Kathy Keeton

Suicidal Consequences of the Feminist Movement

Do women’s rights include the right to commit suicide? All of us concerned with the welfare of American women must answer no. We may hold different opinions on methods and ultimate goals, but we can all agree on one point: the movement must continue and it must flourish. However, if the fate of the Equal Rights Amendment in two Eastern states is any indication, the women’s movement is strangling itself with the rope of its own rhetoric. The November defeat of the amendment in New York and New Jersey will not be any more responsible for the death of the women’s rights than the smear tactics of its opponents were responsible for the negative votes. At most, these are contributing factors. If the women’s rights movement for equality dies, it will be a result of the leadership’s elitism and the consequent failure to concen­trate on issues that are relevant to most women.