FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: MELINDA SHELTON, 767; DIANE MINOR, x773

NOW LEADERS SAY LANIER CASE SHOWS NEED FOR WOMEN'S CONSTITUTIONAL EQUALITY

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 1997

WHO: NOW PRESIDENT PATRICIA IRELAND, head of NOW Foundation and board member of NOW LDEF, which are both signed on as amici in United States v. Lanier

WHAT: WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT immediately after attending oral arguments in the case

WHERE: outside the U.S. Supreme Court

WHEN: Approximately 11 a.m. Tuesday, January 7

WHY: "What better argument is there that women still need to have our rights written into the U.S. Constitution?" said Ireland. "Without it, a federal appeals court in the 1990s can still find a woman does not have the right to be free from rape by a public official." -- Patricia Ireland.

ALSO: See a recent article by Ireland providing an overview of the history and present status of efforts to champion women's constitutional equality -- from Abigail Adams to the 1970s ERA to today.