Illinois becomes 37th state to ratify the ERA
Will North Carolina be the 38th?
Durham, NC – On May 30, 2018, the Illinois House of Representatives voted to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, making it the 37th of 38 states need to guarantee women in the United States full protection under the Constitution.
Efforts have been underway in North Carolina to ratify the ERA as well, with bills introduced in the 2015-16 and 2017-18 sessions. On May 31st, additional ratifying bills were introduced in both the NC House and Senate. Senators Floyd McKissick and Terry Van Duyn are primary sponsors of S782, which explains why the ERA is still viable for ratification today, and allocates $10,000 to educate the public about the act. In the House, Representatives Carla Cunningham, Susan Fisher, Evelyn Terry and Deb Butler are primary sponsors of the companion bill H1072.
Links to new bills:
S782: www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2017/Bills/Senate/PDF/S782v1.pdf
H1072: www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2017/Bills/House/PDF/H1072v1.pdf
A 2016 poll found nearly universal support (94%) for guaranteeing women equal rights under the Constitution. Nearly 80% of those polled mistakenly believed that was already the case. However, the late Supreme Court Justice, Antonin Scalia, made it clear that justices following a constitutionalist philosophy believe that women are not protected under the Constitution, and that the founders did not intend that they be protected under the document.
The ERA-NC Alliance is conducting a statewide educational campaign about the need for the Constitutional amendment, which is anticipated to eventually guarantee equality for men and women under the law and in the workplace, and strengthen protection against gender-based violence.
ERA-NC Alliance Co-Presidents Marena Groll and Roberta Madden are available for interviews.
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About the ERA-NC Alliance:
The ERA-NC Alliance (www.era-nc.org) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization seeking ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. constitution. Membership is open to individuals and organizations committed to ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. Lead organizations include the American Association of University Women of NC, Democratic Women of NC, League of Women Voters of NC, NC4ERA, NC Business and Professional Women, NC National Organization for Women, NC Women United, Ratify ERA- NC the Women’s Forum of NC and the YWCA of Asheville. The Alliance operates in direct collaboration with the national ERA Coalition (www.eracoalition.org).
