Message from National NOW President Christian F. Nunes
April 5, 2024
Greetings Feminists,
Constitutional Equality is one of NOW’s six core issues. That’s because, without it, women will never have a place at the starting line for so much that men get to take for granted.
Women are more likely to live in poverty and economic insecurity, because the lack of constitutional safeguards makes it harder to defend laws that protect women when they are attacked and eroded, and there is less protection against workplace discrimination based on gender, pregnancy or parental status.
Workplace violations in hiring, pay, promotion and retention, legal safeguards and mechanisms for attaining justice don’t exist for women because they aren’t recognized in the Constitution. Without explicit Constitutional equality, the hard-won victories women have won can be reversed by extremist politicians and activist judges intent on turning the clock back, endangering women’s lives and keeping a dark cloud over their future.
That’s why NOW is pushing so hard for the Equal Rights Amendment—as we’ve done since our very beginning. NOW adopted a resolution of support for the ERA at our second national conference in 1967, and in February of 1970, NOW leaders disrupted Senate hearings to demand that the ERA be considered by the full Congress.
With Roe v. Wade now toppled, it’s more important than ever to protect the fundamental rights women need and deserve. The ERA would protect against pregnancy and motherhood discrimination and protect women’s control over their reproductive lives and bodily autonomy. It would authorize laws that address violence against women and make it possible to go beyond the Violence Against Women Act to give women a civil right of action in cases involving gender-motivated crimes.
Without constitutional equality, women’s rights are always going to be vulnerable to attack. Our laws prohibit discrimination based on religion, race, and national origin, but sex is not held to the same legal standard.
When the Constitution was adopted in 1787, the rights it affirmed were only for certain white males. We can’t stay mired in 18th century values, laws or attitudes towards women. We need full constitutional equality—NOW!
In solidarity,
Christian
