Considering that the majority of people living in this country are women, isn’t it about time that we took a stand and included equal rights for women in the U.S. Constitution? The U.S. recently demanded that countries like Iraq and Afghanistan include equal rights amendments in their constitutions. Shouldn’t Americans be guaranteed these same equal rights under U.S. law? Currently, the only right women are granted in the Constitution is the right to vote. We must remedy this and encourage our legislators to support the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment in Louisiana!
The Equal Rights Amendment simply states “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” This amendment, first proposed in 1923, would guarantee an end to sex discrimination like no other law, ordinance, or statute can. The most successful push to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment between 1972 and 1982 acquired ratification from 35 of the 38 states needed for inclusion into the U.S. Constitution.It’s time for another strong push. Louisiana is one of 15 states that have not yet ratified the Equal Rights Amendment. With only three states needed for ratification to be complete, we must make the Equal Rights Amendment a priority in Louisiana this legislative session.