U.S. Rep. Cory Bush, together with other U.S. lawmakers and supporters, held a press conference outside Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on December 10, urging U.S. President Joe Biden to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment before the end of his term in January. (ERA), 2024.
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President Joe Biden Calling the Equal Rights Amendment “the law of the land” on Friday supported efforts to enshrine the change in the U.S. Constitution more than a century after the gender equality guarantee was first proposed.
It’s unclear what practical impact Biden’s comments might have. this White House Issues statement three days before leaving office to hand over to president-elect Donald Trump Monday.
The ERA states that “equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.”
Its supporters say the bill is needed to prevent gender discrimination and help achieve equal pay for equal work, while opponents argue that the original timetable for its inclusion in the constitution has been passed and an amendment is no longer needed.
The U.S. Senate blocked the Equal Rights Amendment from being approved into law in 2023, a century after it was proposed, by a 51-47 vote, 60 more than needed to clear the 100-member House of Representatives. There are still 9 votes left.
The ERA was proposed in 1923 and passed by Congress until 1972.
In 2020, Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the amendment, but opponents of the law say the state’s deadline for ratification has passed. The National Archivist, who is responsible for authenticating and publishing the new amendments, also believes it is too late.
The National Archivist said on December 17 that the ERA could not be certified as part of the Constitution due to “established legal, judicial and procedural decisions.”
According to a report from the Labor Department, by 2023, men in the United States will earn 84 cents for every dollar earned by women working full-time, year-round. Black women earn 69 cents for every dollar white men earn.
