On Feb. 26, the Phoenix City Council passed the so-called "Bathroom Bill," which will allow not only "transgendered" men, but also any man who thinks he is a woman to use many of the same public restrooms that women and young girls use.

The bill, which passed 5-3, is a sterling example of how a mayor and city council can quickly forego their duty to protect women and children in order to win the praise and support of special-interest groups in the community.

While opening the women's bathroom door to "transgendered" individuals and men who claim to be women, the new rules unwittingly provide a sterling opportunity for sexual predators to avail themselves of a target-rich environment.

After all, by supporting the measure, the mayor and city council have literally outlawed your ability to limit the female restroom to females.

Just weeks ago, a story broke about a college student at Villanova University who allegedly hid his smartphone in a women's restroom and secretly recorded videos and pictures of them changing clothes.  He then allegedly uploaded the material to pornographic websites.

With the "Bathroom Bill" in effect, sexual predators in Phoenix will not have to sneak in to hide video equipment in bathrooms; they will simply be able to walk in whenever they want.  Once in, they will be able to hold their phones over the doors or walls of the toilet stalls and record video of the women and children inside.

And those who want to do even worse things will have easy access to the women and girls they want to hurt.

While everyone should have deep sympathy and concern for those men who truly suffer from gender confusion, crafting a law that invades the privacy of women and children and puts them at risk is not the answer.

The mayor and city council have a clear duty to protect women and children -- and this bill eviscerates that duty.

Now the days of letting your eight-, nine-, or ten-year-old daughter go into the restroom while you wait outside the door are over.

And perhaps the days of using public restrooms at all are over.

Once you open the door of the women's restroom to men, you've opened the door to everyone -- including those who intend to do harm to those inside.