Washington, D.C. — Today, the U.S. House of Representatives voted on a resolution to nullify the deadline to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) following Virginia becoming the 38th state to ratify the amendment last month. Currently, the National Archives and Records Administration is refusing to certify the ERA due to a U.S. Department of Justice opinion declaring the amendment invalid because it was not ratified during the initial window set by Congress. Shilpa Phadke, vice president of the Women’s Initiative at the Center for American Progress, released the following statement:
Today’s vote marks an exciting step toward ensuring that the ERA can officially become part of our nation’s Constitution. This vote reflects both the will of the people and the fundamental importance of enshrining equality regardless of sex in our nation’s founding document.
The ERA was first introduced almost 100 years ago, and today, the United States lags behind around 85 percent of countries around the world with constitutions that guarantee equal rights for women. With this vote, the House—composed of a historic number of women in Congress and under the leadership of Speaker Nancy Pelosi—is affirming that there should be no deadline on gender equality. Now, the Senate must follow suit and vote to remove the deadline so that the nation can formally recognize the inherent equality of all people—regardless of sex or gender.
Related resource:
“The Equal Rights Amendment: What You Need to Know” by Robin Bleiweis
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Colin Seeberger at [email protected] or 202.741.6292.