On April 16, Erin Rose Pfeifer voiced her disagreement with Ashley Herzog's column on the Women's Equality Amendment. Ms. Pfeifer wrote that the goal of feminists is not to rid the world of gender differences but to provide equal opportunity for women. She expressed her belief that the WEA would do just that, contradicting Ms. Herzog's assertion that the WEA would create policies that both men and women would strongly disagree with.
Whatever the true intentions of feminists might be, the fact is that the WEA, if amended into our Constitution, will indeed create policies that both men and women are bound to find uncomfortable. Ms. Herzog has already provided the language of the amendment, but I will do so again: Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.
This broad amendment will come with a broad interpretation by the courts. The first thing that by necessity must go is affirmative action for women. If men and women are equal in the eyes of the law, there is no way that women can continue to receive favored status as a minority. Title IX benefits could also be in jeopardy. In fact, even the status of public restrooms and locker rooms might be in question. Will restrooms and locker rooms in public buildings like Ohio University have to be gender-integrated to suit the language of the WEA?
Perhaps you think that restrooms and locker rooms are trivial issues in the face of equal opportunity for women, and perhaps you're right. The point is that the WEA will affect a wide range of issues, important and trivial, that both men and women care about. Since the Equal Rights Amendment was first proposed, we have made great progress culturally and legislatively in ensuring equal opportunity for women without a broad constitutional amendment. More progress needs to be made, but it is in the best interests of both men and women to move forward on a case-by-case basis in our homes, our communities and our legislatures. But not with a broad constitutional amendment that could have negative ramifications for all Americans regardless of their gender.
Nate Nelson is a freshman political science major.
17 Archives
Letter to the Editor
