ERA NOW! Meryl Streep Takes on Congress and Has a Message for Pope Francis
“I sent them [Congress] each a book called Equal Means Equal by Jessica Neuwirth. It’s about the revival of the attempt to get an ERA that would codify in law that you can’t discriminate against women,” she said. “I got five answers.”
A female audience member and a former pro-ERA campaigner asked Streep why she believed the ERA would make a difference today. The actress replied, “It needs to be set down in law. … For the rest of the world, it’s important that this is set down in law.”Streep went on to praise Pope Francis’ work on behalf of the poor and impoverished, as well as his words urging action on global warming. She described him as “amazing,” and added, “He must address issues of inequality. The conversation changes when women are at the table.”
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Although the constitution *should* be read to protect women against discrimination, the standard for protection against sex discrimination is not as stringent as it should be. And for some members of the court, women don’t seem to count as constitutional “persons,” even though corporations do. Even the most conservative Justice, Antonin Scalia, is on record saying, 𠇌ertainly the constitution does not require discrimination on the basis of sex. The only issue is whether it prohibits it. It doesn’t.”
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