The Equal Rights Amendment is one state short of ratification. Will it be Missouri?
It was a joke, courtesy of an ERA opponent in
The Equal Rights Amendment, which would have enshrined protection against sex discrimination in the
The tombstone hangs in the dance studio McGowan owns. She explains the importance of the ERA to visitors, some who either knew nothing about it or assumed it had already passed.
Now, at age 77, McGowan still dreams of having the last laugh.
"I think equality always wins," she said.
Though the deadline has long passed, the fight for the ERA has been re-energized, drawing new life, advocates say, from the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements. With ratification by legislatures in
But
Many of the arguments Schlafly and her allies used to prevail in 1982 hold the same power in state politics today, chief among them that ratification would strengthen the right to abortion. Under consideration in this year's legislative session are some of the most restrictive anti-abortion bills in the country.
But with less than a month left before adjournment, ERA proponents still have hope.
A
"I have talked to
As of Thursday, Schupp said she thinks she needs one more vote.
At the hearing, national advocates of the ERA contended with one of
It didn't go well for amendment supporters.
The hearing opened with testimony from filmmakers
"If you are truly a Christian, you vote yes on the ERA," White, who identified as a Christian, said during her testimony. "And if you vote 'no,' stop calling yourself a Christian."
"What would Jesus do on abortion?" an irate Schatz said. "The majority of this is about abortion. I know what Jesus would do in this realm."
Ping pong, not basketball
Growing up in
"My grandmother told me, 'You must continue the rest of your life to fight for equality for women,' " McGowan said.
In high school she was a standout basketball player. But with no women's team, she competed instead for the state ping pong championship.
When McGowan went to the
As a city council member in
"I almost hit him," she said. By then, McGowan was all in for the ERA.
When
She was already a force in conservative politics. The Radcliffe-educated
Schlafly became one the ERA's most vociferous critics, asserting that it would break down the traditional family unit, force women to get jobs and subject them to the draft.
In 1973, when it was first introduced in
But the measure had as much bipartisan opposition as it did support.
Under pressure from Schlafly acolytes, the only female member of the
Twenty-two states ratified the ERA within that first year. But the movement stalled at 35 states before the original deadline of 1979, a near-miss largely credited to Schlafly's advocacy. Five states later passed resolutions rescinding their ratification, although legal scholars say it is not clear such rescissions are valid.
Even after
While it langushed, Schlafly continued as a powerhouse. In 2016, just weeks before her death at the age of 92, she was a
'Once they understand, they are on board'
ERA proponents say the issue now has a new moment, powered by #MeToo and #TimesUp, which have elevated awareness of sexual harassment and assault faced by women.
Organizers of Project 28 Missouri, named for the goal of making ERA the 28th Amendment, say they have built a coalition of at least 50 groups across the state with representatives at all of the
"Young women feel awakened and that feeling's not going to change," campaign coordinator
Yet, educating young people has been one of the movement's biggest challenges. Benson, 34, a
"Once they understand, they are on board," Benson said.
A coalition-hosted rally last week in
One speaker reminded the crowd that Schlafly -- the name was booed -- wasn't
"She has been called by some -- this
McGowan, who had run for state senate as a Democrat last year in the district that covers
She didn't hesitate.
Lingering questions
In recent years, bills to recommend ERA ratification have been filed regularly in the
This April's hearing explored several major questions surrounding the amendment's prospects. How binding is the 1982 deadline? Don't women already have protection through the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause? What would its actual effect be?
Schupp noted that constitutional amendments have been adopted far past their introduction date. The last amendment added to the
And while the courts began to construe the 14th Amendment in the '70s to prohibit sex discrimination, it doesn't guarantee equality under the law, according to proponents.
"When we are not recognized as equals under the
In the end, abortion casts the longest shadow over the ERA debate.
In the hearing,
Klein quoted a March fund-raising email from NARAL to prove her point: "With its ratification, the ERA would reinforce the constitutional right to abortion by clarifying that the sexes have equal rights which would require judges to strike down anti-abortion laws because they violate both the constitutional right to privacy and sexual equality."
Klein mentioned that pro-choice advocates cited similar language to the ERA that states had placed within their constitutions to challenge abortion restrictions and funding, specifically citing a 1998
Schupp called the line of thought "fear-mongering."
She said that of the 12 states that have had their abortion laws challenged on the grounds of the state ERA, the only case in which pro-choice advocates were successful was
If the ERA survives legal challenges post-ratification, there isn't a consensus on what its long term impact would be.
But the immediate effect would be symbolic. Hugely so, say supporters.
"We have a chance to send a message to 50.9 percent of the state," Schupp said, referring to
The year the ERA seemingly died, McGowan left teaching and started a performing arts preschool. Her thought: If she owned a business, no one can discriminate against her.
She was wrong. Women weren't invited to be part of the local chamber of commerce or local chapter of
When she became the
McGowan had to circulate a petition to secure the same raise for the women.
"I've seen huge changes in my lifetime," she said, "but they are not protected in
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