It’s Time for an Equal Rights Amendment—and an End to the War on Women

The Trump administration and lawmakers in Congress are threatening women’s hard-won progress from the last century. The best antidote? Securing women’s constitutional equality and putting an end to the War on Women.

The Equal Rights Amendment would add the following language to the Constitution:

Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

Women have been fighting for those words since 1923. Since then, women have won significant victories—but there is still no constitutional standard or protection for women and girls. As the Trump administration and lawmakers in Congress continue to chip away at the progress feminists have ushered in over the last century, the ERA could be a powerful tool in protecting what we’ve won and paving the way for even more progress.

“Given the continuing attacks by right-wing lawmakers on Title IX, abortion and family planning, LGBT communities, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, the ERA is needed more than ever,” Gaylynn Burroughs, Policy Director of the Feminist Majority, wrote in the Winter 2016 issue of Ms.

On March 26, FM will be holding two parallel Walk For EQUALITY events in California—one in Palo Alto and one in Los Angeles—to show opposition to the Trump’s anti-woman agenda and unite their members in moving forward and fighting for the ERA.

“As we fight back against the escalating attacks on reproductive rights, Title IX, civil rights, LGBT rights and immigrant rights, we are pushing forward and building momentum for the Equal Rights Amendment,” the Walk for Equality team leaders wrote to FM members this week. “Without an ERA, we are left to fight for equality law-by-law and state-by-state instead of having a nationwide guarantee of equality.”

Women have waited over 230 years to be a part of the the Constitution. Under the current administration, enshringing gender equality in that document may be more important than ever.