Ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
SJR19 currently under consideration in the Arkansas Legislature would ratify the proposed Equal Rights Amendment. While Family Council supports equal rights, the Equal Rights Amendment has the potential to undermine existing laws intended to prevent gender-based discrimination. It also carries a number of unintended consequences. Below are some facts concerning the Equal Rights Amendment. You can download a copy of our policy brief on the issue here.
An ERA Overview: In 2007, the House State Agencies Committee refused to pass this measure, and in 2009, the Senate State Agencies refused to pass it. Ratifying the ERA would make us the 36th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to the US. Constitution. With the ratification of 38 states the measure could become the 28th amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
It 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.”
Why Family Council Opposes the ERA: Since the introduction of the ERA over 30 years ago, numerous state and federal laws have been passed to prevent discrimination against women. In the meantime, courts have interpreted some state ERAs in ways that supporters of these measures never imagined. While Family Council supports equal rights, we are concerned about the unintended consequences of the Federal Equal Rights Amendment.
Here is what can happen if it becomes part of the U.S. Constitution: