Sue Hartigan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: NOW Won't Support Jones Appeal > WASHINGTON (AP) -- Declaring its national board and > local chapters overwhelmingly against it, the National > Organization for Women said today it will not file > legal papers on behalf of Paula Jones in her sexual > harassment lawsuit against President Clinton. > > NOW President Patricia Ireland told a news conference > the women's group believes such a ``highly charged > political'' lawsuit should not be used as a test case > for stopping sexual harassment in the workplace. > > Ms. Ireland also said her group ``decided not to work > with the disreputable right-wing organizations and > individuals advancing her cause, who themselves have a > long-standing political interest in undermining our > movement to strengthen women's rights and weakening the > laws that protect those rights.'' > > NOW did not poll its membership, Ms. Ireland said, but > it was clear from contacts with about 500 chapters > around the country that the local groups opposed filing > a friend-of-the-court brief, by margins of at least > 8-to-1 and possibly 10-to-1. > > ``Hard cases make bad law,'' Ms. Ireland said. The > conservative Rutherford Institute, which is financing > legal expenses for Mrs. Jones, and her spokeswoman > Susan Carpenter McMillan ``are using this case to > advance their own political agendas,'' she said. > > Decrying the political positions of the institute, Mrs. > Carpenter McMillan and other ``women's rights > opponents,'' Ms. Ireland said: ``Paula Jones has > surrounded herself with a phalanx of politically > motivated lawyers.'' -- Two rules in life: 1. Don't tell people everything you know. 2. Subscribe/Unsubscribe, email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the body of the message enter: subscribe/unsubscribe law-issues
