Take Action for the ERA

 

(Updated:  6/20/23)

CURRENT AND UPCOMING

June 24:  Women’s March; Join the Women’s March for a Day of Action in Washington, DC and around the country one year after the Dobbs decision

June 30 – July 2NOW National Conference, “We Won’t Stop:  Organizing Until Equity for All,” Arlington, VA

July 21-22:  ERA Centennial Convention, Seneca Falls, NY – Hosted by Equal Rights Action, Columbia Law School’s ERA Project and Generation Ratify; Join Maryland NOW, Vote Equality, and American Association of University Women of Maryland for a road trip to Seneca Falls to commemorate the 100 year long struggle to ratify and affirm the ERA.

July 29:  American Association of University Women Maryland Summer Conference, “The Equal Rights Amendment – Then and Now,” Churchville, MD – Maryland NOW ERA Task Force Chair Mary Ann Gorman will be speaking on direct actions Marylanders can take to further the advancement of the ERA.

A CALL TO ACTION

  1. Sign the Sign4ERA Petition – Join this Hunter College student-led petition drive to show support of the ERA.  We need as many signatures as we can reach in order to make it clear to our representatives in Congress that the public supports and demands affirmation of the ERA as the 28th Amendment to the US Constitution.
  2. Tell Congress to affirm the Equal Rights Amendment.  (ERA Coalition makes it easy for you to take action by pre-populating your elected officials and giving you a draft message you can personalize!)

    As of 6/8/23, the House version of the bill to affirm the ERA (HJ Res 25) has 202 cosponsors; in order to file a discharge petition and bring the bill to the House floor the resolution requires 218 cosponsors.  The only member of the Maryland delegation to Congress who has not co-sponsored HJ Res 25 is Representative Andy Harris.

    Continue to message Representative Harris asking him to cosponsor HJ Res 25.As we work toward a second vote on the Senate version of the bill to affirm the ERA (SJ Res 4), we want to ensure we have the bipartisan support of as many members of Congress as possible.  As of 5/22/23, SJ Res 4 has 53 cosponsors, including both Maryland senators, Ben Cardin (sponsor) and Chris Van Hollen.You can help in two ways:  thank current cosponsors of SJ Res 4 and urge friends in other states to message their US senators to cosponsor SJ Res 4.Roll Call of Senate Vote on SJ Res 4Thank current cosponsors of SJ Res 4, especially:  Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

    Urge friends in the following states to message their US senators to cosponsor SJ Res 4:  Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Steve Daines (R- MT), John Barrasso (R-WY)

  3. Message your representative to the US House of Representatives to urge them to join the Congressional ERA Caucus.  The ERA Caucus was launched on March 28, 2023, and it has continued to grow.  As of 5/25/23, the Congressional ERA Caucus includes 2 co-chairs, 17 vice-chairs, and 69 members.  Maryland Representatives Jamie Raskin (D-08),  David Trone (D-06), and Glenn Ivey (D-04) are the only Maryland delegates to the US House of Representatives who have joined the caucus.  Message your representative to urge them to join:

    Andy Harris (R – District 1) Phone:  (202) 225-5311
    Dutch Ruppersberger (D – District 2) Phone:  (202) 225-3061
    John Sarbanes (D – District 3) Phone:  (202) 225-4016
    Steny Hoyer (D – District 5) Phone:  (202) 225-4131
    Kweisi Mfume (D – District 7) Phone:  (202) 225-4741

    We’d love to have the entire delegation join.  They (or their staffers, more likely) can sign up by filling out this form: https://forms.gle/9hWHoDPCMS9cgjgf7Learn more about ERA Caucus’ goals: https://pressley.house.gov/2023/03/28/pressley-bush-launch-first-ever-congressional-equal-rights-amendment-caucus/

  4. Use Zonta USA Fast Action to message the president to publish the ERA.

HEARINGS, OPINIONS, AND DECISIONS

Senate Committee on the Judiciary Video of Hearing“The Equal Rights Amendment: How Congress Can Recognize and Enshine Equality in Our Constitution”.   

DC Court of Appeals Opinion dismissing the complaint of Nevada and Illinois that the Archivist had a duty to certify and publish the ERA.  Click here for Columbia Law School ERA Project’s thorough FAQ on the District Court’s decision in the case of Illinois v. Ferriero and what the court case means for the ERA moving forward.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT …

Written Testimony/Statements to Senate Committee on the Judiciary Hearing on the ERA (February 28, 2023):

Maryland NOW

ERA Coalition

Equal Rights Amendment North Carolina Alliance

Vote Mama 

ERA Project – Columbia Law School 

Zonta International USA Caucus

ERA Coalition:  Equality Talks Podcasts:

Noreen Farrell, Equal Rights Advocates & LGBTQIA+ Equal Pay (6/15/23)  

Aarush Santoshi, Generation Ratify (6/13/23)

Zakiya Thomas and the ERA Coalition Movement of Millions (6/1/23)

Brennan Center for Justice:  Gender Equality Under State Constitutions (6/13/23)

101.9 JACK FM: Walz signs Equal Rights Amendment resolution to Congress (5/27/23)

People’s World:  Right-wingers block Equal Rights Amendment vote (5/16/23)

Richmond Times Dispatch:  Questions linger after U.S. Senate failed to remove ERA deadline (5/8/23)

South Florida Sun Sentinel: Florida’s six-week abortion ban violates my Catholic values (opinion) (5/2/23)

National Organization for Women:  Feminist State of the Union with Christian Nunes, NOW President, and Special Guest Hillary Rodham Clinton (video) (4/27/23)

White House:  White House Statement of Administration Policy:  SJ Res 4 – A Joint Resolution removing the deadline for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment (4/27/23)

Reuters:  US Equal Rights Amendment blocked again, a century after introduction (4/27/23)

ABC News:  Equal Rights Amendment blocked by GOP:  ‘We will keep fighting’, Lisa Ann Walter (video) (4/27/23)

Washington Post:  Latest push to revive Equal Rights Amendment fails in Senate (4/27/23)

CNN:  Senate Fails to Advance Equal Rights Amendment Resolution (4/27/23)

CBS News:  Alyssa Milano on Senate failure to pass Equal Rights Amendment (video) (4/27/23)

NBC News:  Protester ejected from Senate gallery during procedural vote on Equal Rights Amendment measure (4/27/23)

ERA Coalition:  Press Conference post SJRes 4 Vote (video) (4/27/23)

ERA Coalition:  ERA Coalition Statement on the Senate Failing to Advance Bipartisan Resolution to Affirm the Equal Rights Amendment and Remove the Time Limit (4/27/23)

National Education Association:  NEA Urges Senate to Ratify Equal Rights Amendment (4/26/23)

Forbes:  White Throws Support Behind Equal Rights Amendment (video) (4/26/23)

Ms. Magazine:  The Dobbs Decision Could Erode Other Women’s Rights – Making the ERA More Important Than Ever (4/25/23)

Ms. Magazine:  Ahead of the First ERA Senate Vote in 40 Years, a Nationwide Petition Launches (4/24/23)

KSDK:  Could the revived Equal Rights Amendment restore abortion access?  Democrats think it might (4/10/23)

The Afro News:  The Moore Report:  A Constitutional amendment for the rights of women:  not added after all these years – why not? (4/4/23)

American Constitution Society (Podcast):  Episode 95:  Why the ERA is More Important than Ever (3/28/23)

Elle:  100 Years Later, We Still Don’t Have an Equal Rights Amendment.  This Generation’s Leaders Want to Change That 3/23/23)

National Organization for Women:  Senate Hearing Proves that ERA Should be an Imperative (2/28/23)

Roberta W. Francis, ERA Education Consultant, Alice Paul Institute:  ERA – Frequently Asked Questions

Equality Now:  What Could The US Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On The ERA Mean For Equality In The US?  (2/27/23)

Pressley.house.gov:  PRESSLEY, DEMOCRATIC WOMEN’S CAUCUS HAIL SENATE HEARING ON EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT  (2/28/23)

The Boston Globe:  Drive for Equal Rights Amendment has not lost its urgency  (2/27/23)

WHAT IS THE OPPOSITION SAYING?

CNN.com:  Opinion:  It’s past time for women to give up on the ghost of equality (5/6/23)

National Review:  Schumer Links Equal Rights Amendment to Abortion (4/28/23)

Fox News.com:  Senators James Inhofe and Cindy Hyde Smith – Democrats for ERA: It’s not about empowerment. Here’s what’s really going on (4/5/23)

Anti-ERA Legislation: Introduced on March 15, 2023 by Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS).  See press releases here and here.

US Conference of Catholic Bishops:  Letter to Senators Opposing the ERA and ERA Background  (2/27/23)

The American Conservative:  The Equal Rights Amendment Is Still About Punishing Women  (2/25/23)

Daily Caller:  ‘Radical’: Senate Dems Resurrect Constitutional Amendment Experts Warn Would Gift Massive Wins To The Trans Lobby  (2/27/23)

National Review:  Senate Judiciary Committee to Ponder Congress’s Non-Existent Power to Revive Long-Dead ERA  (2/27/23)

Bloomberg Law:  Equal Rights Amendment Backers Defeated in D.C. Court Appeal (2)  (2/28/23)