ERA Still Alive Afer 30 Years

It's alive, it's alive! The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is Alive after Thirty years of debate, and it's still alive! In Illinois on February 23rd, the ERA will be considered in the House Judiciary 1 Committee. The sponsor of the Amendment, Representative Lou Lang (he has sponsored this legislation almost every year) is positive that he now has the votes to pass ERA in the House.

So what's wrong with ERA? It isn't what it appears to be. Everyone thinks it's a simple amendment that will provide equal rights to women. But in fact, ERA will strip away women's current protections and benefits. Because of it's vague language and broad coverage, it will also legalize same-sex marriages, mandate state funding of abortions and weaken the balanced structure of our government.

The laws that provide women with equal rights already exist. The Fourteenth Amendment of The Constitution, has been interpreted by the courts, to prohibit gender based discrimination . Other existing laws that provide women with equal rights, cover virtually all areas of American life - education, employment, credit eligibility, housing and public accommodations.

The major problem with ERA is in it's wording. It simply states: "Equality of rights, under law, shall not be denied or abridged, by the United States or any state, on account of sex." In essence, women are not being guaranteed equal rights; rather gender is being removed as a legal characteristic on which to base distinctions. So the wording in State ERAs has been interpreted, by courts, to remove the critical protection of wife and child support, mandate state funding of elective abortions and legalize same-sex marriage.

The ERA is not about women's rights. It's about creating a genderless society, that removes sex as a legal characteristic. So, it's passage will negatively impact women, families, society and the structure of our government. Those who claim ERA is an innocent piece of legislation, that gives women equal rights, have a different agenda.