Last month, Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, outlawing discrimination on the basis of gender.
The ERA now meets the three-fourths threshold the Constitution requires for amendments. But new questions have arisen about the validity of a decades-old deadline set for states to adopt the amendment. The U.S. House of Representatives will vote this Thursday, Feb. 13, on whether to remove this deadline for adoption of the ERA, which will allow this amendment to move forward.
Religious extremists have unsurprisingly attempted to undermine the ERA’s recent traction, peddling the dubious claim that it is meant to legalize state-sponsored abortion. In a recent statement, the League of Catholic Bishops stated that “the ERA hurts women and the unborn.”
On the contrary, the ERA is a long overdue measure to achieve gender equality under the law. This amendment is supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans — 94 percent according to a recent survey — and your representative needs to hear your support of the resolution to remove the deadline for adoption.
The Equal Rights Amendment has always been opposed by the Religious Right and Christian Nationalists. The Roman Catholic Church, Protestant fundamentalists and the Mormon Church tirelessly lobbied against this mandate for equality. Our public and social policy must not be dictated by religion and ultraconservative Christian denominations. Please urge your U.S. representative to support H.J. Res. 79 before its upcoming hearing on Thursday, Feb. 13. Click on the red “Take Action!” link below and feel free to use or adapt the talking points provided.
