US Senate Falls Short in Enshrining Equal Rights for Women in Constitution
The U.S. Senate fell short of passing the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) on Thursday, leaving women’s rights in limbo. The amendment was first proposed in 1923, but it was not passed by Congress until 1972. It required ratification by three-fourths, or 38, of the 50 state legislatures to become part of the Constitution. The resolution aimed to remove the 1982 deadline for state ratification that prevented the ERA from going into effect.
The ERA’s failure is a major setback for gender equality in the United States, with women still fighting for equal pay and protection under the law. Senate Democrats and supporters were nine votes short of the 60 needed to pass the resolution, with a 51-47 vote in favor. Only two Republican senators, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine, joined Democrats in voting for the measure.
Groups opposed to abortion argued that the ERA could provide an avenue to making abortion a constitutional right, leading to its failure. The amendment’s failure is likely to increase attention on women’s rights in the 2024 White House campaign.
Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer stated that the ERA was even more crucial since the Supreme Court last year overturned the national right to abortion. He argued that women in America have far fewer rights today than they did even a year ago. The Biden administration has voiced its support for the resolution, saying that it is long past time to definitively enshrine the principle of gender equality in the Constitution.
The fight for gender equality in the United States continues, with the ERA remaining a crucial step towards ensuring that women receive equal pay and secure their rights in legal matters. The failure to pass the ERA only underscores the need for continued activism and advocacy toward achieving true gender equality in America.
-Re-reported from the story originally published in India Today
