St. Louis MO: Illinois State Senators today chose to ignore the warnings of Phyllis Schlafly and pass the expired Equal Rights Amendment. It passed by a vote of 42-12. Now it heads to the House where Representatives must remember the lesson of history that Phyllis Schlafly and her grassroots workers were right about the doomed ERA. This contentious amendment expired in 1982 after a three-year extension (since then declared unconstitutional). Since then, it has officially and legally been dead.
"This is a very shocking and disappointing vote from both Republicans and Democrats in the Illinois Senate," said Ed Martin, president of Phyllis Schlafly Eagles. "Phyllis Schlafly's arguments have been proven time and again in the last 35 years. The Equal Rights Amendment would not provide any advantage for women. Rather, it would jeopardize the rights and reasonable differences women enjoyed then and now, rights protected by U.S. law.
"The Illinois House must now take this matter up. We expect them to use logic, law, and decency to defend real legal rights for women and refuse to take up this awful idea. The Equal Rights Amendment is nothing more than a ploy to dismantle one of America's fundamental building blocks – the nuclear family. Phyllis Schlafly and hundreds of thousands of American women knew that in the 1970s when this issue first came from Congress.
"The Stop ERA pro-family movement successfully killed the ERA in 1979, not only preventing the final three states' passage but also causing five states to rescind their ratification. Don't believe fake liberal claims to the contrary."
Phyllis Schlafly Eagles is still ready to stand in defense of women's legal rights. We call on the Illinois House to defend women's rights by refusing to take up or, if needed, voting down the phony Equal Rights Amendment.
###
