Equal Rights Amendment



The Equal Rights Amendment, or ERA for short, was or is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. It seeks to end the legal distinctions between men and women in matters of divorce, property, employment, and other matters.

A version of the E.R.A., which would have amended the United States Constitution to legally codify equality between women and men, was first introduced in Congress in 1923. It was reintroduced in 1971, passed by Congress in 1972 and immediately endorsed by President Richard M. Nixon. By 1977, 35 of the required 38 states had approved the amendment.

The ERA seemed on track for ratification by 38 states before the 1979 deadline until Phyllis Schlafly galvanized supporters across the country to lobby against the ERA. Throughout the 1970s, Schlafly had been working to mobilize opposition, and her message about the dangers of feminism and the sanctity of the American family reached millions of conservative, mainly white, housewives. The Moral Majority had also professed their opposition to the ERA. The Moral Majority had also professed their opposition to the ERA.

The amendment is back in the news now, as it has been passed by a 38th state, Virginia, on January 15, 2020. However, the state's move comes just days after the Justice Department released a legal opinion stating that the amendment was a dead letter because the deadline to ratify it passed in 1982, and the ERA can thus not make it into the Constitution without a legal battle thanks to Schlafly.

Equal Rights Amendment
''Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.''

''Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.''

''Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.''