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Phyllis McAlpine Stewart Schlafly (born August 15, 1924) is an American conservative political activist known for her opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Today, she is a widely-published author and commentator. In 1972, she founded the Eagle Forum, a conservative organization, and continues to be president of that organization.
Born in Missouri, Schlafly was raised as a devout Catholic in a poor family. She began school at a young age, graduating from Washington University in St. Louis at only 19, and later earned a J.D. from WUSTL. She later attended Harvard University, and received her B.A. and M.A.
In 1952, she unsuccessfully ran for Congress as a member of the United States Republican Party.
She first came to national attention as the writer of the best-selling book, A Choice, Not an Echo, written in support of Barry Goldwater's 1964 presidential campaign, which denounced the corruption and liberalism of other Republicans, especially those in New England.
In 1967, she founded her own political newsletter, the Phyllis Schlafly Report, which is still published.
She became the most visible and effective opponent of the ERA as the organizer of the "Stop ERA" movement, widely credited with stopping it from achieving passage by its legislative deadline. Schlafly organized vigorously against the amendment, arguing that it would require unisex bathrooms, taxpayer-funded abortions, same-sex marriage, the drafting of women into the military, an end to automatic maternal child custody in the case of divorce, and the weakening of punishments for sex crimes committed towards women. ERA proponents equally vigorously contested most of these claims. For her actions, she was widely vilified by feminists, who denounced her as a weak (ironically) and subservient housewife who personified everything the feminist movement was seeking to overcome. At the time Schlafly began campaigning, the amendment had already been ratified by 30 of the 38 necessary states. Schlafly was successful in organizing a grassroots campaign to oppose further states' ratifications, however, and in 1982, the amendment was narrowly defeated, having only been passed in 35 states. Over 20 years later, Schlafly continued to argue against any revival of the ERA.
Schlafly is the author of twenty books (see below), mostly on topics of interest to political conservatives, but also including child care and phonics education. She continues be influential within the Republican Party, and was responsible for some socially conservative language in the Republican National Convention's platforms as recently as 2004.
She was married to the late John Fred Schlafly. She has six children. As a controversial figure, she attracts attention. For example, in 1992, gay activist Michelangelo Signorile outed her son John as homosexual. Signorile found this difficult to square with Schlafly's views, but John for his part seems not to. He confirmed Signorile's accusations, but works as a lawyer for his mother's Eagle Forum.
Books written
- The Supremacists: The Tyranny Of Judges And How To Stop It (Spence Publishing Company, 2004) ISBN 1890626554
- Feminist Fantasies by Phyllis Schlafly, foreword by Ann Coulter (Spence Publishing Company, 2003) ISBN 1890626465
- Turbo Reader (Pere Marquette Press, 2001) ISBN 0934640165
- First Reader (Pere Marquette Press, 1994) ISBN 0934640246
- Pornography's Victims (Crossway Books, 1987) ISBN 0891074236
- Child Abuse in the Classroom (Crossway Books, 1984) ISBN 0891073655
- Equal Pay for Unequal Work (Eagle Forum, 1984) ISBN 9995031434
- The End of an Era (Regnery Publishing, 1982) ISBN 0895266598
- The Power of the Christian Woman (Standard Pub, 1981) ISBN B0006E4X12
- The Power of the Positive Woman (Crown Pub, 1977) ISBN 0870003739
- Ambush at Vladivostok by Phyllis Schlafly, Chester Ward (Pere Marquette Press, 1976) ISBN 0934640009
- Kissinger on the Couch (Arlington House Publishers, 1974) ISBN 0870002163
- Mindszenty the Man by Josef Vecsey, Phyllis Schlafly (Cardinal Mindszenty Foundation, 1972) ISBN B00005WGD6
- The Betrayers (Pere Marquette Press, 1968) ISBN B0006CY0CQ
- Safe Not Sorry (Pere Marquette Press, 1967) ISBN 0934640068
- Grave Diggers by Phyllis Schlafly, Chester Ward (Pere Marquette Press, 1964) ISBN 0934640033
- A Choice Not an Echo (Pere Marquette Press, 1964) ISBN 0686114868
External links
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