By: Nancy Werner

NFBPWC Advocacy Team ERA Lead

EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT

100^th ANNIVERSARY MARCH

Advocacy –Equal Rights Amendment.  “Equality of rights under the law shall not be  denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex” needs to be placed into our Constitution. While most states have laws prohibiting discrimination of any kind based on sex, proponents of the E.R.A. say laws can be reversed or eliminated. Having a Constitutional Amendment would cement those rights. 

Last month we saw Wednesday, December 13^th come and go with all the hype concerning the march in Washington D.C. The ERA- Coalition worked hard for us to remember that it was December 13, 1923 when the ERA was first introduced in Congress. They invited every group who has voiced or has promoted the ERA passage. We learned all about the day through our connections with the MS. Memo. But now, a month later, what is happening?

Soon after the March, a letter was sent to the White House, Senators and others in power calling for the publication of the Equal Rights Amendment. It was written by the ERA Publication Task Force.  It was signed by 84 diverse organizations. A response was received…

The White House narrative is that President Biden is pro women, pro Roe and the other party is trashing women’s rights. Given that we briefed the White House Council on the danger of allowing the Dobbs decision to be handed down without publication of the ERA, it is apparent that the Biden Administration is giving the Supreme Court a clear lane to rollback women’s rights. 

It is dangerous not to have the ERA published in this environment. 

Jean Sweeney, Co-Head of the National Publication Task Force continued to share some more facts for us to ponder. We lost the Roe framework and the Comstock Laws of the 1870 and the Chamberlain-Kahn Act of 1918 remain as trap laws. Now add the Artificial Intelligence has been denied the proper Constitution with the 28^th Amendment in 4 years.

What can we be doing? We need to be attending political events and asking our candidates about the ERA publication. I enjoyed Jean Sweeney calling us “warriors,” because that is exactly what we are. We MUST stand up and fight. No one is going to do it but us.

Last month I asked you to do the following and it is still waiting for you to do. Call Colleen Shogan at 202-357-5900 –Here is your message – My name is ______________. I am calling from _________(name your state). I am asking that you do your duty and publish the Equal Rights Amendment as the 28^th Amendment. The E.R. A. has fulfilled the requirements set forth in Article Five of the Constitution and we can wait no longer for full constitutional protection.

She is the National Archivist.

Also, if you haven’t signed the http://www.sign4era.org  to receive notifications, please do so. We are looking for a million signers. Please keep in touch with your Senators using the NFBPWC “One Click.” We have been promised a revisit and we need to be ready. Keep clicking.