The subject of abortion has reached an impasse. The problem now is that until recently the subject has overshadowed other issues of pre-natal and post-natal care, and may have been a too-focal point for the feminist movemnt, much to the chagrin of women who might have joined the movement but for their personal opposition to abortion-on-demand. The victory that the feminists achieved in the Supreme Court in Roe v Wade had the consenquence of a huge backlash against the movement, to the extent that many women today do not define themselves as ‘feminist’. As a result, other pro-woman, or rather, pro-human, legislation, such as the ERA, new programs for pre-natal care, time-off work for parenting, sexual harassment, deadbeat dads paying child support, and improved enforcement and beefing up of sexual crimes, all of thes propose laws were stalled or defeated for years. Those opposed to the feminist movement, who might have been otherwise more placatable or to the above legislation, turned the Supreme Court decision into a rallying cry, and successfully beat back the other legislation, which, to an extent undermined the movement. Only until the ascendency of Sandra Day-O’Connor to the Supreme Court did the women’s movement pick up speed again.
should say, "…beefing up sentences for sex crimes…