WASHINGTON, D.C. — Fifty years ago today, the Equal Rights Amendment was passed by the U.S. Senate and sent to the states for ratification. But the flawed proposal never made it to adulthood and died when ¾ of the states failed to ratify it within seven years.
Nevertheless, half a century later, some activists and politicians preposterously claim that the 1970s ERA is law of the land.
Jennifer C. Braceras, director of Independent Women’s Law Center, issued the following statement:
“ERA supporters would have you believe that an out-of-touch, expired proposal from the era of Charlie’s Angels, disco, and the Iran Hostage Crisis is now part of the Constitution. It’s not.
“Most of us either weren’t alive or were too young to vote when Congress sent the ERA to the states for approval. Activists must not be allowed to impose the proposed amendment’s radical consequences without our consent.”
Inez Stepman, senior policy analyst at Independent Women’s Forum, added, “Men and women are already equal under the law, but they are not interchangeable. The ERA would prevent the law from ever recognizing that men and women are biologically different, despite that recognition being necessary for women’s privacy, opportunity, and safety.”
Put simply, the ERA will eliminate:
- Single-sex prisons, restrooms, and publicly funded women’s shelters
- Sororities, single-sex athletic teams, and single-sex dorm rooms at public universities
- Federally funded STEM grants for women and girls, along with any other programs designated to specifically benefit women and girls.
Read more about the ERA here.
Read more about the ERA’s expiration here.
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Independent Women’s Law Center, project of Independent Women’s Forum, advocates for equal opportunity, individual liberty, and respect for the American constitutional order.