Phyllis Schlafly, who emerged as the voice of the American conservative movement in the 1970s, has died.
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Schlafly, who lived in the St. Louis suburb of Ladue, Missouri, died at her home in the presence of her family, Eagle Forum said in a statement.
Schlafly was most well-known for her work fighting the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970’s, emerging as one of the leading female critics of the feminist movement. “She recognized America as the greatest political embodiment of those values”, the statement read. Phyllis Schlafly contended her name juxtaposed with beer and alcoholic beverages would damage her conservative brand’s reputation, but a judge disagreed, KMOX reported.
Schlafly, though she didn’t endorse until March, was vocally supportive of Republican nominee Donald Trump during the primary and wrote in support of his immigration policy, among other economic policies.
In her time, Mrs. Schlafly was one of the most polarizing figures in American public life, a self-described housewife who displayed a moral ferocity reminiscent of the ax-wielding prohibitionist Carry Nation. Oh yes, and she raised six children while accounting for sixteen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. And also later helped the lead opposition to the ERA, a proposed constitutional amendment that would guarantee equal rights under the law regardless of gender.
Schlafly argued that an ERA would harm American housewives, warning that it would make it more hard for mothers to obtain custody in divorce cases and that it would do away with alimony and child support requirements, the report continued. What I heard and saw could fill volumes but one thing came through over and over in all she said and did: she loved people. She was instrumental in wrecking ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.
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“They were never able to show women would get any benefit out of it”, she told the AP in 2007. “Her legacy helped conservatives understand they had a choice and were not simply an echo”, Shirley said. Schlafly’s Eagle Forum was among the largest and most effective grassroots organization on the Right, and no Republican officeholder could ignore its positions on public issues. Though she received a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree and a law degree, published over twenty books and had a vibrant career as a speaker and activist, Schlafly rejected the idea that most women should be anything more than homemakers. Less than two months ago, I had the honor of celebrating her years of service to the Republican Party and the conservative movement on the floor of the Republican National Convention, which Phyllis has attended faithfully since the 1950s.
