page 10
daily nebraskan
monday, december 5 1977
Women's movement future uncertain after Houston
. By Tarn Lee
Events at the National Women's conference in Houston
last month raised significant questions about the future of
the women's movement in the United States.
What is the future of the women's movement?
It seems to be uncertain. The Equal Rights
Amendment to the Constitution has stalled three states
short of passing. Even if three more states ratify it by
the March 22, 1979 deadline, the courts will have to de
cide whether the three states that have voted to rescind
their vote supporting the ERA acted legally.
sis
The three states are Nebraska, Idaho and Tennessee. If
the courts decide it was legal for the states to rescind their
votes, the ERA still will be three states short of passage.
Congress has the power to extend the ratification time
for passage of the ERA. Most supporters of the ERA are,
in favor of extending the deadline from the current seven
years to 14, but some argue that it would give the opposi
tion even more time to organize and work to defeat
passage of the proposed amendment.
Anti-ERA persons argue that no other amendment to
the Constitution has needed more than four years to pass,
so if it takes longer, the ERA must have no serious merit.
Differing ideologies
The women's movement, split between two opposing
groups, have differing factions within them which is the
result of different political ideologies. It can be compared
with the philosophical differences between the Republi
can and Democratic parties, even though members of both
parties are represented on both sides of the women's
movement.
The conservative side generally is made up of women
who oppose abortion, passage of the ERA, protection of
homosexuals from discrimination, and increased federal
spending. They support the free enterprise system and
oppose government restrictions on the free market
system.
The feminist side supports passage of the ERA, free
dom of choice in abortion and civil rights for
homosexuals. They favor federal funding for programs to
assist women in all areas, such as child care, displaced
homemaker centers, rape centers, and spouse abuse
centers
All women want to end discrimination against them.
The difference is in the way 'Miscrimination"is defined
and in how the differing factions think equality can best
be achieved.
For example, feminists think the ERA is an important
step in achieving equality. Women against the amend
ment think the ERA is not only unnecessary, but that it
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will take away many of the protections now afforded to
women under existing laws and traditions. The ultimate
impact of the ERA, if passed, will be determined by the
U.S. Supreme Court, which will have the respon
sibility of interpreting the amendment.
Women on both sides agreed with the concepts behind
many of the resolutions passed at the conference, but dis
agreed on how they should be implemented. The National
Plan of Action, voted on at the conference, called for
federal funding on almost all resolutions. Many conserva
tive women voted against those issues because they object
to increased federal spending because they think it is in
flationary. They also argue that if the federal government
is given too much power, individual freedoms are lost
Some said they would have supported the resolutions if
they had not called for federal funding.
Religious beliefs
The split on the abortion issue, however, is the result
of different religious beliefs. Persons who are against abor
tion believe abortion is murder. Supporters of abortions
believe a woman has the right to control her body, and ul
timately, her life.
Most supporters of abortion don't think abortion is the
best solution to overpopulation or even the best solution
for avoiding unwanted pregnancies. They, along with most
anti-abortion women, support increased availability, relia
bility and safety of contraceptives as being a better al
ternative than abortion.
The lesbian rights issue is hotly debated even among
feminists. Fundamentalists who believe in a literal
translation of the Bible believe homosexuality is a sin.
Homosexuality also goes against their way of living and
they don't want their children exposed to Ufestyles they
consider deviant. , ,
Within the women's movement, there are some who
think the lesbian issue is splitting the women's movement
and making passage of the ERA more difficult.
Betty Freidan, considered to be one of the founders of
the women's movement, had resisted inclusion of lesbians
in the fight for women's rights until she announced her
change in position at the women's conference.
The key to success in the women's movement, just as
in any other political movement, is compromise. Current
ly, the two opposing groups disagree on everything be
cause there is no effort to make some proposals accep
table to all. -
Compromise difficult
Obviously, both sides feel there are issues they cannot
compromise on. Pro-life women can't compromise on
abortion. Religious women cannot compromise on any
thing they feel the Bible prohibits. Feminists cannot com
promise on the ERA or freedom of choice in abortion.
Lesbians cannot compromise on laws to protect them
from discrimination.
There are issues in which a, compromise could be
reached, however. Most of the resolutions passed at the
conference were not objectionable to conservative women
except that they called for federal funding.
As more and more traditional, home-oriented women
become involved, the feminist movement is in danger of
losing the things it has worked so hard to achieve.
In order to reach their goals, both sides must work to
ward some sort of agreement on the issues and a better
understanding or opposing views.
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