Kirk an advocate for women's rights

In recent weeks Dan Seals has repeatedly attacked Congressman Kirk for his vote against the so-called Paycheck Fairness act. Seals claims that Kirk's vote shows that he is against women's rights, specifically their right to equal pay. But Seals is exactly wrong; Kirk was protecting women's rights.

The Paycheck Fairness Act, despite its name, has very little to do with fair pay, and much more to do with drumming up new business for the trial lawyers. It would have taken the right to sue for equal pay - a right that women have had since President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act - out of the hands of women and put it in the hands of trial lawyers. Women would be enrolled, without their consent, in class action lawsuits and would lose their right to sue independently. The only people to benefit from such a change would have been the trial lawyers, who routinely take 30 percent off the top of any legal settlements.

Congressman Kirk believes in women's rights. He believes in their right to control their bodies. He believes in their right to equal pay. And he believes in their right to control their own legal options. To suggest otherwise is absurd.

Mary Bacci

Highland Park