ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) - The head of the Miss America pageant on Tuesday backed off plans to allow women who've been divorced or pregnant to compete for the title, saying no final decision has been made.
Robert L. Beck, CEO of the Miss America Organization, said the pageant's board of directors has agreed to hold off implementing the changes pending talks with state pageant operators.
The Associated Press reported Monday that the pageant had decided to break with nearly 50 years of tradition by striking provisions in the contestant contracts that require women to swear they have never been married and never been pregnant.
The state pageant officials are furious about the changes.
They say they would mar the ``high moral standards'' Miss America has stood for.
Former Miss America winners, current contestants and the former CEO of the pageant have also all lined up against the changes.
``It's just sad,'' said Jack Lawson, chairman of the Miss Montana Pageant.
Several state pageant directors who asked not to be named Tuesday said there would be mass defections by states from the Miss America program if the changes stand.
``I don't know what the outcome of the dialogue will be,'' Beck said Tuesday in his first public statements about the controversy. Asked if it was possible that the old rules will stand, he said: ``That's always a possibility.''
The new rules, adopted at a June meeting of the board, would require contestants to swear that ``I am unmarried'' and ``I am not the natural or adoptive parent of any child.''
They would open the door to divorcees, women who've had abortions and women who've given birth to children who later died.
The idea was to bring the contestant contract into compliance with New Jersey laws against discrimination, Beck said in an affidavit filed in court as part of the legal action.
Beck said Tuesday there was no underlying reason beyond a legal review of the contract that showed it to be outdated and in need of revision.
The pageant notified state operators about the change last month, telling them their contestants would have to sign the new contract to compete in Saturday's 79th annual Miss America Pageant here.
The states went to court Aug. 17 to fight the contract.
In an out-of-court settlement, the pageant agreed not to require the contestants to sign the new contract, and the National Association of Miss America State Pageants agreed to withdraw its request for an injunction preventing the Miss America Organization from forcing them to sign.
``While it was an issue several months ago, it is not an issue today for two reasons,'' Beck said in a statement. ``First, the Board of Directors decided several weeks ago to not have the revised contract apply to this year's competition, tabling discussion of the matter until after this year's national competition.
``Second, we have agreed to engage in a dialogue with our franchisees to explore possible alternatives that ensure we are compliant with applicable law and consistent with the traditional values associated with Miss America.''
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