Women’s Bill of Rights receiving mixed reactions

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - The Bill of Rights spells out American’s rights in relation to the government. And there’s a new movement to add a “Women’s Bill of Rights”. But it’s coming with pushback. More than eight thousand have signed the drafted document.

Resolutions have been filed using the language in both the U.S. House and Senate. And now, Attorney General Lynn Fitch is adding her support.

“We are following the science,” said State Senator Angela Hill. “Biological means biological women and men are different.”

“This is another example of extremist politicians trying to score political points,” noted Human Rights Campaign Mississippi State Director Rob Hill.

Supporters of the document say they want to affirm legal protections afforded to women under the law. But the Human Rights Campaign says...

“This is not pro-woman,” said Rob Hill. “This is pro oppression. Our Attorney General is not pro-woman. Efforts like this or stunts like this, I should, I should say, are pro oppression and pro bigotry because that’s all that they succeed in.”

And he fears it could add to the growing number of LGBTQ young people attempting and contemplating suicide.

“Women’s rights are LGBTQ plus rights,” explains Rob Hill. “LGBTQ plus rights are women’s rights. Again, this is an effort to further stigmatize the LGBTQ plus community.”

State Senator Angela Hill says she’s ready to take action when the legislature returns in January.

“We need to codify this into law,” said Sen. Angela Hill. “And I started with that back in 2021. And I think I started following the Fairness Act in 2020 because I could see what was coming on the horizon. And I knew that it was imminent, that we protect women, we protect women’s sports, we protect their privacy, we protect their safety.”

Hill’s Fairness Act was signed into law in 2021 and seeks to ban transgender athletes from participating in female sports but she thinks more should be in the state code.

“I had language in the Fairness Act that actually spoke to restrooms, locker rooms, places where women need their privacy, and it was pulled out in committee over my objections,” added Hill.

Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.