The U.S. legal and political tradition has a long history of failing to recognize women’s claims to autonomy as individuals possessing citizenship rights equal to those of men. Now, reproductive rights are in grave danger—but the ERA could change things.
Author: Roberta W. Francis
Roberta W. Francis is ERA education consultant for the Alice Paul Institute in Mount Laurel, N.J., and former chair of the ERA Task Force of the National Council of Women’s Organizations. A gender equity consultant and writer, she has worked for 45 years on a broad spectrum of issues for women’s advancement, from education and pay equity to reproductive rights and violence against women.
The Pro-Choice League
As Roe v. Wade hangs by a thread, looking back at feminist history can provide a well-reasoned basis for political action and pro-choice movements.