Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan, Equality Michigan Pride PAC and Michigan Nurses Association Stand with Supreme Court Candidates on Women’s Equality Day
LANSING – The Michigan Democratic Party’s endorsed candidates for Michigan Supreme Court — Judge Connie Marie Kelley, Judge Shelia Johnson and Professor Bridget Mary McCormack — today pledged to restore balance and fairness on the state’s highest court, ensuring that everyone including women, children and families, gets a fair shake in the state’s court system.
The three candidates used the occasion of Women’s Equality Day to make their statement at the Michigan Women’s Historical Center and Hall of Fame with representatives from Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan, Equality Michigan Pride PAC and the Michigan Nurses Association.
“As you can tell from the stories detailed here in Michigan’s Women’s Hall of Fame, we have accomplished a great deal since winning the right to vote in 1920,” said Professor McCormack. “But our task is not over. We must continue to work to ensure full equality for Michigan women and their families. And that requires continued vigilance to combat economic inequality, inequality of opportunity and discrimination against women. Just as our mothers paved the way for us, so we must continue the work on behalf of the next generation.”
“For women, the pay gap is not just a career issue – it’s a family issue,” said Judge Johnson. “A woman who earns a promotion can afford a better life for her family. A woman who gets a raise can better prepare for her retirement. If we can close the gap, women will benefit, their children will benefit and our communities will benefit.”
In their remarks, Planned Parenthood, Equality Michigan Pride PAC and the Michigan Nurses Association highlighted the service that Judge Kelley, Judge Johnson and Professor McCormack have given to their communities. Kelley created a youth mentoring program for at-risk girls to help them achieve their full potential, while Johnson created a community program for teens to stop criminal behavior and encourage positive choices. McCormack founded the Pediatric Advocacy and Domestic Violence Clinics at the University of Michigan Law School to stand up for women, children and families.
“As candidates for the Michigan Supreme Court, we have pledged to restore balance and fairness to the court, ensuring that Michigan families get a fair hearing, no matter how rich and powerful the special interests are,” said Judge Kelley. “We celebrate Women’s Equality Day not just for ourselves, but for our sisters, our daughters, our nieces and our granddaughters.”
Celebrated as Women’s Equality Day, August 26, 2012, marks the 92nd anniversary of the certification of the 19th Amendment, which provided women with the right to vote. Just five days after the amendment passed Congress, Michigan became the second state to ratify it, more than a year before it finally became the law of the land.
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