Women’s Equity

Women's Rights

Recognizing that women’s rights are civil rights and civil rights are women’s rights, ADL has taken a three-pronged approach to advocating for gender equality. ADL has written amicus briefs, engaged in legislative advocacy and created educational resources.

In the Courts

ADL has filed an amicus brief in every major case about abortion rights that has come before the Supreme Court since Roe v. Wade.

In 1973, in the watershed Roe v. Wade decision, the Supreme Court held that women have a constitutional right to decide whether to terminate their own pregnancies. Since Roe, however, there have been countless court challenges to the right to choose.

Read some of the briefs:

NIFLA v. Becerra (U.S. Supreme Court, 2018)
Whole Woman's Health v. Cole (U.S. Supreme Court, 2015)
McCullen v. Coakley (U.S. Supreme Court, 2014)
Gonzales v. Planned Parenthood (U.S. Supreme Court, 2006)
Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood (U.S. Supreme Court, 2005)
Stenberg v. Carhart (U.S. Supreme Court, 2000)
Planned Parenthood v. Casey (U.S. Supreme Court, 1996)

Among other topics, ADL has filed briefs opposing sex-based discrimination in education. To learn more about ADL’s latest work in the courts, explore ADL’s Amicus Brief Database.

Legislative Advocacy

Although we have made great strides towards women’s rights and equality in the United States, much remains to be done both in Congress and in state legislatures around the country.

ADL has also advocated for equal pay for equal work and the extension of the Violence Against Women Act.

Education

Recognizing that education is one of the most powerful engines for social change, ADL has created resources about gender bias and inequality for educators, families and children.