"Why didn't the ERA pass?" comments by Betty Packard Voris, self-employed lobbying dynamo

Packard-Voris was one of the women who registered with the Secretary of State to lobby for Hoosiers for the ERA (HERA). She was a Republican who, along with Mary Ann Butters and others, so acted. The primary registered democrat lobbyists were, as I recall, Molly Rucker and Virginia Dill McCarty, prominent Democrat who ran for governor, among other things. Here are Betty's comments, dated March 19, 2010:


Beth,

You are asked, "Why didn't it pass?" We have only to look at the health reform bill now in Congress; it is a reflection of what we were up against back then.

The opposition got a huge jump on us with some rather dramatic tactics led by Phyllis Schafley: It would destroy the family; We would be able to abort any or all children; It is not needed, we already have laws on the books; Men would not be able to support their families; We would raise homosexual children; Women are supposed to nurture children and protect the family; It is against God's law; etc etc etc Not unlike the death squads etc that have been floated to the sky in response to the proposed new health reform legislation. We played catch-up for 7 years with the opposition loud and vehement. The health reform legislation today has the backing and support of the president; that was not the case back then. We fought politics every day and the Republicans were in control of Congress and the presidency (Nixon and finally Ford who was not about to acquiesce to anything political at that point) and Republicans as a group were dead set against it.

We got it passed in Indiana because we lobbied for 7 long years and highlighted lots of Indiana laws (287 to be exact) which were discriminatory that got changed in the process. With the changing of those laws, we broke down some barriers that made the ERA seem less strident and made it easier for some Senators to vote for it - even if their constituents were not.

Does the Declaration have the vote? I would love to have a copy of the vote itself. I still remember Chip Edwards telling me that my blood would drip through the cracks of the State House before he would let the ERA pass.The day of the vote I went up to him and told him to skate in order to not be embarrassed. And he did skate. Would love to always have that plastered over my desk for a quiet chuckle now and then.

Comments from Nancy Papas, lobbyist for Indiana State Teachers' Association.

Ed. note:Nancy Papas was a najor player in supporting the Equal Rights Amendment. An assistant to Senator Birch Bayh at the time of the ERA passage through Congress, she and ISTA and a few other "veterans" gave substance, respectability, and great advice and action to the novice ERA supporters. Here is her statement, dated March 19, 2010, in response to the question "Why didn't the ERA pass?"

"ERA was the victim of massive disinformation which scared off conservatives in both parties. The ERA had strong bi-partisan support in Congress. If Strom Thurmond could support the ERA, why not other conservatives?

Phyllis Schlafly built her nation-wide network of conservative women by raising false alarms about what it would do. Equal rights for women and men would not force everyone to use the same restroom, though most of us do that at home and on airplanes – just not at the same time – and we have survived very nicely.

ERA opponents charged that it would encourage women to have abortions, though no one could ever explain how. Virginia McCarty asked if that meant men would be able to have abortions too?

Fear clouds intelligent thought, and fear was the weapon of choice against ERA.

Fortunately, the successful efforts to pass legislation like Title IX and the civil and voting rights acts made America much more aware of discrimination of various sorts. Title IX alone has exploded educational opportunities for women students and made them much more able to compete in the market place.

When I first lobbied for ERA in the halls of the state legislature, a handful of women reporters and lobbyists were there and another handful of women legislators. Now it appears nearly half the lobbyists are women, and the voters have elected 32 women legislators and a female Lt. Governor. Both political parties actively recruit women candidates. Governors and Mayors appoint women department heads. Network and Cable News has women anchors. Television dramas feature women in occupations formerly reserved for men. Today’s little girls want to grow up to be CEO’s and company presidents rather than Cinderella.

We may have lost the ERA battle, but women are making real progress to win the war.

We had the help of many progressive women and men who celebrated, promoted, and were not fearful of legal equality of women.
In addition to you Beth, there was Virginia McCarty, Betty Blumberg, Mandy Wertz and Betty Williams, Jane Fribley, Jill Chambers, Sue Errington (who’s now in the State Senate), Laurie Scholl (and many others) plus ERA’s author - Birch Bayh – and state legislators Kermit Burrous, Tom Teague, Bob Fair, Phil Bainbridge, Cliff Arnold, Tom Fruechtenicht, Bob Hayes, and others.

The battle to help women and families gain their due continues to be sure, but extraordinary women throughout history found ways to survive, to raise their families, and to contribute to their neighbors and communities despite incredible obstacles. Fortunately, we were able to stand on the shoulders of them all.