US Senate rejects baseless ERA ratification effort

The following quote may be attributed to Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Denise Harle, director of the ADF Center for Life, regarding the failure Thursday of a resolution attempting to add the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution despite the amendment’s expired deadline:

“The Equal Rights Amendment has been legally dead for decades, and attempting to ratify it after its expiration only undermines our rule of law. Women deserve to be treated with equality and fairness under the law, but this amendment actually would have undermined that, too. We’ve seen increasing efforts from radical ideologues and activists to reject truth and redefine ‘sex,’ leaving the very word the ERA centers on subject to alarming reinterpretation. That increases the danger that ‘sex’ becomes meaningless, further opening the door for men to compete—and dominate—women’s sports, and for males to enter into shelters designed to protect women who have suffered domestic abuse, rape, and trafficking. The ERA could also be misused to force Americans to pay for abortions with their tax dollars and to strike down even modest state protections for mothers and their unborn children. We are grateful to the senators who voted against this resolution today, ensuring that women are truly treated with equality and that the integrity of the Constitution is respected.”

• Pronunciation guide: Harle (HAR’-lee)

Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.

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