Mrs. Schlafly on her own had as much effect on the Constitution, as her crusade singlehandedly defeated the Equal Rights Amendment that both parties had endorsed for decades.
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Yet she told The Associated Press in 2007 that perhaps her greatest legacy was the Eagle Forum, which she founded in 1972 in suburban St. Louis, where she lived.
Donald Trump lamented the passing of far-right activist Phyllis Schlafly in a statement on Monday, thanking her for sharing his commitment to an “America First” agenda.
When I heard Monday evening that Phyllis Schlafly was dead at age 92, my thoughts dashed back to April 12 of this year and what would be my final conversation with the Missouri woman Pat Buchanan dubbed “the First Lady of American conservatism”.
Schlafly helped block the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s, founded the ultraconservative Eagle Forum political group and vocally opposed same-sex marriage.
When Schlafly spoke to NPR’s Michel Martin in 2014, she explained her motivations for opposing the amendment. Phyllis Schlafly worked diligently to prevent the Equal Rights Amendment and has been nearly exclusively credited with preventing it from being ratified. According to her official Facebook page, she is survived by her six children, 16 grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.
Almost every meaningful social debate today is centered around a position that Phyllis Schlafly originally led on, from pro-life, to teaching your children at home, to the immigration and trade positions that became the centerpiece of Donald Trump’s campaign.
Schlafly was a staunch opponent of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) during the “70s. 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.
With the country involved in World War II during her college years, Schlafly worked the graveyard shift at the St. Louis Ordnance Plant. Never elected herself, Schlafly made news with her two bids for Congress. Ted Cruz. Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus said in a statement that Schlafly was “an unflinching champion of many ideas Republicans have long held dear”.
(Photo: Reuters/Mary F. Calvert/File Photo) Author Phyllis Schlafly addresses the Faith and Freedom Coalition Road to Majority Conference in Washington, D.C., June 14, 2013.
When the amendment failed to get the 38 states it needed – it fell short by three states – many people gave Schlafly credit for its demise. She has testified before more than 50 Congressional and State Legislative committees on constitutional, national defense, and family issues.
“Phyllis is the reason the Republican Party is a pro-life party”, she said.
Dan Canon, an attorney who helped litigate the Obergefell v. Hodges case which legalized gay marriage nationwide, lamented that Schlafly hadn’t died earlier.
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She received her law degree in 1978, ranked 27th in a class of 186, and passed the IL bar a few months later.
