We ask justice, we ask equality, we ask that all civil and political rights that belong to the citizens of the United States be guaranteed to us and our daughters forever.
--Susan B. Anthony
The struggle to expunge all sex-based laws based on custom, stereotype and paternalism has been largely successful in this country. Sex discrimination has been banned, by federal and state law, in employment, education and housing. The right to abortion, while under attack, is still guaranteed by the Constitution. Labor laws that in the name of protecting women served to keep them out of better paying jobs have been abolished. As a result, women today participate in all realms of society on a more equal basis than ever before.
The ACLU has argued more women's rights cases before the United States Supreme Court than any other organization. The ACLU was the first national organization to argue for abortion rights before the Supreme Court, and has been the principal defender of those rights since 1973, when the Court recognized the right to choose in Roe v. Wade.
In Oregon, the ACLU has helped gain equality in sports for young women wanting to participate in sports traditionally once thought of as reserved exclusively for young men, including football, baseball and wrestling.
The ACLU will continue our commitment to ensure that women are free to live and work as equals, with full personal control over their reproductive destinies.