A statement long attributed to television evangelist Pat Robertson has him describing the "feminist agenda" as "a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians":
This statement was included in a fund-raising letter sent out under Robertson's name to supporters of the Christian Coalition in 1992, seeking to rally opposition to a proposed Iowa state Equal Rights Amendment, as the Associated Press reported at the time:
A fund-raising letter written by the television evangelist Pat Robertson in opposition to a proposed equal rights amendment to the Iowa Constitution suggests that feminists want women to kill their children and practice witchcraft.
The equal rights amendment, on which Iowans will vote Nov. 3, is a broadly worded measure that would bar sex discrimination.
But Mr. Robertson's letter, distributed to supporters of the evangelical organization Christian Coalition, described the proposal as part of a "feminist agenda" that "is not about equal rights for women."
Instead, the letter said, "it is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians."
Mr. Robertson, a 1988 Republican Presidential contender, included in the letter a plea that money be sent to the organization Stop E.R.A. to "help defeat E.R.A. and defend the family in Iowa."
The Washington Post noted that Robertson was not the only opponent of the Iowa Equal Rights Amendment, which ultimately failed, to express such criticisms of it:
"The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians."
That is what television evangelist Pat Robertson wrote in a recent letter to help raise money to defeat Amendment 1, an Iowa ballot initiative that would extend the protections of the state constitution to women.
Opponents, including Phyllis Schlafly of the National Coalition for Life, charge that the amendment would promote abortion on demand and homosexuality, degrade the family and place burdensome responsibilities on women.
Robertson begins his letter: "Radical feminists have made Iowa a target. Their goal is simple: to resurrect the Equal Rights Amendment as the first step toward the radical feminist movement."
The three-page letter was paid for by the Christian Coalition of Chesapeake, Va., and was an in-kind contribution to the Iowa Committee to Stop ERA. It was sent to households in Iowa and around the country that have contributed to the Christian Coalition.