Dear Editor:

Mary Brewer makes some good points in her Musings article last week. However, it is important to note that women have only one guaranteed right under our Constitution and that is the right to vote. All other advances that have been made to ensure equal treatment under the law has been by statute, which means there is no guarantee that those laws will remain unchanged and can even be repealed.

Whole families and communities suffer when any individual is treated as less than another. The glaring gender wage gap over years hurts not only the economy in general but the economic stability of her family and
also greatly reduces the retirement savings accrued, endangering her elder years. Being locked out of “male only” jobs reduced women’s ability to secure jobs that not only provided higher pay but also job security. Higher costs for “feminine products” and insurance also effects the financial bottom line. Yes, we have come a long way. A woman no longer loses her job if she gets married or becomes pregnant. She can now get a credit card in her own name, she can buy a car and a house on her own, she can legally obtain birth control or even an abortion (although that is under attack). People argue that women are covered under the 14th Amendment – not consistently. As Mary says, we are not done fighting for equality under the law.

The ERA simply states “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” The amendment passed out of Congress in 1972. The state of Maine ratified it in 1974. We had a chance to pass a state ERA last year and did not. A new and energetic push to pass a national ERA is happening and two more states just ratified. Only one more state is needed for full ratification.

The possibility of a final ratification of a national ERA is looking better for those who have worked so hard for generations to see it happen. Women have waited long enough and will continue to advocate for
equality under the law.

Bonnie Ginger

Boothbay