In his Dec. 7 Perspective story about the Equal Rights Amendment and George Ryan’s role in its defeat in Illinois, Bob Secter is about as funny as a lynch mob. By trivializing the ERA to the level of a silly squabble about shopping or plays in a baseball game, Mr. Secter reveals his misogynist views.
Perhaps many of the aims of the ERA have come to pass since its defeat. Nevertheless, the 14th Amendment never made it unnecessary. While it ensured all citizens equal protection under the law, it still necessitated the 19th Amendment for women to be able to vote. It may still take the ERA to ensure that gains already made for equality aren’t eroded by current political trends. That articles such as Bob Secter’s can still appear in print is proof positive that the threat to sexual equality is still real.
