ERA Letter to the Editor

From Nan:Dear Action Ridge Friends, As I indicated earlier, Lou Lang, the sponsor of the resolution to ratify the ERA in the House, is hopeful that he can receive the votes to win. To encourage support, he and others have asked me to write a letter to the editor. So, on short notice, I have done that and signed my name and Action Ridge. It's attached here.

Thanks for your support for Equal Rights and Happy Mother's Day.

Dear Readers, After a long battle, in 1920, women finally won the right to vote and began immediately to fight for the addition of the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution.The suffragists knew that this was the most important step toward protecting the rights of women and men, too. It’s tragic that these great warriors for equal rights did not live to see the amendment become part of our Constitution. On this Mother’s Day, 98 years later, let’s honor their fight by giving women and men equal protection under the highest law of the land!I know that there are those who say that this amendment won’t solve all of our problems and that it could create new problems. Nothing is perfect, of course; but the amendment, which simply states “Equality of Rights Under the Law Shall not be Denied or Abridged by the United States or by any State on Account of Sex” would go a long way toward providing recourse for those seeking justice in sex discrimination cases. Additionally, it would help create a climate in which equal rights for all is the expectation.Criticisms of the amendment are designed to keep women and men trapped in the past and, as our fore-mothers kept telling us, we must move forward and give each person every tool possible to be the best that each of us can be. The Illinois Constitutionhas had an Equal Rights Provision since 1970 and none of the fears of the nay-sayers regarding its implementation have materialized. In fact, the law has helped many Illinois residents receive justice. Let’s provide the same protection for all US citizens.So please contact your state Representatives to either thank them for their support or encourage those who are undecided to vote “yes” for the ERA. Also you may file a witness slip, which will go to the Committee that is hearing the resolution soon and show them that the majority support ratification. You can do this at:http://my.ilga.gov/Hearing/HearingDetail/16072?GridCurrentCommittees-page=2In Solidarity and with hope,Nan ParsonAction Ridge, Park Ridge, Illinois