It was recently reported (in Pennsylvania newspapers) that at the state Republican Committee's endorsement meeting regarding Auditor General Barbara Hafer's bid for Governor that James Pickard's press secretary repeatedly mentioned Hafer's support for and membership in the National Organization for Women as a reason to deny endorsement.

An odd criticism considering that a recent Time/CNN poll shows that 82 percent of women believe the women's movement is still improving women's lives and 62 percent think that feminists have been helpful to women.

NOW is on cutting edge of that women's movement and we keep very good company.

Just a few years ago NOW celebrated our 20th anniversary with a gala in Los Angeles' Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

The gala highlighted our rich history and the challenges and achievements of two decades. The honorary co-chairs of the historic event were Betty Ford, Roslyn Carter and Lady Bird Johnson.

These feminists, the spouses of former U.S. presidents, both Republican and Democrat, have worked through the years in the battle for equality and justice.

It was the feminist women in Congress who introduced: the 1944 G.I. Bill of Rights; the 1963 Equal Pay Act: Amendments to the Social Security Act to eliminate sex discrimination; tax deductions for child care; federal aid to education; the prohibition against sex discrimination in Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; displaced homemakers legislation; the school lunch program; consumer protection laws; pension laws reform; rules of evidence in rape trials and the abolition of the poll tax.

NOW members are today's pioneers, women and men working together to forge a better future for our nation's women and children -- an enormous task considering that 60 percent of adults below the federal poverty line are women.

Membership in NOW enables one to be informed on issues, legislation and the positions of candidates seeking office.

The National Organization for Women is proud of our contributions to the improvement in lives, laws and attitudes. In the pursuit of justice and equality, NOW helped cause necessary change.

Today we witness many men sharing the responsibilities of child care with women. Today women are rightfully pursuing careers of their choice and don't even remember such things as sex-segregated want ads with jobs marked For Males Only or Females Only.

A few years ago, NOW member astronaut Sally Ride, while addressing our convention, reminded us that NOW helped open the doors of NASA to women.

While many doors have been opened by our struggle for equality and justice, others remain locked. NOW will continue to push to open the doors to equal pay, child care, parental and medical leave, and we will also work to preserve what we have gained by continuing the fight to keep abortion safe and legal.