Washington D.C., Mar 18, 2021 / 11:01 am
The House on Wednesday voted to remove the deadline for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, attempting to allow its ratification nearly 40 years after the original deadline.
The joint resolution removing the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) deadline passed 222-204 on a largely party-line vote, with four Republicans joining Democrats in support.
The ERA prohibits sex discrimation, stating that "[e]quality of rights under law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." The U.S. bishops' conference (USCCB) is among those who have opposed the measure, arguing it could be interpreted to allow taxpayer-funded of abortion and overturn abortion restrictions.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List, said in a statement on Wednesday that the ERA "may as well be called the Abortion Rights Act, as it would usher in extreme policy implications by enshrining a 'right' to abortion in the U.S. Constitution alongside the foundational principles of our great nation."