On Women's Equality Day in the U.S., NOW Advocates for Iraqi Women's Rights

Statement of National Organization for Women President Kim Gandy

August 26, 2005

On August 26, we celebrate Women's Equality Day in honor of the 85th anniversary of women's suffrage. From 1776 to 1920, it took nearly 150 years for the women of the United States to win the right to vote — a right that was originally denied to us by the "founding fathers" of our nation. And women's equality still is not guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution.

An even greater injustice is about to be imposed on our sisters in Iraq, and with the support of the Bush administration. The current draft of the new Iraqi constitution states that "Islam is the official religion of the state and is a basic source of legislation" and that "No law can be passed that contradicts the undisputed rules of Islam." This is likely to result in religious rule over women's rights in areas of marriage, divorce, custody and inheritance rights. If that is the case, the women of Iraq will be taking a giant step backward.

The Bush administration, in a shameful move, has endorsed this draft constitution. Their earlier commitment to pressing for women's guaranteed constitutional rights appears to be forgotten, or worse, purposely set aside.

Perhaps American Enterprise Institute's Reuel Marc Gerecht let the cat out of the bag when he said on Meet the Press last Sunday: "I think it's important to remember that in the year 1900, for example, in the United States, it was a democracy then. In 1900, women did not have the right to vote. If Iraqis could develop a democracy that resembled America in the 1900s, I think we'd all be thrilled. I mean, women's social rights are not critical to the evolution of democracy." [emphasis added]

Contrary to Gerecht's assertions, a guarantee of women's rights is absolutely essential to democracy in Iraq. The women of Iraq must explicitly be guaranteed equality in the new constitution — not as afterthoughts in a bill of rights that may or may not be written at some point in the future. Without a clear statement in this document now, women's human rights will continue to be bargained away.

Eighty-five years ago, the decades of blood, sweat and tears of our feminist foremothers finally came to fruition when they won the vote for all women in this country. As we honor this victory, we call on the Bush administration to support Constitutional equality for U.S. women and to withdraw its support from any Iraq constitution that erodes rather than expands Iraqi women's rights and freedoms.

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For Immediate Release
Contact: Mai Shiozaki, 202-628-8669, ext. 116; cell 202-641-1906

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