Iraq now has something the United States does not. The Equal Rights
Amendment. Paul Bremer says,
Iraqi Interim Constitution Guarantees Women’s Rights.
People “lobbied, marched, rallied, petitioned, picketed, went on hunger strikes, and committed acts of civil disobedience” in this country for the
ERA for, well, centuries.
In 1776, Abigail Adams wrote to her husband John, “In the new code of laws, remember the ladies and do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands.” John Adams replied, “I cannot but laugh. Depend upon it, we know better than to repeal our masculine systems.”
In 1923, in Seneca Falls for the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the 1848 WomanÕs Rights Convention, she introduced the “Lucretia Mott Amendment,” which read: “Men and women shall have equal rights throughout the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction.” The amendment was introduced in every session of Congress until it passed in 1972.
There was a seven year deadline for the states to ratify the amendment.
Congress granted an extension until June 30, 1982, but
“the political tide continued to turn more conservative. In 1980 the Republican Party removed ERA support from its platform, and Ronald Reagan was elected president.” When the new deadline came, it was still three states short of ratification.
Now the Law Of Administration For The State Of Iraq For The Transitional Period is in place and Article 12 gives the people of Iraq something that the people of the United States do not have.
IRAQ Article 12.
All Iraqis are equal in their rights without regard to gender…
U.S. THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT.
Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
