| Originally adopted in 1893, the Great Seal of the State of Wyoming prominently features “Equal Rights”. |
According to some, last Thursday saw the passage and addition of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the U.S. Constitution. Obviously, there was little splash because it didn’t happen. That didn’t stop several radical leftist groups and the office of President Joe Biden from releasing statements declaring that it either IS or SHOULD be part of the Constitution.
Tracing the history of the ERA from its introduction in 1923 to its passage through Congress in 1972 to this past week’s discussion shows the vast changes in the American political and moral landscape that have occurred in America, especially in the last five years.
In 1972, the ERA passed Congress with a supermajority of votes from the House of Representatives and the Senate. After approving a deadline of 1982, the ERA was released to the states for ratification. Because it was a proposed Constitutional Amendment, two thirds of the states had to ratify it as well. That year, 22 of the needed 38 states quickly ratified it, and eight more joined the following year. By 1977, five more had joined, bringing the total number to 35, just three short of the 38 states need to ratify the Amendment and make it a permanent part of the Constitution. But, as awareness grew of the implications of the ERA, five states quickly rescinded their ratification, and no other state joined before the 1982 deadline.
The reason? On its face, the text of the Equal Rights Amendment sounds like something everyone would agree with. It states, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” Where controversy erupted in the 1970s was in the assertion that abortion was a fundamental part of equality according to the ERA. With the passage of Roe v. Wade in 1973, the abortion lobby desired to enshrine the practice of abortion in the Constitution itself.
A further reason for increasing opposition has risen over the past five years. Some in our society have openly argued that human sexuality is based upon fluid feelings rather than immutable biology. Consequently, the passage of the ERA today would not accomplish the purpose its authors intended in 1923. The ERA could be used to overturn its original meaning if men, declaring themselves to be women, insist upon invading the privacy of actual biological women. It could even be used to break the promise of Title IX, which gave young women opportunities to gain collegiate sports scholarships.
We have a proud tradition in Wyoming of leading the nation on issues of women’s rights.
- It was in Wyoming, in 1870, when Esther H. Morris became the first female justice of the peace in the nation.
- It was in Wyoming, in 1890, that women first voted in America.
- It was in Wyoming, in 1894, that the first woman was elected to statewide office. In that year, Estelle Reel became the Superintendent of Public Instruction.
- It was in Wyoming, in 1924, when Nellie Tayloe Ross was elected to replace her deceased husband, giving America its first female governor.
In Wyoming, the “Equality State,” we have always valued our ladies.
In Wyoming, we hold all lives, born and unborn to be of equal value. We also hold that men should not invade the rights of women.
The story of the ERA shows how far our culture has drifted over the past century – and why Christians insist that every person, man or woman, born or unborn, is created in the image of God and is of the highest value.
For Wyoming,
Nathan Winters
Executive Director
If you’re watching Woke DC, it may seem like every day is cloudy with new attacks on common sense, the Constitution, conscience rights, and more.
From nearly a hundred bills in Congress containing “Equality Act” language, to rules promoting abortion, to federal election takeover attempts, the left is pressuring every system to comply with their agenda—every chance they get.
And while that might seem like bad news, it really means that YOU are turning the tide! Your quick response successfully stopped Chuck Schumer’s attempt to break the filibuster rules in the Senate. The federal election overhaul was frozen on its fast-track (again). And don’t forget, last year you stopped the Equality Act in the Senate! Those are important victories!
These recent pro-family wins are why the Left is now urging Congress to recognize the so-called “Equal Rights Amendment” as the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The Equal Rights Amendment was passed by Congress in the early 70s. But before the ERA could become an official amendment to the Constitution, it needed to be ratified (approved) by 38 states before the year 1982.
That didn’t happen.
At this point in our history, the ERA would likely be used to codify a so-called “right to abortion” (in the likely event Roe is overturned), and advance radical ideas about gender in every part of federal law.
This is not your grandmother’s ERA. It’s not about equality or women’s rights. Under the Left’s new definitions of “sex and gender, any man can be a woman—anytime, anyplace, and at any cost. This means the Equal Rights Amendment— originally intended for women— could be used to allow men into women’s locker rooms, restrooms, prisons, scholarships, sports teams, and even shelters for victims of sexual assault—without question.
The Left is also trying to introduce these radical gender policies through the Biden administrative state. For instance, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is trying to force healthcare plans to cover elective “gender transition services.”
Our team submitted a comment on behalf of pro-family Americans like you, opposing this radical rule that you can read here.
The Left knows that families are winning across the nation. These desperate attempts from DC to impose radical ideas are due in large part to the fact that you helped stop the Equality Act last year. And they know their time is short as the midterm election looms on the horizon.
Keep raising your voice. It is truly making a difference.
Nicole Hudgens
Government Affairs
Dear Friends,
What a month it’s been.
On February 25, the U.S. House passed the dangerous so-called Equality Act. That Act would redefine “sex” to include “sexual orientation and gender identity” across federal non-discrimination law. As we’ve shared with you before, the Equality Act would hurt women and children, destroy girls’ sports, threaten the rights of parents and doctors, and even open the door to expanded abortion.
This morning, the Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing on that bill. You can send your Senators a message opposing the Equality Act here.
On March 8, President Biden signed two Executive Orders that promote a radical view of sex and gender. One of these Executive Orders will likely be used to allow males to compete (and win) in girls’ sports and to enter girls’ locker rooms and restrooms.
And today, the U.S. House will consider the Equal Rights Amendment — a proposal that could be used to expand abortion, override good sex-based protections for women, and even broaden the definition of sex beyond biological sex.
I’m sensing a theme: redefining sex and, in the process, erasing women.
That’s why today you are invited to join Family Policy Alliance President and CEO Craig DeRoche for a conversation with Rep. Jody Hice (GA-10) as they reveal what’s going on and what Americans can do about it.
JOIN US
Erasing Women: A Conversation with Rep. Jody Hice (GA-10)
Livestreaming on Facebook and YouTube
TODAY, March 17, 2021
2:45 PM ET/1:45 PM CT/12:45 PM MT/11:45 AM PT
Please join us and don’t forget to send your Senators a message opposing the Equality Act.
See you soon!
Meridian Baldacci
Policy and Communications Strategist
P.S. Seeing this late? You can still watch the livestream on Facebook and YouTube, and you can still send your Senator a message!
What’s it called when you erase women from the law under the guise of “equality for women”?
The Equal Rights Amendment. The Equal Rights Amendment was passed by Congress in the early 70’s. It declared: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” But before the ERA could become an official amendment to the Constitution, it needed to be ratified (approved) by 38 states before the year 1982.
By the time the deadline rolled around, only 35 states had ratified—though since then, exactly 38 have ratified—three after the deadline. And on Thursday, February 13, the U.S. House of Representatives voted “yes” to remove the original 1982 deadline, passing H.J.Res.79 on to the Senate. Yet, whether or not Congress can remove the original deadline is still up for debate.
So, what’s the controversy and why are modern-day feminists and radical activists clamoring so loudly for the ERA to be passed now?
In the late 1970’s, after failed ERA efforts, women’s rights experienced a significant victory when the Supreme Court finally ruled the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause applied to women. Yet, ERA proponents of today argue the 14th Amendment isn’t enough. They claim that because the 14th Amendment uses the word “citizen” and not the word “sex” or “gender,”–and rightfully so—the 14th Amendment doesn’t allow men (who say they’re women) to be treated like women. It doesn’t allow these men into women’s bathrooms or allow boys to compete on girls’ sports teams. Nor does the 14th Amendment allow for the right to abortion to be encoded into our Constitution or require tax-payer funding for abortion.
But the ERA does and will.
The language of the ERA, at first glance sounds fairly reasonable. But, in fact, it prevents state and federal laws from making any distinctions based on sex (which can also mean gender). Yet, sex-based distinctions have been a result of a century-long battle for women to be acknowledged in law, and for their needs to be recognized as drastically different from men’s, especially at certain times and in certain places. These distinctions have allowed for women’s “only” scholarships and colleges, childbirth and pregnancy accommodations, spousal and child support, social security benefits, and so much more.
When sex distinctions are erased from the law, women and all the laws passed to protect their unique position in society are also erased. We’ve already seen these exact benefits being taken from women in states with state-level ERAs. In addition, courts in New Mexico and Connecticut have used their ERAs to rule that denying abortion to women was “sex-discrimination” because only women can have abortions.
From state cases, we can predict the devastating impact a federal ERA would have on women. It’s likely federal programs like WIC (Women Infants and Children Program) would be deemed unconstitutional, social security benefits for women based on spousal income would be removed, women could suddenly become eligible for the draft, and women’s federally funded shelters and prisons would have to allow men access. And most egregiously, it is highly likely to encode the right of abortion into the U.S. Constitution.
Yet, it is this fresh and radical spin on the interpretation of “women’s rights” that has captured the devotion of the radical left and why the House passed H.J.RES 79, which could be heard by the Senate. We must remain vigilant and prevent this grave injustice against women from passing. Reach out to your Senators today and ask them to oppose the ERA.
Standing for the family of believers,
Stephanie Curry, Esq.
Policy Manager
As we have commemorated the 47th anniversary of Roe v. Wade this week, and as thousands of pro-life Americans are March(ing) for Life in our nation’s capital today, one of the most anti-life proposals of a bygone era is having a second moment in the spotlight. The Equal Right Amendment (ERA), long thought to be defunct, is re-emerging with the support of activists who argue that now is the time to amend the U.S. Constitution to guarantee “equal rights” for women.
While the ERA promises legal equality among the sexes, it does away with important sex distinctions that have been indispensable in protecting women. The amendment language is simple: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” But Family Policy Alliance and many other pro-life organizations believe it will enshrine abortion rights in the Constitution and have other disastrous consequences for women and girls.
Although approved by Congress and sent to the states in 1972, only 35 of the needed 38 states ratified the amendment before it expired in 1982.
But that isn’t stopping Democrats from trying to resurrect the ERA. Nevada and Illinois ratified the amendment in recent years, and Virginia followed suit last week. With these three additions, the number of states that have ratified the ERA has now increased to the requisite 38, notwithstanding the 1982 deadline.
What is the future of the ERA? Well, that will be decided by Congress—and you, the engaged biblical citizens of this nation. Use our Action Center to tell your U.S. Representatives and Senators to oppose the ERA. It’s easy and only takes a minute of your time.
We’ve provided some answers to the most frequently asked questions about the ERA. Read below to learn more, but don’t forget to use our Action Center to contact your Representative and Senators. You can make a difference!
Q: Is the ERA necessary to protect women’s rights?
No. The Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution already prohibits government discrimination against women and guarantees equal rights for “all persons” regardless of sex. The ERA isn’t needed to protect women’s rights. In fact, if the amendment were ratified, it would endanger spaces designed to protect women’s privacy and dignity, such as restrooms, locker rooms and fitting rooms.
Looking back, the movement to adopt the ERA fell apart in the 1970s when Phyllis Schlafly, a constitutional lawyer and conservative activist, persuasively argued that women stood to lose far more than they would gain.
Think about the implications of prohibiting “discrimination” on the basis of sex. Sex-segregated restrooms, locker rooms, and women’s shelters could all be opened to men. After all, wouldn’t it be “discrimination” to stop a man from using the female bathroom? Women’s and girls’ sports, too, would be threatened.
Many states have already opened women’s bathrooms and girls’ sports to biological males. The ERA would effectively require these policies nationwide and with a far greater reach than many would imagine.
Q: How would ratification of the ERA affect the pro-life victories achieved over the last several decades?
A: The ERA would enshrine government-funded abortion-on-demand in the Constitution. Restrictions on abortion would likely be overturned under the guise of protecting women from reproductive “discrimination,” which is impermissible under the ERA.
Moreover, several state and federal courts have already interpreted state ERAs as requiring government (meaning your tax dollars!) funding for abortion. A federal ERA would bring about the same result across the entire nation. That’s why some policy leaders have taken to calling the ERA the “Everything Related to Abortion” Amendment.
Q: The deadline for states to ratify ERA expired in 1982. Is it legally possible for the ERA to be revived?
A: Probably not. But Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives are trying to retroactively extend the deadline imposed by Congress when the amendment was sent to the states for ratification in 1972.
Most legal authorities—including the U.S. Justice Department and the National Archivist—have concluded that original cutoff date was final. If that’s not enough, it’s also worth noting that five of the 35 states that had ratified the amendment in the 1970s have since rescinded their support.
Because House Democrats are trying to sweep aside the lapsed deadline and ignore the efforts of five states to withdraw their ratification votes, it’s important that you contact your congresspeople and tell them to oppose the ERA. Use our Action Center to send an email to your Representative and Senators now.
For the family of believers,
Blaine Conzatti
Director of Advocacy, Family Policy Alliance of Idaho
Our friends at Nevada Family Alliance informed us today about a critical development late last night at the state capitol. We encourage you to take action this afternoon if you haven’t already – and then pass this along to others.
A new bill was dropped late last night by Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro under the cover of darkness with only four days left in the legislative session.
It is a state version of the federal Equal Rights Amendment that we have told you about recently.
SJR8, the Nevada State Equal Rights Amendment, will mean tax-funded abortions, loss of religious liberty and more:
- Harms to Women and Girls in Sports, Academics, Economic Opportunities, and Privacy
- Harms to Faith-Based Schools, Colleges, and Non-Profit Organizations
- Harms to Medical Rights of Conscience and Taxpayer Funding for Abortions
Please contact your state senator right away, as the measure is likely to be voted on this afternoon.
Here is a suggested message: Vote No on SJR8, the so-called State ERA, which will mean taxpayer-funded abortions and loss of religious liberty. It is wrong to bring this up at the last minute with no opportunity for citizens to respond! (Or write your own message.)
And here is a list of senators’ email addresses. Please contact your own senator and any or all of the others as well.
All Senate Democrats:
Yvanna.Cancella@sen.state.nv.us,
Marilyn.DonderoLoop@sen.state.nv.us,
Dallas.Harris@sen.state.nv.us,
James.Ohrenschall@sen.state.nv.us,
Melanie.Scheible@sen.state.nv.us,
Marcia.Washington@sen.state.nv.us,
Joyce.Woodhouse@sen.state.nv.us
All Senate Republicans:
Pete.Goicoechea@sen.state.nv.us
Ben.Kieckhefer@sen.state.nv.us
James.Settelmeyer@sen.state.nv.us
Thank you for making your voice heard on this urgent matter!
The Family Policy Alliance Team
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has a simple answer for the dozens of new state pro-life laws that have been passed this year: the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).
To that end, today the Equal Rights Amendment is getting its first congressional hearing in 36 years. That means that your member of Congress could be voting on it soon.
But this blast from the past remains the same blunt object attacking life and family values that it was back in the 70s and early 80s. In fact, given where our courts have gone in interpreting “equality” laws, it is even more dangerous now.
The Equal Rights Amendment would shatter pro-life laws
First, it would enshrine government-funded abortion on demand in the Constitution.
Many of the effects of the ERA are somewhat uncertain. However, its effect on abortion law is clear in a multitude of cases stemming from states that have ERAs. Under these state versions of the ERA, courts are finding no difference between abortions and medically necessary procedures sought by men, so states have been forced to pay for abortions under Medicaid.
Legal experts expect these state ERAs to also serve as a legal weapon to take down a host of other pro-life laws – from parental consent and notification laws to dismemberment bans to the pain-capable 20-week bans, and more.
It’s why some policy leaders have taken to calling the ERA the Everything Related to Abortion Act.
The Equal Rights Amendment would invade women’s privacy
But while the ERA would be a coup for Planned Parenthood, that’s not all it’s about.
In 1983 – the last time the ERA had a congressional hearing – the acronym LGBT didn’t even exist. While there was a small-but-growing push for homosexual rights, the T (for transgender rights) didn’t join the acronym until the 1990s.
In 2019, the transgender movement is all the rage in many cultural and legal circles. That makes today’s ERA even more dangerous than it was decades ago. Simply put, the ERA would place in the highest law of the land a limitless ban on sex discrimination – at a time when sex is increasingly being interpreted to mean “gender identity.”
The practical impact of this is that the ERA is likely to bring the transgender revolution to every corner of the country. In the name of protecting women, the ERA would likely open up women’s bathrooms, locker rooms and showers to anyone claiming to be a woman. However, it should be noted that the U.S. Supreme Court will soon hear a case (R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. EEOC) that could have a major impact in this area.
The Equal Rights Amendment threatens women’s insurance rates and sports participation
The ERA is a blunt object that will create other chaos as well, whether intended or unintended. For example, it could go so far as to end sex-segregated sports because they are technically “discriminating” on the basis of sex. At the least, it would likely further the growing problem of giving places on women’s teams to men who claim to be women.
It would also end the justified preferential rates that women receive from insurance companies.
And it would sweep away traditional differences of treatment “on account of sex” in such areas as marriage, divorce and alimony, child custody, adoptions, property laws and prison regulations. These are all areas in which states have historically made distinctions between men and women in order to better protect women and children.
The full impact of the ERA is unknown, calling to mind another famous Pelosi-ism: “We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it.”
The ERA is on the move: What you can do
Today’s hearing on the ERA shows the determination of Speaker Pelosi to push it through, and it is likely that your member of Congress will have to make a decision on it soon.
The key to stopping its progress is information and action.
- Please share this information with others. The ERA has an innocuous name, but its real impact is unfamiliar to most people, especially since it has mostly been in the shadows for decades. The first key is to empower as many as possible with good information.
- Please send a message to your member of Congress, urging them to oppose the ERA. It’s quick and simple on our Action Center.
Thank you for making a difference.
The Family Policy Alliance Team
You know you’re doing your job right when the Washington Post writes an attack article against you! Victoria Cobb is President of our allied state organization in Virginia, The Family Foundation. Victoria and The Family Foundation have been working tirelessly on behalf of pro-family Virginians to defeat what’s called the “Equal Rights Amendment” (ERA).
As the Left becomes increasingly worried about the overturn of Roe v. Wade and advancing an LGBT agenda in our laws, Planned Parenthood and the ACLU have resurrected a decades-old effort to amend the Constitution with the ERA. The ERA is an extremely dangerous effort to enshrine abortion-on-demand in the Constitution. And today’s ERA would also open the floodgates to creating a constitutional right for a man to identify as a woman—anytime, any place, and at any cost. This means women’s locker rooms, restrooms, prisons, scholarships, sports teams, and even shelters for victims of sexual assault would all be accessible to men—without question.
We are so incredibly proud of Victoria and her team—and their leadership on this issue! Their work advancing pro-family values in Virginia can now be felt across the nation. And the Washington Post is NOT happy about it.
Check out the full article in the Washington Post.