“Childless cat lady?”

Three words, offensively strung together — with “childless” targeted as the pejorative— emerged from the questionable opinion of an American politician running for Vice President.

With due respect for the beautiful cat kingdom, I find his thinking — 15th century misogynistic! Pure ignorance! The issue brought my dearly loved, sadly departed, older sister Helen to mind — one of millions of women who never married — and who never gave birth to children.

Not giving birth does not reduce a woman’s worth in any conceivable way. Unpalatable rhetoric regarding women who have not given birth — offends me and millions of world citizens.

A woman’s ability or inability to give birth has never before been bandied about so ignorantly and insolently in U.S. politics. Giving birth is sacred — not a political ploy.

My much revered older sister Helen (a.k.a. Eleni) was my best friend and “second mother.” Fifteen years older than me, Helen was the perfect role model for a kid sister. She was a caring daughter; a close confidant of our brother Nick; and not only “Theia” (aunt) —  but more importantly —  “Nouna” (Godmother)— to our son and to Nick’s daughters.

Born in 1924, Helen was the first-born-in-America daughter of Greek immigrants; she observed and survived their struggles during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Living through memorable world history (a teenager keeping a newspaper scrap book of World War II events) she never forgot the endless varieties of human opinions and attitudes she heard and experienced in her lifetime.

Helen was an intelligent, no nonsense businesswoman who recognized misogyny at first glance because it ran rampant in the U.S. and among some characters in Greek-American society during the decades of her youth. Like most women of her generation, she ‘rode out’ misogyny, with Mama as her significant role model. Papa, father of two daughters and husband of a wife who worked at his side — was not misogynistic. We were blessed.

Not ”brassy,” as said in those days, Helen was quiet, feminine, soft-spoken, observant, cerebral, and shyly loving — especially when observing traits she held so dearly: fairness, generosity and truth. Yet, my sister was not shy about speaking up when ‘necessary.’

Our son recalls a Wrigley Field outing Nouna generously planned for him on one of our trips ‘home’ to Chicago. Taking in the happy crowd, the excitement of Major League Baseball, even the ivy growing on the outfield wall, we also delighted in refreshing breezes gently blowing in from our nearby Great Lake— when a fan in a seat below us lit up a cigar.

Stinky smoke started wafting up to our row of seats. Reaching Nouna, she took no time in unexpectedly addressing the cigar smoker: “Hey, the rest of us came here to enjoy Cubs baseball and Lake Michigan fresh air — not inhale noxious cigar smoke.”

The burly smoker glared up at us. Visibly ready to lose his cool— he glanced at Helen a second time — then slowly extinguished his cigar. Nouna replied a polite, “Thank you.”

Like so many other generously loving Nounas and Aunties, Helen was a person most people would like to know.

Surely, all humans are different from one another, each with our own set of unique graces. And, “Vive La Difference.” I have known too many caring, Intelligent, lovely women who wanted to have children but could not. They would have been great mothers.

Does the Ohio Senator running for Vice President assume all women are able to become pregnant and give birth? Doesn’t he know about physical complications? Some women become pregnant but cannot give birth, needing to endure the abortion process to continue living — for their families. Human bodies are complicated — we are not identically formed by one universal cookie cutter.

Should legislatures decide complicated biology? No! We retain the rights to make our own decisions regarding our own bodies. Major deciders regarding a woman’s health are women and their doctors. Not politicians.

Step-mothers, adoptive moms, all parents bestow unconditional love on children and are deeply loved and respected in turn. Our son and nieces revere the memory of beloved “Nouna.” They often recall Helen’s devotion and no nonsense advice to them. A single woman, who never gave birth herself, Helen played a vital role in their upbringing.

We are deeply offended by politicians putting down wonderful women — like Helen. The anomaly known as misogyny should have gone extinct with the dinosaurs— not resurrected by American politicians in 2024.

Incongruously the Ohio Senator and wannabe-Vice President is attempting to gain office by winning the votes of American women who know so much more about real life than he does.

Constance M. Constant has authored two books about Greek-American life and history focusing on the generation of Greek immigrants who arrived 1890-1930 and their children: “Austin Lunch, Greek-American Recollections” (2005, Cosmos Publishing) and “American Kid, Nazi-Occupied Greece Through a Child’s Eyes” (2016, Year of the Book).