The Presidium of Agudath Israel of America has asked members of the New York State Assembly to vote against ratification of the women’s equal rights amendment to the Constitution. The Orthodox Jewish movement claimed that this amendment would “mandate the conscription of women into the armed services,” and declared that “this would be a severe setback to the moral tone of our nation’s youth as well as to the moral climate of our entire society.” The State Senate has already approved ratification of the amendment and Agudath Israel hopes to be able to defeat it in the lower chamber. Agudath Israel noted that the national director of Selective Service, Dr. Curtis Tarr, stated officially on April 7 that women would be automatically drafted into the Armed Service if the amendment in its present language is ratified.
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