The New York Times reports on the death of Phyllis Schlafly:
Phyllis Schlafly, whose grass-roots campaigns against Communism, abortion and the Equal Rights Amendment galvanized conservatives for almost two generations and helped reshape American politics, died on Monday. She was 92. Her death was confirmed by the Eagle Forum, the conservative organization she founded in 1975. 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. Richard Viguerie, who masterminded the use of direct mail to finance right-wing causes, called her “the first lady of the conservative movement.”
Schlafly helped organize protests of women against the Equal Rights Amendment. The proposed change to the Constitution died in the late 1970s and early 1980s after it failed to pass the Senate and the Republican party—under Schlafly’s influence—withdrew its support.
Schlafly remained active in conservative and Republican politics for decades after that. Most recently, she endorsed Donald Trump for president and appeared at a rally for him in March.
