Today in the United States, freedom is taken for granted by almost all citizens. People think that because of the way our government is structured, not having freedom will never be a problem. This thinking of peace and security was similar to that of women in Afghanistan before the reign of the Taliban and before the Afghan government was overthrown. Their fortunes would change in 1996 when the Taliban ended up controlling Afghanistan and denying women all their rights such as work, education, healthcare and many more. Women's lifestyles were used to being forced to change drastically, and the country they once felt love for, they felt fear for. Although their regime lasted only about 5 years, the Taliban exacted a severe mental, emotional, and physical toll on the women over whom they had power. Laws and restrictions, punishments by the Taliban, and life after the overthrow of the Taliban will all be discussed in this essay. When the Taliban first took power in Afghanistan, women were forced to radically change the way they lived, and many were forced to leave. their career, education and money behind them. Women were forced to leave everything they had worked for. Education was banned, their right to vote was abolished, the only work they could do was cook for the family, clean and raise children, and they were denied any medical care they needed (James M. Ryan) . Another law that affected women was that they did not have the right to choose their own spouse. Furthermore, a new law was created according to which women had to keep their bodies covered at all times, including their eyes. One of the most stressful laws that were created was that women had to have a male companion with... middle of paper... Ghana." New York Times [New York] October 4, 1996: Print A3-A3."I. The Taliban's War on Women." U.S. Department of State. Web. March 23, 2010. .Qazi, Abdullah "The Plight of the Afghan Woman." Afghanistan Online. Web. March 24, 2010. .Ryan, James M. "Health Assistance in Afghanistan." World Journal of Surgery 1st ser. 29.5 (2005). Print.Walsh, Delcan. "Taliban delivers 37 lashes to girl seen with married man | News from the world | Guardian.co.uk." Latest news, commentary and reviews from the Guardian | Guardian.co.uk. Web. 25 March 2010. "Women's lives under the Taliban: a background report." The National Organization for Women (NOW ) Website. March 23, 2010. http://www.now.org/issues/global/afghanwomen1.html.