The Equal Rights Amendment
The ERA’s first section 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.†It was intended to place into law the equality of men and women. It was sent to the states in March, 1972. The original seven year deadline was extended to ten years. It expired unratified in 1982.
The text:
Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.
I was amazed to learn recently that the ERA never became law. Though I was just a boy when the amendment was introduced, I do remember the marches and the debate. Does it make sense to bring equal rights for women back into the national debate, when we have the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to occupy our attention? If you think of it as a matter of respect for all people, then, yes, I would say that now is a very good time.