A Woman's Work Is Never Done

And as a single, working mother, I know how true that statement is. This week, my knowledge is verified, as Maria Shriver and The Center for American Progress team up to release "The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Changes Everything."

Yes, you can click on the link to download the whole report. I'm sure I will one of these days, when I get the time. Or, if I lived in one of the fourteen states that allow some use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, I might just actually de-stress for a while.

The connection, dear reader, will soon be apparent!

In the first hour, I'll speak with Bruce Mirken, communications director for the Marijuana Policy Project, where they must be celebrating on some level today. The Justice Department issued a directive today, followed by a collaborating statement by Attorney General Eric Holder, which basically said that people who use marijuana for medical purposes and those who distribute it should not face federal prosecution, provided they are acting according to state law. (Read the NY Times story here.)

Although motherhood is not considered one of the medical conditions for which marijuana is prescribed in the fourteen states which recognize its medicinal value, the for-profit health insurance industry considers pregnancy a pre-existing condition, as it does a cesarean section, or being a victim of domestic violence.

By my unscientific calculations, I'd say probably 75% of women should qualify for one of those prescriptions!

Back to the Shriver Report... In the second hour of tonight's show, I'll be joined by a remarkable woman. Dr. Judith Rodin truly blazed some trails for women. She currently serves as the President of the Rockefeller Foundation (the first woman to hold that position in its 96 year history). Before that, she was the first female dean at Yale, and then went on to become the first female President of the University of Pennsylvania.

The Rockefeller Foundation paid for the polling done to research the subject matter that became the Shriver Report.

I'll speak with Dr. Rodin tonight, add some of my thoughts as a woman on the cusp of turning 50, and share some of the wisdom of my dear friend Amy Simon, who makes her living (or attempts to make a living) by writing about and poking fun at the plight of women throughout history to today.

As always, listen live to the show from 11pm-1am ET by clicking here, be sure to join us in the chat (just below the player). And feel free to join in the conversation by calling 866-303-2270.