This is a developing story; more in-depth analysis to come.
On Friday, President Biden issued a strong statement declaring that the Equal Rights Amendment has been ratified and is the law of the land, having met both requirements of Article V with the vote of two-thirds of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the state legislatures.
We applaud President Biden’s unwavering support for the Equal Rights Amendment over more than 50 years.
“The ERA would etch equal rights into the Constitution—to protect and expand our opportunities, choices and rights,” said Carolyn Maloney, president of New York State NOW and former member of Congress.
“There is nothing in the president’s statement that prevents the Congress from also affirming the ERA as the 28th Amendment to the Constitution, as they did with the 27th Amendment,” said Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority.
Smeal and Maloney are ERA leaders who have worked for decades for the ratification, starting in the 1970’s when it passed Congress.
Read Biden’s full statement on the ERA below:
I have supported the Equal Rights Amendment for more than 50 years, and I have long been clear that no one should be discriminated against based on their sex. We, as a nation, must affirm and protect women’s full equality once and for all.
On January 27, 2020, the Commonwealth of Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. The American Bar Association (ABA) has recognized that the Equal Rights Amendment has cleared all necessary hurdles to be formally added to the Constitution as the 28th Amendment. I agree with the ABA and with leading legal constitutional scholars that the Equal Rights Amendment has become part of our Constitution.
It is long past time to recognize the will of the American people. In keeping with my oath and duty to Constitution and country, I affirm what I believe and what three-fourths of the states have ratified: the 28th Amendment is the law of the land, guaranteeing all Americans equal rights and protections under the law regardless of their sex.
