[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 32 (Thursday, February 27, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E324]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           REGARDING TITLE IX

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                         HON. CAROLYN McCARTHY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 27, 2003

  Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong 
support for Title IX. Today Secretary Paige has released a report that 
I believe drastically weakens the purpose of Title IX.
  Mr. Speaker, changes to the Title IX standards as applied to 
athletics are not warranted or necessary. Modifications to the 
standards that would limit future opportunities for women in favor of 
expanded opportunities for men would violate the goal of gender equity. 
Using the results of an interest survey, as the commission report 
recommends, would limit women's participation opportunities, and be 
factually inaccurate.
  Mr. Speaker, what we should be doing to ensure equal opportunity is 
enforcing Title IX and implementing its policies at every level of 
education. The responsibility of the federal government is to ensure 
equal opportunity, not to ensure that particular sports teams are 
added, discontinued, or maintained.
  Currently, there are 2.8 million girls participating in high school 
sports, but there is only room for 150,000 women in college sports. 
This disparity is obscene. We need to do a better job at providing 
equal opportunities for all athletes.
  Mr. Speaker, enforcing Title IX is just the right thing to do and the 
reality is that if our colleges and universities want to benefit from 
federal dollars, then they must provide gender equality at their 
institutions. Gender equity does not end at the admissions door either, 
gender equity in athletics is a must.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope that this Congress refuses to fall into this trap 
of pitting sports teams against each other. We must realize it is about 
civil rights first and foremost.

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