Thailand's female monks (cautiously) lobby for legal recognition

By Amy Lieberman, September 8th 2011, The Christian Science Monitor.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2011/0908/Thailand-s-female-monks-cautiously-lobby-for-legal-recognition

The vibe throughout this article is that the female monks (Bhikkunhi) don't want to be legally recognized for popularity or fame, they want to be recognized only so they can help more people and increase the impact they are having in Thailand.
In 1928 the Sangha Act was passed which banned ordains of women--aka it's a law saying a group of female Monks will not be recognized. However, in 1932 there was a new constitution written that made the Sangha Act void. So by current law, Bhikkunhi should be legally recognized because there is nothing saying they can't be. But conservatives keep referring back the the Sangha Act and pretending that it's current and ignoring the newer constitution of 1932.

The author Amy Lieberman, clearly a female, gives the article a positive but not pushy tone. I think if this same story had been covered in Thailand by a conservative male Buddhist, it would have portrayed the Bhikkunhi as rebels or public nuisances and tried to persuade readers to think they were 'ridiculous' or 'out of line' for trying to become legally recognized. I think it's ridiculous that people still refer to the Sangha Act which was only legal for 4 years before the new constitution made it void. The people campaigning for Bhikkunhi recognition are even creating a petition to change the Sangha Act--EVEN THOUGH IT WAS VOIDED MORE THAN 70 YEARS AGO! Since when could citizens pick and choose which laws to follow? Sadly, I don't think the changes to the Act will have much of an impact. I do hope that the Bhikkunhi can stay under the radar (which is their current plan) enough to not draw much negative public attention, but still continue to slowly grow in size and power until the Buddhist religion fully accepts them.