Equality Amendment Reintroduced

Last week, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney re-introduced the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). It is one of the simplest bills ever, stating:

Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.

Pretty straightforward and a no brainer right?

After all, nowhere in the constitution does it state that women have the same rights as men. The ERA would affirm that the constitution also applies to and guarantees equal rights for women. These rights would then be preserved in the constitution, therefore Congress would not be able to amend them without amending the constitution. Also, the ERA would guarantee equal federal resources for women's health and education, and eliminate sex discrimination in the armed forces.

However, since its introduction more than 80 years ago, it has failed to pass.

First introduced by Alice Paul in 1923, the Equal Rights Amendment passed through Congress in 1972 but unfortunately fell just three states short of the 38 needed for ratification in 1982.

The ERA is long overdue, and now is the time to ensure it passes.

The ERA is another step that needs to be taken to assure full equality for women under the law, and confirm that the basic principles of our democracy, such as "all men are created equal" do in fact apply to women.

Newsday Tuesday: July 28 Edition

Hello fellow feminists! Can you believe that July is almost over? This month has certainly flown by. Several of our interns are even leaving to go back home this Friday. But that doesn't mean that our work stops here, we still need to catch up with this week's edition of Newsday Tuesday!


DC was definitely a hopping place last week for excitement! One event was last Tuesday when the Equal Rights Amendment was reintroduced in the House of Representatives. I was lucky enough to attend the press conference that was lead by representatives Carolyn Maloney, Judy Biggert, and more than 50 co-sponsors.

Another exciting event that occurred last Saturday was the a Global Day of Action. The event was planned by United for Iran to highlight international support for the people of Iran amid the nation's continuing political unrest. Rallies were held in over 80 cities around the world, including here in DC.

In Memory

Gerald H F Gardner, a feminist, mathematician, geophysicist, and activist in the National Organization for Women for over 40 years died of leukemia Saturday at the age of 83. Gardner was the brilliant mathematician behind the Pittsburgh Press want ads case that successfully challenged male-only and female-only job listings in the classified newspaper ads nationwide.

National

The Federal District Court in Brooklyn ruled Wednesday that the New York City Fire Department uses discriminatory hiring practices against black and Hispanic applicants.

Preliminary hearings for Scott Roeder, the alleged murderer of Kansas abortion provider George Tiller, are set to begin today. Roeder has been charged with first degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault. He faces life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years.

Thursday, House Representatives Rosa DeLauro and Tim Ryan introduced a bill called the "Preventing Unintended Pregnancies, Reducing the Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act" that would increase the accessibility of reproductive health care for women. The bill would provide funding to minimize unintended pregnancies, supports increased access to contraception and comprehensive sex education.

Last Tuesday, the US Senate passed several controversial amendments to the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act. The most contentious amendment, SA 1615, authorizes use of the death penalty in some fatal hate crimes.

Media commentators have made inappropriate criticisms this week of President Barack Obama's nominee for Surgeon General's, Regina Benjamin, weight. Critics have been arguing that Benjamin's weight disqualifies her from the job of Surgeon General.

Last Tuesday, the US House Energy and Commerce Committee approved legislation to support comprehensive sex education, adding the Healthy Teen Initiative amendment to the proposed health care reform bill. The amendment is intended to expand on the more limited teen pregnancy initiative outlined in President Obama's first budget request.

Global

Gaza Supreme Court Chief Justice Abdul-Raouf Halabi released an edict Monday mandating that female lawyers must wear long dark clothing under their robes and scarves to cover their hair when they appear in court. The Hamas-appointed judge issued the order to keep women compliant with Islamic law.

UK government officials are reconsidering a ban on paying egg and sperm donors. This is due to the significant drop in the number of women who used donated eggs and sperm and the rise in the number of couples are going abroad for fertility treatment.

The Muslim conservative court of the Republic of Maldives sentenced nearly 150 women to public flogging for having extra-marital relationships.

The Mexican City government has launched a free Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination campaign to reduce cervical cancer rates. Cervical cancer is the most common form of cancer among Mexican women, with an annual mortality rate of approximately 5,775 Mexican women.

Last Tuesday, New Delhi's Supreme Court overturned a lower court's decision, ruling against terminating the pregnancy of a nineteen-year-old mentally handicapped rape victim. The lower court ordered an abortion in the case last week due to the medical and psychological risks the pregnancy would incur on the victim.