In the United States of America today, there are 3.2 million women suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease, and approximately 24 million women around the world suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementia illnesses. We are on the path to having 76 million women with Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia diseases around the world – in every nation, every race, every ethnic group, every religion, and every identity group.

The statistics show that 2/3 of the Alzheimer’s Disease patients are women. Based on this percentage of women affected by Alzheimer’s Disease, around the world, we know that many millions of women’s lives and human rights are affected by AD and other dementia diseases. The impact of this on the world’s women is: 24 million women today, 43 million women by 2030, and 76 million women by 2050, based on the World Health Organization (WHO)’s projection of the current number of people with dementia illnesses and the 2/3 of women which are stricken by this disease. The vast majority of these affected are stricken with Alzheimer’s Disease.

On International Women’s Day, we will work to achieve women’s equality and women’s rights for women around the world. Throughout March, we will remember Women’s History Month.

But our struggles and our achievements will be undermined, if we look the other way as women’s rights are stripped away as Alzheimer’s Disease degrades their cognitive abilities, their identities, and their ability to exercise their rights. Our pride in women’s history is shamed by our failure to aggressively call for priority in funding treatment and cure of Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia, which erase the memory of women of their history, every day.

The massive global attack on women’s rights by Alzheimer’s Disease is more than a medical problem; it is an issue which must be part of our commitment to the human rights of women. We can and we must be consistent on women’s rights for all identity groups and nations. If we are consistent, our silence on the destruction of women’s rights by Alzheimer’s Disease does not honor our commitment to women’s rights. This terminal disease not only robs women of their lives, it also steals every aspect of exercising their human rights, equality, liberty, and dignity.

This disease results in one of the worst abuses against women’s rights. It seeks to steal the right to think itself. It attacks every aspect of their lives, and robs them from their very identity.

As we call for our leaders and the governments of the world to act to support women’s rights, we must not forget to call for them to make funding a priority to end this abuse of so many women’s rights. We must call for them to prioritize funding for medical research for treatment, and a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease.

Our support for women’s rights must not just be for the women who have the strength to have a voice and political clout in our world today. Our support for women’s rights must also include those women who cannot speak for themselves, and who are dependent on others. Our support for women’s rights must include the millions of women caregivers, 19 percent of which have had to quit work to become a caregiver or meet caregiver obligations. Our support for women’s rights must include the women providing 24 hour care for someone with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Today, 24 million women are being denied their rights – not only from discrimination, not from a totalitarian government, not from an oppressive ideology – but from a disease, which the governments and nations of the world have not yet made a priority to address. This is targeted to expand to 76 million women. While we demonstrate our defiance against oppressors of every kind, we have turned our back to a disease which is more effective in oppressing women than any other dictator.

We can and we must do better. Our loved ones, our mothers, our sisters, our daughters, our neighbors, and the generations ahead must not have women’s rights stolen away by a thief that seeks to steal their ability to think, their memory, their identity.

As we defend the universal human rights of women, their dignity, we must also defend their most basic rights to who they are and the ability to continue to think for themselves.  How can we claim to have compassion for women’s rights, when such basic rights are not a priority?

All women deserve our shared universal human rights – this must include women suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease and dementia diseases.

We must make a priority of such basic rights and dignity as the right to THINK, if we ever seek to be Responsible for Equality And Liberty.

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* According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the current number of people with dementia around the world is 35.6 million, with a predicted increase to 65.7 million in 2030 and 115.4 million by 2050.

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