Why We’re Still Fighting for the Equal Rights Amendment
October 09, 2024
"We are finally within reach of true equality for girls and women in the United States, thanks to the voters of Virginia and supporters across the country."
- Statement for CNN Politics from Jessica Neuwirth and Carol Jenkins, Co-Presidents of The ERA Coalition
We are celebrating a sweet victory today: pro-ERA legislators have been swept into power in Virginia. Congratulations to them. We are eager to begin work on Virginia becoming the historic 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.
Thanks to you all for your hard work and support: this would not be possible without you with us.
Including here our statement in the CNN.com report about last night's meaning for the ERA. And, importantly, our statement for the media on next steps:
The ERA Coalition congratulates all of our member organizations, most especially VARatifyERA.Org, for a terrific campaign in Virginia on behalf of girls and women everywhere.
The prospect of Virginia becoming the 38th state to vote to ratify the ERA, which was passed by Congress in 1972 with a 7-year deadline, would fulfill the requirement outlined by the Constitution. The deadline, which was included in the preamble and not the amendment itself, was never voted on by the states. We must now turn our attention to Congress and urge them to vote to remove the deadline.
There are two bills in Congress now:
HJ Res 38, Congresswoman Jackie Speier's bill to remove the deadline now has 215 co-sponsors, more than enough to move to a mark-up and vote. We request that Judiciary Chair Jerrold Nadler move swiftly to set a date for a mark-up. Once that's done, the path is clear for a full House vote and we urge Speaker Pelosi to schedule one as soon as possible.
In the Senate, Senators Ben Cardin and Lisa Murkowski are co-sponsoring SJ Res 6, a bi-partisan effort to remove the deadline. They will only add a Democrat if a Republican signs on. So far that bill has Senators Susan Collins and Angus King on board. We urge the Senate to consider the fates of girls and women in America, and sign on to the bill.
In 2020 we will celebrate a century of women's suffrage. Let's make sure we can celebrate women as fully represented citizens in our Constitution then, too.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/06/politics/equal-rights-amendment-virginia-democrats/
In Solidarity,
Carol Jenkins
Co-President and CEO
ERA Coalition
Please consider making a donation today to help us continue our work towards equality for all.
