1058 Women’s rights The Eighties in America
1980
Medicaid cannot be used to pay for abortions, according to the U.S. Supreme Court decisionHarris v.
McRae.
The United Nations Second World Conference on Women is held in Copenhagen, Denmark.1981
InCounty of Washington v. Gunther, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that women can seek remedies for
sex-based wage discrimination under the provisions of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Sandra Day O’Connor becomes the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) fails to meet the deadline for state ratification.
The Congresswomen’s Caucus reorganizes as the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues and ad-
mits male members.
The Reagan administration closes down the Office of Domestic Violence.1982
Hysterectomy Educational Resources and Services (HERS) is founded to provide information about
alternatives to this frequently performed surgical procedure.
The ERA dies after failing to attain the necessary thirty-eighth state ratification; the amendment is re-
introduced annually in Congress thereafter.1983
InCity of Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health, the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down a state law
requiring a twenty-four-hour waiting period before abortion and mandating that the physician must tell
the patient that a fetus is a “human life from moment of conception.”
The Coalition Against Media Pornography is founded in Canada to protest the airing of soft-core
pornography on cable television.1984
Congress passes the Child Support Enforcement Amendments to give women means of collecting
late child support payments.
Jeanne Sauvé becomes the first female governor-general of Canada; she serves until 1990.
Antiabortion women in Canada create Real, Equal, Active for Life (REAL) and claim to speak for
“real” women of the nation.
Congress passes the Retirement Equality Act.
InGrove City v. Bell, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
applies only to college programs receiving direct federal support; nonfederally funded programs, such
as women’s athletics, are required to comply.
The Democratic Party nominates Geraldine Ferraro for vice president, making her the first female
candidate of a major party in the United States. Despite the appeal of her candidacy and the gender gap
in voting, President Ronald Reagan defeats her running mate, Walter Mondale.
The Reagan administration ends U.S. financial contributions to international birth control pro-
grams.1985
EMILY’s List is established to raise funds for Democratic women’s campaigns; the acronym EMILY
stands for Early Money Is Like Yeast—it makes the dough rise.Significant Events Affecting Women in the 1980’s