Facts, Trumpcare and the ERA
The documentary film “Equal Means Equal” was shown at Bradley University in May sponsored by NOW Peoria Chapter and Bradley University Women’s and Gender Studies Program.
The film deconstructs and disproves the notion that women’s equal rights are protected by the Constitution and the 14th Amendment establishing equal protection under the law.
In fact, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is quoted in the film saying, “The Constitution does not protect women from sexual discrimination. No one ever thought that’s what it meant. No one ever voted for that.”
This should be a wakeup call for all women and men who value justice.
The Equal Rights Amendment is gaining new traction as Donald Trump continues his assault on women.
Trump’s pledge to repeal and replace President Obama’s Affordable Care Act is emerging as a looming threat for women. Whether the bill approved by the U.S. House moves forward or not, the legislation passed in the House and celebrated by the president singles out women for restricted access to health care coverage.
Under Trumpcare, states have discretion over determining pre-existing conditions. These conditions could be considered pre-existing: pregnancies, past C-sections, postpartum depression, surviving a sexual assault and domestic violence, obesity and anorexia. Under Trumpcare, Planned Parenthood would be defunded for one year, directly hurting low-income women.
Without the ERA, women’s rights are not codified in the Constitution. If they were, Trumpcare would be found unconstitutional.
Film director Kamala Lopez presents her topic with the humor and shock used by director Michael Moore. Just like Moore’s films, if the message weren’t so deadly serious, the documentary could be considered a farce.
Phyllis Schlafly, often credited with successfully blocking the ERA, wrote in the LA Times in 2007, “The ERA was actively supported by most of the pushy women’s organizations” and she lamented that her battle against the ERA was hard because there was no Rush Limbaugh or Fox News at the time to provide a “no-spin zone.”
Interestingly, Limbaugh is shown in “Equal Means Equal” engaged in one of his tirades against Sandra Fluke, the law student who testified in favor of including contraception in the Affordable Care Act. Limbaugh is shown in the documentary screaming into the microphone that Fluke must be having so much sex she needs free contraception. Limbaugh says he’ll agree, but he wants something in return. Videos of the contraception being used.
Offensive? You bet.
The way to discuss important public policy? Not even close.
Here are some of the other arguments Schlafly and the opponents of ERA used:
The amendment would require women to be drafted into military combat; would abolish the presumption that the husband should support his wife; would take away Social Security benefits for wives and widows.
These are not credible arguments in 2017 and never were.
We need the ERA. It was passed recently in Nevada and needs ratification in Illinois and Virginia to reach approval by 38 states. We have a field of candidates running for governor in Illinois and the incumbent who has already given $50 million to his campaign. Make them pledge, if elected governor, to push the ERA through Springfield. Make passage of ERA a key factor in your vote for governor.
We need Congress to extend the ratification deadline.
As we are seeing almost weekly, rights and protections once assumed to be unassailable are being reversed by executive orders signed by Donald Trump. (Clare Howard)