Pandering for votes seems to be an inevitable part of politics. However, Hamid Karzai, the current President of Afghanistan up for reelection this coming fall, has crossed the line from political ingenuity to violating human rights.

Last month, Karzai signed a Shi’ite Personal Status Law, which the United Nations Development Fund for Women has interpreted as legalizing marital rape. Moreover, the law — which has yet to be publicly released — includes a provision that requires a woman to gain permission from her husband to work outside the home or to go to school. Thus, this law, approved by Karzai and both houses of Parliament, significantly endangers the gains Afghan women have made since the Taliban were ousted in 2001.