punishment for these laws are very different and can fluctuate from a slap on the wrist to execution. These laws include such things as : murder, robbery, kidnapping, assault, etc.. Criminal laws are set to protect citizens of any city, state, or nation from wrongdoing. They are also there to enforce correct conduct and punish those responsible for breaking the laws to the fullest extent. Most people familiarize themselves with criminal law, not necessarily from personal experience, or that of a known person, but publicly. Laws pertaining to crime are often discussed in more than half of media reports on television, newspapers, and internet. It is one of the most popular topics in the news, and due to the high rate of occurrences, it is normal to hear of the charge and outcome of a criminal law. If the actual occurrences aren’t enough, there are plenty of television shows that have come to be known as “crime shows”. These shows usually depict a law enforcement agency and or court room and deal with various crimes. Through these shows people tend to learn about different crimes and laws broken, and how they are punishable where they take place.

There are a countless number of laws that exist in the United States today, some that are old and fundamental, and some that are old and should be disregarded but still happen to exist. Because so many laws needed to be created to promote a well functional and safe society, many laws were created. Their validity today can be challenged due to them being outdated, yet on written paper they exist and can still be enforced. There are many unusual laws that are still in effect today that puzzle people when they look them up on record. An example of such these laws is a law in Florida stating that it is illegal to sell your children. This is a very well known fact ( even though some people still try it, so it must remain in effect), however the law is there. Most of these laws now serve as a form of entertainment for people looking for humor in facts, but are still laws.

Laws have helped structure our nation greatly, and continue to improve the societies which they protect and govern effectively. The number of laws in existence will fluctuate in abolishing old useless ones, and new ones created to adapt to our ever changing society.

One of the most recent happenings in a court room of high importance to women came almost 40 years ago. This was in 1973 in the case of Roe vs. Wade, which affected women’s laws greatly. The decision in this case granted women the right, along with her doctor, to choose abortion in early months of pregnancy without any restriction, and with some restrictions in the later months, based on the right to privacy. The case was brought against the abortion law in Texas by “Jane Roe” (Norma McCorvey) who claimed (and was right) that the law violated her constitutional rights, and also the rights of other women. The decision of this case where Norma McCorvey won, invalidated all the state laws that restricted women’s access to abortions during the first three months of pregnancy. In turn, this decision made abortion legal in the United States. This was something that granted women a right to make a choice about themselves and their body in regards to the situation they found themselves in. Still today in different states we have issues with abortions and how they are seen in the eyes of different people. Some voters make their choices of a candidate during elections based on how that candidate stands on certain laws and views. Abortion is one of the biggest ones that is looked upon when making these considerations. So even though the decision in the Roe vs. Wade case shaped the rights of women, the dilemma itself still surfaces today in many areas.

Perhaps one of the most important causes that has to do with women’s law is that of women’s suffrage. This was the long and hard debate and struggle by women trying to gain the right to vote. They fought an extensive battle to prove their equality under the law and therefore the entitlement of their rights. In the United States, at some points in history women in New Jersey were given the right to vote from 1790 to 1807, as long as they met certain property requirements. This was a big deal considering they were able to vote, but it was soon after taken away. For the next several decades many activists, some famous names such as Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Stanton made their case heard nationwide. They voiced their opinion for equality in many conventions and gatherings and created an assembly dedicated to fight for the right to vote. By gathering a more organized group, others joined in and the numbers began to show. A lot of these women were jailed for protesting during these times, but this did not stop them nor slow them down. In 1920 their long battle came to a triumphant end, when President Wilson ratified the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. This amendment prohibited (and still prohibits) each state and federal government from denying any citizen the right to vote because of that citizen’s sex. The amendment was ratified by 36 states and rejected by 12 others, which eventually ratified it. Along with the United States, various other countries joined in to on promoting women’s laws by granting women the right to vote. Eventually this became a universal agreement, that was turned into international law in 1948. This was when the United Nations adopted the UDHR, known as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Another United Nations document that made clear the women’s right to vote was in an international convention adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly. This convention was known as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

As one can see, women’s laws have been shaped by many of these rights and documents granted to women after a long struggle over many years. Today these documents and conventions remain as a foundation in history to the rights and privileges women get to indulge in today like any other equal citizen. This has helped unite states and countries alike. Still, with equality amongst other citizens and given the rights these women’s laws gave them, the female population was still not protected in every area. Over time more laws have been passed to help protect women, their rights, and values. For example, for a long time women had dealt with issues such as sexual harassment in the workplace, or stalking by people, domestic abuse, or violence in general. All these areas have been addressed to better enforce protection of women’s rights through set laws and guidelines of how women should be treated. These laws made better the quality of life for women, and helped shape a better lifestyle for them and everyone.

Sexual harassment in the workplace was a problem in the United States for a very long time, and regardless of certain laws passed, still continues today. Of course the rate of which it happens has gone down, but that doesn’t mean it’s been eliminated greatly. The women’s laws passed (and for all genders) to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace did lessen the occurrences and they showed drastically in the number of cases filed. Still, this is not to say some cases have gone unreported due to the fear of the person for losing their job or further punishment. That is why with the help of the media the laws protecting women (and other victims of sexual harassment) it helped support them so they didn’t feel isolated. These laws were made public to show citizens that they did not have to fear coming out to report cases because of worry of reprimand or losing their jobs. In fact, when a legitimate sexual harassment case is made by a woman, and it is proven that it occurred, most of the time the offender is fired without pay and further prosecution can take place. Sexual harassment has been taken into account with a strong seriousness and has not been disregarded in any case that has been made. The women’s laws that protects them against such an offense do not only pertain to the workplace but also anywhere. In actuality, it can take place in general public, in a store, or anywhere it is presented. The punishment for such offenses has been fierce and will end up on the offender’s record proving difficult for them to land a job if convicted. With all these consequences to consider, the number of offenses has gone down drastically. The only downside to women’s laws, comes when they are used maliciously. Unfortunately there are cases that exist where women have claimed sexual harassment when it didn’t occur to try to exploit a person, fire them from the job, or simply do something wrong to them for some reason or another. Because of the credibility of the offense it’s tough to disregard such offenses, which usually gives the “offender” a bad name before he can even clear his own name. This usually doesn’t end well for the accuser, they usually face a lawsuit for defamation of character, and end up on the opposite side of the charge. It’s cases like these that give something meant to protect women a bad name, because it portrays the law as a weapon for malice or mischief as well. However, with the way investigations have advanced and progressed over the years, the number of these cases has also got down.

Another women’s law similar to these that protect women are ones that protect them is one designed to protect them from stalkers. Stalking is generally linked to harassment and is a form of harassment, it is just concentrated on one area. Women every year report thousands of cases of stalking in the United States. Stalking refers to any unwanted attention by a person that is given, which most commonly is in the form of excessive contact or following. The stalking and harassment law is an important women’s law (existing to any gender of course) that protects them from such instances. This law is designed to safeguard women from these offenders by allowing them to file a charge against them. Usually this can result in them being granted a restraining order against the subject from not only physical contact, but phone, e-mail, letters, etc.. Along with this law, there are laws that have become stricter on dealing with issues of domestic abuse. Many cultures promote the man being the head of the family, and sometimes they mistake this as a right to hit the woman when they are “out of line”. In the U.S. this is made clear that it is not the way of life expected, or welcomed, that is why there are laws protecting women from domestic abuse of a spouse or significant other. These can result in a restraining order as well, and show another step moving forward for women’s laws. With the continued progression of laws like these, the quality of life can be improved for women and society as a whole. They will continue to make an impact on women’s laws, and further the advancement of their rights.