Dear John,
While the Supreme Court’s devastating decisions on affirmative action and discrimination against same-sex couples are understandably dominating the headlines, most media completely ignored another decision by the Court that gutted protections for victims of stalking, verbal abuse and online harassment.
The Court sided with a Colorado man who sent “thousands of unsolicited messages to a local female musician over a period of two years … messages that she found threatening in their cumulative effect.” In short, the Court agreed that his messages are protected by the First Amendment, because he never intended for his messages to be threatening.
Ms. was the first and one of the only media to report on this devastating decision, warning that the Court’s decision had essentially green-lit online stalking. “Women are four times more likely to experience stalking than men, which means that the Court’s decision will have a disproportionate impact on the mostly female victims of stalking and verbal abuse who turn to the legal system for protection,” Ms. contributor Michelle Onello wrote.
That's the difference Ms. makes. And YOU, have played a key role in helping Ms. stay at the forefront of reporting on issues impacting women and girls. After all, Ms. is non-profit and reader supported so we have the freedom to tell it like it is, including our reporting on the urgent need for the Equal Rights Amendment and its potential for strengthening laws that hold abusers accountable.
To seize this momentum for the ERA and all the protections it will provide, and to keep it going and growing I’m asking you for your immediate help.
With your immediate help our teams of reporters and analysts will have the resources to report on every twist and turn in the fight in Congress to enshrine the ERA in the Constitution.
Not only must we begin preparing right now for the 2024 Election, we must also seize the opportunities immediately at hand—especially for the ERA. Whatever you can give today, whether it’s $5 or $500, is critical and will be put to immediate and effective use.
The ERA Will Protect Abortion Rights and Much, Much More
Given the rise of right-wing extremism and the radical majority on the U.S. Supreme Court, it’s more important than ever that Americans know WHY the Equal Rights Amendment has NOW BECOME SUPREMELY IMPORTANT IN PROTECTING A WHOLE RANGE OF WOMEN’S RIGHTS, PERSONAL FREEDOMS, AND DEMOCRACY.
Despite the fact that 3/4th’s of the States completed ratification in 2020 there’s a problem: in 1972 Congress added to the preamble of the ERA an arbitrary timeline of 1979 (later extended by Congress to 1982) to complete the ratification process. Even though the Constitution itself imposes no time limit on ratification of proposed amendments the timeline was used by the Trump Justice Department to block final enshrinement of the ERA in the Constitution.
HOWEVER...fueled by the results of the 2022 elections and anger over the overturning of Roe v. Wade and other threats to personal freedoms, members in the U.S. House and Senate introduced a Joint Resolution to remove the timeline and to declare the ERA has been ratified and is the 28th Amendment to the Constitution. Passage of this Resolution by a simple majority vote in both the Senate and House would formally enshrine the ERA in the Constitution.
So, thanks to the support of Ms. Community members like you, Ms. swung into action providing actionable information, facts and Action Alerts to our readers, fueling the women’s movement with hard-hitting reporting exposing the opponents of the ERA and pressuring Congress to pass the Resolution.
On April 26th, 2023 the U.S. Senate voted on the Resolution. With 98 of the 100 Senators present, the majority—52—voted to place the ERA in the U.S. Constitution. But because of the arcane filibuster rule requiring 60 votes—we fell 8 votes short. Every Democrat and 2 Republicans (Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins) voted for the ERA. Every other Republican Senator voted NO!
(An interesting side note: Despite their “no” vote, not a single Republican Senator rose to speak against the ERA. Highly unusual and a sign they’re getting worried. A sign our efforts to inform and motivate younger voters is working.)
AND...the great news—thanks to the procedural skill and pro-ERA enthusiasm of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer—there will be additional opportunities to vote again on the ERA in this same session of Congress.
So, with this near victory at hand we’re doubling down on getting out timely information and Action Alerts to folks all around the nation telling them of the importance of the ERA in protecting abortion rights and personal freedoms as well as advancing equality and defending democracy for all Americans.
Why You and Ms. Matter More Than Ever
Because the momentum of our movement is now growing, I'm calling on you and the whole Ms. Community, to help us dramatically step up our coverage of key women’s rights, equality rights and threats to democracy at the very moment the right-wing is doubling down with a flood of misinformation, disinformation and hate, and frightening anti-woman, anti-LGBTQ, anti-Trans, and anti-voter legislation.
With your immediate help our teams of reporters and analysts will have the resources to continue reporting on every twist and turn in the fight in Congress to enshrine the ERA in the Constitution. We’ll have the resources to expose the corporate interests who profit from discrimination against women. And we’ll shine a bright spotlight on the anti-ERA, anti-Equality politicians as we prepare for the 2024 Elections.
Ms. is sustained by our readers and members—not by corporate advertisers—so we only answer to you. And you, more than most, understand that after two generations—50 years—the time has come to finally place the ERA in the Constitution. There is no greater gift you and I can give to our daughters, mothers, sons, grandkids, sisters, brothers—and frankly ourselves. So please, since time is so short and the stakes so high, let us know that we can depend on your commitment and generosity when it comes to advancing the battle for equality, personal freedom, and democracy.
In gratitude for your support,
